We had to move on again the next day, to Denali Lodge. This
time by train, but not exactly express. It was however very comfortable, we sat
upstairs with scenic windows, we had never been on a train quite like this.
As all of Alaska Railways are narrow gauge, 3ft, and as most of the
lines have to follow the contours of mountains or the sides of lakes and
rivers some of the bends are quite severe, meaning quite slow going most of
the time.
It took about five hours to get up to Denali lodge, we were served lunch on the way, which was pleasant. Again the views were quite spectacular, bur there was a distinct lack of animals.
The bridge was a massive steel cantilever construction, with a wooden roadbed, the two rails in the middle were the running rails, and we could see through the sleepers to the gulch below.
Unfortunately it rained much of the way, making it difficult to take good pictures, but as you can see above, it was very comfortable. We were served drinks by the guy in blue, and although we could have had our meal at the table, we chose to go down into the dining room for ours, to be joined by two new lady friends or ours, Rosemary and Sue. They had been in the next cabin to us all the time on the ship, but we hadn't taken a lot of notice till we met them on the journey north.
Anyway, eventually we arrived at yet another one horse town called Denali, where our lodge was located. The town itself had a multitude of gift shops, and businesses promoting various recreational opportunities, but just one saving grace, a Subway!!!! I had felt very deprived since leaving Vancouver, so I took the opportunity of slaking my craving as soon as I could!
The lodge was literally across the road from the village, and was larger even than the McKinleylodge we had just left. This one had five or six restaurants, as well as other amenities, but unfortunately we were only there one night, so didn't get the chance to try them all out.
The following morning at 7 am we were scheduled to go into the park for a five hour trip, on a 'school bus'. A wee bit primitive it was, but reasonable, no loo though.
The following morning at 7 am we were scheduled to go into the park for a five hour trip, on a 'school bus'. A wee bit primitive it was, but reasonable, no loo though.
We did get to see a cow moose on the way in, grazing about 100 yards from the road. There was a young one nearby, but not near enough to catch with the camera.
We were stopped as we entered the park, we had to report the number of bodies on board, I think to make sure we didn't leave anyone behind! We had our usual lecture about what to do if we came across a bear, for about the tenth time, I am an expert now....
Anne and I are now officially thirty per centers - we are two of the very few who get to see Mount McKinley (Mount Denali, The big One, whatever you wish to call it but Obama has officially changed its name to Denali now) Most of the time it is swathed in cloud, at 20,000 feet it has to be a very clear day before you see it. If fact, before we left, and before the next crowd came along it had vanished again, So were we lucky?
In this area we are quite high up, above 2000 feet, and it is officially called Arctic Tundra. The trees here are squat, and fewer than below, much of the ground is covered by bush about three or four foot high. Quite different from the lower areas where the trees grow a little spindly but thick on the ground.
We had talks en route from the parks department and from an Inuit girl who spoke of the various tribes in the area, and their lifestyles before the western invasion.
On our way out of the park we came across this caribou sauntering up the road, his antlers were superb. They grow these in about ten weeks each year, before the rut, and their calcium becomes so depleted as a result of the massive growth that their other bones become brittle, and they are likely to break legs etc. This guy was still in velvet, but almost ready to shed it. He will be looking for his harem soon.
After lunch, (Subway of course!) we had to re-bus for the three hour trip up to Fairbanks, we seem to be forever on the move, never getting a chance to rest.
In this area we are quite high up, above 2000 feet, and it is officially called Arctic Tundra. The trees here are squat, and fewer than below, much of the ground is covered by bush about three or four foot high. Quite different from the lower areas where the trees grow a little spindly but thick on the ground.
We had talks en route from the parks department and from an Inuit girl who spoke of the various tribes in the area, and their lifestyles before the western invasion.
On our way out of the park we came across this caribou sauntering up the road, his antlers were superb. They grow these in about ten weeks each year, before the rut, and their calcium becomes so depleted as a result of the massive growth that their other bones become brittle, and they are likely to break legs etc. This guy was still in velvet, but almost ready to shed it. He will be looking for his harem soon.
After lunch, (Subway of course!) we had to re-bus for the three hour trip up to Fairbanks, we seem to be forever on the move, never getting a chance to rest.
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