North to Alaska!: Back on the road and Denali

Monday, July 23

Leaving the ferry and Haines, we set out on the road again. We follow the Chilkat River to the east of a beautiful mountain range, heading for the border crossing into the Yukon Territory.

More glaciers and peaks thank you could believe possible. Now in the Yukon, the country flattens out with big lakes and the Saint Elias Range to the west.
Here is a nice small grizz, maybe two years? Right along the road, he is scarfing up as many plant mouthfuls as he can.

Driving back into Alaska, we stopped at a campground in Tok. They had a small pavilion set up for music. Not being shy, I asked the twenty something year old guitar player if I could sit in. To my surprise, he played lots of 70's and 80's rock; Steve Miller Band and the like. I had a great time playing stuff I remember but had never played. Cousin Curtis plays a mean guitar and has a great line of patter. He launched into a bit about when he and I were on tour in the 70's; remember he is all of 24. We had lots of fun.

Tuesday, July 24

Driving from Tok to Denali via the Denali Highway, 110 miles of gravel.

Again, miles and miles of spectacular mountain scenery.

Slow going, but really out away from civilization except for a few small resorts. Great berry pie at McClaren River Lodge!

Lots of ponds.

The vegetation grows sparse, Black Spruce and fireweed dominate.

Tomorrow, into the park. If we're lucky, we will catch our first glimpse of Denali, "The Great One." They say that only one day out of three or four is clear enough for a view.

Wednesday and Thursday, July 25 & 26

We drove in to our reserved campsite at Teklanika, 29 miles in. It is the farthest campground that you are allowed to drive to. Around noon, we caught the green bus to Eilson visitor center. The grey overcast began to break up as we rode. Every so often, the driver would point out a distant cloud bank behind which, we were assured, lay the mountain.Finally, out of the clouds it came, thousands of feet above, cloaked in white.

At 20,320 feet, it towers above everything else, the highest peak in North America. Since the surrounding valleys are between two to three thousand feet, the climb is long and arduous as well as dangerous. Over the years around two hundred climbers have died attempting the ascent.

Wildlife? We have seen grizzlies

This one was digging into a ground squirrel tunnel.

This is my best grizz picture.

Caribou...

The males have huge racks and they are greatly bothered by mosquitos. We saw on cow running, looking really haggard.

Here is a great sequence of a red fox going after a ground squirrel, catching and then caching it in the roadside gravel! Guess he already had his lunch.