We took a bus tour into Denali National Park. There is one road going in, and it runs about 70 miles. We went into the park only 40 miles, so there is a lot we didn't see. I would like to go back and explore some more.
Beautiful sites...
We listened to talks from an Athabaskan man, and walked a trail looking for lichen and moss.
We finally saw a couple of moose on the drive out of the park...not a great shot from inside the bus!
His friend on the other side of the road...
Finally caught the head up...
After the tour, we went to the visitor center and to the sled dog demonstration. Denali is the only National Park with a working sled dog team.
The dogs were quite excited to see people, but they were hot. The weather was about 60 degrees, but their ideal temperature is minus 10!
They were on chains because they had just been fed, and they need to make sure everyone eats only their food! As cat people, we can't understand this at all :)
Here's Auntie with Cupcake. In the summer, the dogs eat about 900 calories a day. In the winter they eat 16-17 THOUSAND a day!
Here is a sled...the dogs love to run, and last year they each ran about 1400 miles.
The dogs ran a quick circle so we could watch them, then they had a reward. You could tell how excited they were to run!
Learning all about the dogs and the work they do from a ranger.
This sign was in the visitors center...I'm not convinced :)
Next week - Fairbanks, our final stop.
Oh my gosh, that second photo is stunning. What scenery!
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how hot the dogs were, but I don't imagine the temps are at 60F+ for very long.
And as for the mosquito sign...I'm not convinced either. LOL.
Beautiful photos. I am not convinced either by the mosquito sign. When we were in Alaska we stayed in the Princess Denali Lodge and I have never seen or been bitten by so many mosquitoes in my life!
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