We rode some 1300+ miles. Our most northern destination was Denali National Park and most southern was Homer and oh so many special sites in between. So many have asked, "Oh did you go on a cruise?" Well, yes and no. Most of the time that question means did you get on a cruise ship and tour Alaska. We did tour Alaska but it was by car and we did get on a boat and take a Kenai Fjords tour.
After checking out the basics in Anchorage, our first big adventure was to take on Denali National Park and pray for a clear day to see the big guy - Mt. McKinley. And yes, it was a clear day - what a sight to see.
But there are several little treasures in between Anchorage and Denali. We stopped in a quaint little place, Eklutna. There was a Russian Orthodox church and the uniqueness of the place was the fact that little houses had been built and painted all sorts of colors on each burial spot. Sadly it had not been kept up but was truly a special stop on the way to Denali.
Another treasure is Talkeetna. It is mostly known for a lovely lodge and spectacular views of Mt. McKinley. However, there is a downtown area, more like a village area, that has some little specialty shops and yummy food. They have Moose made out of all sorts of materials and then colored or stained that really add to the atmosphere. Think you would like to spend time there. We did.
Back to the Denali story. Most people take a ride into the park via a tour bus. Charlie and I decided to see the park via a Rhino two-seater four wheeler type of vehicle. What fun! We rode through dry river beds, then places where there was water running through and then some very special places where there were very muddy bottoms. Yep, we went mud bogging :-) - not on purpose.
The ridges proved to have spectacular views of the park. What a special day. Met some great people and enjoyed fellowship around the back of the Rhinos as we soaked in the vastness and beauty of this place.
P.S. Our guide told us right at the end of the tour that we had a little extra time since our group proved to be such great riders on the Rhinos. He said we would go to another area around the park unless someone wanted to get bogged down since that had not happened on this particular ride. You guessed it - as Charlie and I proceeded to follow the leader we got stuck! Mud flying everywhere - brought the wench and got us out.
What a great day! More to come later.
