Fairbanks-Denali

Fairbanks-Denali Sorry for the time delay...Just got on the ship so I'll be better at posting :/. Up early in Fairbanks to board the bus to Denali. We met for breakfast in the hotel restaurant.  The service at the Fairbanks Princess Hotel was less than impressive. I think everyone is laid back and unhurried like in the South.  It's a whole different pace there.  On the bus with Dallas our driver, he immediately started telling jokes. This varied from Stan, our other driver, whose stories were a little dry and lengthy.  One section of the trip, about 100 miles, he TALKED. THE. WHOLE. TIME. At the halfway point between Fairbanks and Denali we passed a little road house called "Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn".   Yuk yuk.  At our bathroom stop in Nenana we were greeted by a cute little lady who was a pool shark in a previous life.  At the end of our visit, she brought out her accordion and serenaded us. Wow.  Another day, another character... We pulled up to the lodge and hopped another bus to Denali National Park.  The goal of this tour was to see as many animals as possible. River, our guide, (yes, that's really his name) has been driving this route for 20 years. The highway taking us into the middle of Denali went from paved, to paved with torn- up sections to gravel.  There were times that the road was scarily narrow.   Our trip covered 65 miles, one way. We saw Caribou, Dall sheep, Grizzlies, more Caribou, red Fox and finally a MOOSE!  So far we've not seen a moose and joked that we never would see one.  The entire trip took about 7 hours and was so...okay I'm running out of descriptive words.  Our bus group was fun and helpful. Rick said that the "spotters" that we had were the key to a good trip.  Most of the wildlife we could see very well looking through our  binoculars.   River told us that the Dall Sheep are usually on the hillsides, a bunch of white dots. Suddenly we see one standing on a rock outcropping. The bus pulled forward to get a good photo angle. About 20 yards farther, someone spied another one RIGHT BY THE ROAD!     Rick got some pretty good photos of them.  River said he was glad he didn't make any bets that we would see a Dall sheep closer than the first one. One the return trip at that same spot, we saw one even closer.   Rick said it was a good thing we didn't open the door, he might have boarded the bus!   Although the sun came out and the temp was warm, we still couldn't see Mt. McKinley.  Each time there was an animal sighting, the driver stopped and turned a little video camera on the critter, which played in real time on the on -board TV monitors.  The fairly good zoom on the video camera allowed everyone to see the animals. River said that he hated the videos at first but since changed his mind and has gotten lots of positive comments, especially those with impaired vision.   What a wonderful day... The Denali Princess Lodge where we stayed was lovely and also BIG.  This is a major hub for Princess, with busses coming and going for tours and for the next lodge.   Multiple buildings held guest rooms, gift and snack shops, and guest services.  The night went FAST considering we needed to have our bags out by 7:30 AM.  Our travel mates signed on for a jeep trip this morning but we chose to relax, shop a little and see the town.  We have very little room to spare in our luggage so we're choosing our souvenirs carefully.  I guess I'll pass on the $2800 arctic mink jacket.  I'm thinking PETA doesn't have a branch office here.  We left Denali Headed to the McKinley Lodge, about 2 hours. We are so ready to leave the busses behind.  It's not uncommon to have only pit toilets at the rest stops. This relatively short ride had one stop with NO restrooms.  Okay, back to the bus...oh my...they for got to clean this one...UGH.  Thus endth the toilet report.   McKinley Lodge compound is large with multiple buildings similar to Denali but no shops.  We are captive here, with the nearest town, Talkeetna, one hour away.  We won't be here long, though.  Luckily the clouds opened giving us a peek (peak?) at the mountain the Natives call The Great One.  Our first sighting, we were searching for the summit way too low. Then Rick pointed higher and...it truly is UP in the sky.  GLORIOUS.  Drinks, dinner, then bed.  The sunny skies meant our rooms were about 80 degrees. None of our rooms so far had air conditioning but it wasn't a problem until now.  OHhh...that's what the fan in the closet is for!   This morning we left McKinley Lodge for Talkeetna where we boarded the train to Whittier, where we board the ship.  Since we needed to have our luggage ready to go at 6:30 AM (!), we left early headed to Talkeetna for breakfast at the Roadhouse. Our Bus driver this time filled us in on the climbers who attempt to summit McKinley.  This year, five people who attempted the climb, perished.  The success rate is less than 50% due to the weather, avalanches and other hazards.  The Roadhouse is a common stopping spot for the climbers.  It's a no frills place where a full order consists of 7 scrambled eggs (eggs come any style as long as it's scrambled) , and all the trimmings. The pancakes are 2" larger than the dinner plates.  Cary ordered white toast. Waiter says, "toast comes only two ways: toast or no toast.". I guess if you climb McKinley and your life is on the line, such things become unimportant. As I write this we are on our 5-hour train trip to Whittier.  Clear sky day in our domed rail car, we just passed through Wasilla, home of Sarah Palin.  We've met several people who are on our same tour. One of our favorites reminds us of our dear Sean.  The young man, Trevor, about 11 yrs old, traveling with his sister and their grandparents.  First noticed them in Valdez when we were on the boat trip all day.  I told the grandparents that I noticed how well behave the kids are. They thanked me and asked me if I'd been drinking!  Since then we've seen them everywhere: on the bus, in town, in the hallway...They always speak and ask how our day went.  His grandma said that he was trying to hit on the waitress the other day.  Yesterday, Trevor was wearing a shirt that said 'Cool beyond my years'. That's so Sean. It makes us miss him (and all the grand babies -  love you!).