So I am afraid I have to play a little catch-up. I got to Denali, and really just got my ass kicked over a couple of days. I was active and absolutely beat afterwards the two days we were there. So I am thinking, no problem, we have a few easy days at the next couple of stops. Just make up for my blog-less days on those days. Internet accessibility stymied me. I could hike up or down to the lodges (depending on which location it was) and get internet access, or just wait for the premium internet package I paid for on the boat. Those hikes were monstrous as far as I was concerned. I voted on waiting. So here I am, watching the never-ending parade of snow-covered peaks and icebergs go past, at just after midnight on what is now Thursday, nearly a week after my last post. I am going to attempt to write for every single day I missed. It may take a few days, but I have the will, a couple of days on the boat, and a three foot trek to internet access now. And room service with hot pots of tea at my beck and call. That is truly the most important thing.
So, without further ado, Day 4. This is the day we started getting to know “our crew”. We had met one couple from Rhode Island back in Fairbanks, but this was the day we started traveling with the same people. We may not have had the same excursions, but all travel between resorts from here on out was with the same group. There were maybe two other couples who were around our age, but most were probably at least 20 years older. Primarily, we have gotten to know couples from Rhode Island, Ohio, Iowa, South Carolina, and Western Australia. Kind of a rowdy bunch, so it was a blast!
Fairbanks Princess Lodge at 2:30am.
We had a three-hour bus ride on Day 4. Melissa and I didn’t quite sort out which bus was ours fast enough, so we were placed in the back, next to the bathroom and Sandy from Ohio (her husband had to sit with a lady who was traveling solo from Australia). My way of dealing with long trips is to read, so I pulled out my tablet while Melissa and Sandy talked. We made two stops on the way there. One for a photo opportunity overlooking a valley, and another for a quick coffee break at a campground/store.
View of a valley between Fairbanks and Denali.
Once we arrived at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, Melissa and I had lunch at an onsite restaurant (Lynx Creek Pizza), then got ready to head to our first excursion in Denali, a moderate hike in the National Park. Well, more accurately, it was a moderate hike for the 70-year old lab tech from California, and the 60-something couple from an Eastern state that I just can’t recall anymore. Melissa and I, flatlander desk jockeys that we are, got ourselves quite a workout. When they offer you hiking poles, always be a bit suspicious that perhaps you aren’t going for your basic evening stroll. However, we got a lot of exercise in (that is still our most active day, by far) saw a couple of critters (snowshoe hare and raven) fairly close up, and had a great post-hike couple of beers back at Lynx Creek with our new friends. The one sad thing was that they would not be continuing on with us, as they were headed the opposite direction, coming from the ship first, then finishing their land tour.
“Freezer” from early 1900’s settlers.
Melissa and I in front of a railroad trestle.
Speckled Frog’s Pelt
Railroad bridge in Denali.
Suspension bridge upstream in Denali National Park.
Looking downstream in Denali National Park.
Looking upstream in Denali National Park.
Pathway used during our “moderate” hike.
View downstream in Denali.
View upstream in Denali.
Large geologic structure upstream of the railroad bridge.
However, the evening and company were fantastic and it was hard to believe it was after 11pm when we all finally headed back to our respective rooms to catch some sleep. Day 5 would be a tour with “the crew” into Denali National Park (and a much easier bus trip).