We spent the Fourth of July in the lovely city of Fairbanks. We rode our bikes into town, did some shopping and went to the Univ. of Alaska Museum. The weather was fantastic - hot and sunny!
From Fairbanks we took a one-day sidetrip up to the Arctic Circle - about 200 miles up the famed Dalton Highway through the wilderness. The highway follows the Alaska Pipeline much of the way, which was quite interesting. It's 800 miles long, half of it underground. Our guide, Captain Jeff, told us that the animals have not only adapted to it, but now use it to their advantage - shade in the summer and warmth in the winter. Could this be true??
There have been some huge forest fires over the years up here, and in the burned out places one of the first plants to reappear is fireweed. The fields of fireweed bordering both sides of the Dalton Highway are vividly purple - beautiful!
Our motorhome was filthy dirty after going over the gravel, dusty Top of the World Highway, so all hands pitched in to wash the rig . . . . .except Kibo and Moshi of course, who supervised.
From Fairbanks we drove to Denali Park, camping 13 miles into the Park at the Savage River Campground. We were so lucky - the weather was perfect, and we saw lots of animals. The first day we were there, Penny and I went on a short hike and came upon a couple of Dall sheep, who didn't seem to be bothered by our presence.
These fox kits were having a blast chasing each other around and wrestling - they were very cute! Their mom was keeping a watchful eye on them from a short distance away.
And the biggest treat of all - grizzly bears!!! This handsome devil came over a ridge about 7:15 pm near a Visitor Center deep in the Park - which closes at 7. I'm sure he knows what time they close, and timed his visit accordingly. We were still there because Penny and I had taken a hike and were waiting for the last bus of the day to take us back to our campground. Lucky lucky lucky!!
Our motorhome was filthy dirty after going over the gravel, dusty Top of the World Highway, so all hands pitched in to wash the rig . . . . .except Kibo and Moshi of course, who supervised.
From Fairbanks we drove to Denali Park, camping 13 miles into the Park at the Savage River Campground. We were so lucky - the weather was perfect, and we saw lots of animals. The first day we were there, Penny and I went on a short hike and came upon a couple of Dall sheep, who didn't seem to be bothered by our presence.
Only a small percentage of the people who come to the Park actually get to see Mt. Denali, aka Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in the United States at 20,320 feet. It's so tall it generates its own weather, which means it's usually obscured by clouds. We couldn't believe how lucky we were to be able to see it from top to bottom!!
To protect the wilderness and the animals, the Park Service doesn't allow private vehicles to drive back into the Park, so you have to take a bus in. We rode the bus 89 miles into the Park, and along the way we saw this iconic scene of a moose in a pond with the mountains in the background. Lucky lucky lucky!!
These fox kits were having a blast chasing each other around and wrestling - they were very cute! Their mom was keeping a watchful eye on them from a short distance away.
And the biggest treat of all - grizzly bears!!! This handsome devil came over a ridge about 7:15 pm near a Visitor Center deep in the Park - which closes at 7. I'm sure he knows what time they close, and timed his visit accordingly. We were still there because Penny and I had taken a hike and were waiting for the last bus of the day to take us back to our campground. Lucky lucky lucky!!
Here's Moshi, the Queen, looking regal. She and Kibo didn't seem too impressed by the animals, although they're always interested in birds and bugs.
Kibo sometimes prefers unusual sleeping accommodations - here he's about to grab a catnap in the sink . . .
After leaving the Park we drove down the Parks Highway to the little town of Talkeetna, where fortunately for us they happened to be holding the annual Moose Dropping Festival. There was a parade, featuring a fire truck, a few aging veterans, and a bulldozer, and some booths with homemade jams and jellies - that kind of thing. And some sort of contest involving moose droppings, which I never quite understood. One afternoon we flew on a tiny plane up to Mt. Denali, actually landing on a glacier. We got to get out and walk around, with the summit looming 15,000 feet above us - fabulous!!!!
We ate lunch one day on the deck of a restaurant overlooking the boat harbor, with the mountains as a backdrop.
This was the view from our front window . . . . .
Kibo sometimes prefers unusual sleeping accommodations - here he's about to grab a catnap in the sink . . .
After leaving the Park we drove down the Parks Highway to the little town of Talkeetna, where fortunately for us they happened to be holding the annual Moose Dropping Festival. There was a parade, featuring a fire truck, a few aging veterans, and a bulldozer, and some booths with homemade jams and jellies - that kind of thing. And some sort of contest involving moose droppings, which I never quite understood. One afternoon we flew on a tiny plane up to Mt. Denali, actually landing on a glacier. We got to get out and walk around, with the summit looming 15,000 feet above us - fabulous!!!!
Leaving Talkeetna, we drove down to Anchorage, then on down to the Kenai Peninsula to the small town of Homer, which is on a spit of land with Cook Inlet on one side and Kachemak Bay on the other. Our campground was out on the end of the spit, right on the beach, with a great view of the glaciated Kenai Mountains across the Bay. Homer is a big halibut fishing town, and it was fun to watch the boats heading out for a day of fishing.
We ate lunch one day on the deck of a restaurant overlooking the boat harbor, with the mountains as a backdrop.
This was the view from our front window . . . . .
Sometimes in the evenings we have a tournament - Mexican Train, or Tile Rummy, or Sequence. Sometimes for money . . . . other times for ice cream . . .
Travelling back across the Kenai Peninsula, we headed for Seward, another small town (2,606 people) on the water, this time Resurrection Bay. Again we had a campsite right on the water, where we could watch sea otters swimming and eagles fishing. We took a boat ride to the Kenai Fjords National Park, where we saw glaciers, whales, puffins, and sea lions. The weather turned cloudy, with even a little misty rain, turning the water to silver and creating wisps of fog to shroud the mountains.
This is the Holgate Glacier , hundreds of feet high . . .
We had dinner overlooking the boat harbor in Seward . . .
On the road again, Moshi and Bob are riding in comfort . . . .
On the Glenn Highway we stopped at an overlook to admire the Matanuska Glacier. Next stop, Valdez . . . .
Travelling back across the Kenai Peninsula, we headed for Seward, another small town (2,606 people) on the water, this time Resurrection Bay. Again we had a campsite right on the water, where we could watch sea otters swimming and eagles fishing. We took a boat ride to the Kenai Fjords National Park, where we saw glaciers, whales, puffins, and sea lions. The weather turned cloudy, with even a little misty rain, turning the water to silver and creating wisps of fog to shroud the mountains.
This is the Holgate Glacier , hundreds of feet high . . .
We had dinner overlooking the boat harbor in Seward . . .
On the road again, Moshi and Bob are riding in comfort . . . .
On the Glenn Highway we stopped at an overlook to admire the Matanuska Glacier. Next stop, Valdez . . . .
