DENALI
THEY TOLD US THAT THIS IS  MORE OF A VIEW THAN MOST PEOPLE SEE OF HER .

JUNE 2
SO WE MADE IT TO PALMER AK. STOP AT  FRED MYERS AND STOCKED UP ON GROCERIES AND FUEL.
MARGARET CALLED DENALI NATIONAL PARK TO SEE IF WE COULD MAKE RESERVATION TO CAMP IN THE PARK AND TO MY SURPRISE THEY HAD A WEEK . HELL YEAH BOOK IT FROM THE 4-11 JUNE. SO WE HEADED  TO DENALI WITH A STOP IN CANTWELL AK FOR ONE NIGHT.

JUNE 4
GOT TO DENALI SET UP CAMP AN WENT TO THE VISITOR CENTER TO BOOK 3 BUS TRIPS INTO THE PARK. YOU CAN ONLY DRIVE 15 MILES IN WITH YOUR VEHICLE.
JUNE 5,8,9 JUNE 5 65 MILES TO EIELSON VISITOR CENTER.

OUR RIDE INTO DENALI

SO AFTER GOING TO THE VISITOR CENTER GUESS I SHOULD SAY THERE ARE TWO VISITOR CENTER IN DENALI.

WE WENT ON A 2 MILE HIKE TO HORSESHOE LAKE. VERY NICE HIKE TO THE LAKE AND TO THE BEAVER DAM.

LOOKING DOWN AT THE LAKE

COOL LAKE

THIS GUY WAS BARKING AT US

BEAVER DAM

SO ON OUR WAY BACK THERE IS A SMALL FOOT BRIDGE OVER A SMALL CREEK

JUST AS WE GET OVER THE BRIDGE OUT OF THE WOODS CAME A BIG ASS MOOSE 

20 FEET AWAY FROM US IT JUST STOPPED ON THE TRAIL JUST LOOKING AT US..WITH OUR MOUTHS OPENED  NOT EVEN THINKING TO TAKE A PICTURE WE JUST STOPPED AND WATCHED HIM WALK OFF HOW COOL IS THAT. SO I THOUGH AS A SKILLED HUNTER  THAT I 'AM  OKAY SO I LIE A LITTLE. SO I SAID HE IS MORE THAN LIKELY GOING TO GO TO THE LAKE SO OFF WE GO TO THE LAKE. SURE ENOUGH AS WE GET TO THE LAKE WE SEEN HIM IN THE WOODS AT THE LAKES EDGE. THEN WE SEE THESE GUY'S .

Add caption

 THEY WERE LOOKING RIGHT AT US. I SAID TO MARGARET I DON'T LIKE THIS WERE THE HELL IS THEIR MOM AT THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN WE HEARD SOMETHING COMING THROUGH THE WATER.

LUCKILY FOR US SHE HAD SEEN THE OTHER MOOSE AND WENT AFTER IT SO SAID TO MARGARET WITH MY  MOUNTAIN MAN WISDOM LETS GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE SHE COME AFTER US. ANOTHER VERY COOL EXPERIENCE..SO WITH OUR TAIL BETWEEN OUR LEGS WE FINISHED OUR HIKE.

JUNE 5
BUS TRIP TO EIELSON VISITOR CENTER 65 MILES ON THE BUS. WHAT A DAY THIS WILL BE.
SO WE HAD A 9 AM BUS  EVERY  THING WAS GOING GOOD LOTS OF GREAT MOUNTAIN VIEWS THEN AT ABOUT AT 35 MILE THE BUS BRAKES DOWN SHIT THAT'S JUST GREAT SO THEY RADIO FOR ANOTHER BUS TO PICK US UP. SO AFTER ABOUT 45 MIN THEY HAD A BUS FOR US.SO  OFF WE WENT. THEN ABOUT 10 MORE MILES IT HAPPENED. I'LL HAVE TO GIVE YOU A PLAY BY PLAY ON THIS.
WE STARTED TO DRIVE THOUGH THE TUNDRA  AND CAME ACROSS SOME CARIBOU.

WE WATCH THEM  FOR ABOUT 5 MIN. THEN  ALL OF THE SUDDEN THIS GRIZZLY BEAR CAME OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN RUNNING FULL STRIDE.

RUNNING

RUNNING

RUNNING

RUNNING

STILL RUNNING FULL STRIDE

STILL RUNNING

RUNNING

RUNNING HE'S IN THE BOTTOM LEFT RIGHT AT THE CARIBOU

STILL CHASING THEM

THEN IT HAPPENED HE CHASED DOWN A BABY CARIBOU
THE HOLE BUS WAS SILENT

IT TOOK A MIN TO REALIZE WHAT WE JUST SEEN. THE DRIVER SAID SHE HAD BEEN DRIVING THE BUS FOR 15 YEARS AND NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE IT.

AMAZING JUST AMAZING. MY HOLE TRIP WAS JUST MADE LET'S GO HOME "NOT"

SO THE REST OF THE TRIP WAS MORE CARIBOU, DULL SHEEP, AND MORE GRIZZLY BEARS. WE SEEN 100 OR MORE  CARIBOU 30 OR 40 SHEEP AND 10 MORE GRIZZLY BEARS. NOT BAD FOR ONE DAY. 

SO THE  NEXT BUS WAS 85 MILE INTO THE PARK TO WONDER LAKE AGAIN MORE

CARIBOU, SHEEP AND 9 MORE GRIZZLY BEARS. AND MOSQUITOES THE SIZE OF A 747 AIRPLANE. SHIT I THINK THEY CARRIED THE BUS BACK HOME THEY WERE SO BIG.

OKAY THE NEXT DAY WE HAD A 7;15 AM BUS TO WONDER LAKE WELL WE SAID THE HELL WITH THAT WE  WEREN'T GOING TO FEED THE MOSQUITOES ANY MORE SO WE JUST WENT AS FAR AS THE VISITOR CENTER 65 MILES.

WE GOT OFF THE BUS AND STARTED TO HIKE BACK SO YOU CAN GET OFF ANY WERE YOU LIKE AN HIKE AND WHEN YOUR DONE HIKING  JUST GET TO THE ROAD AND FLAG A BUS DOWN AND RIDE IT BACK.

 

SO ABOUT 2 MILE INTO OUR HIKE WE STOPPED FOR A BRAKE AND I HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHAT SOME ONE ASKED ME BEFORE WE LEFT ON OUR TRIP THEY WANTED TO NO WHY WE WOULD DRIVE TO ALASKA.

SO I BEGIN THINKING WHY WE WOULD SELL OUR HOME BUY A TRUCK AND  CAMPER  DRIVE OVER 6000 MILES TO ALASKA

WAS IT THE TIME WE HAD THE MOOSE STOP  20 FEET IN FRONT OF US ON THE TRAIL OR WAS IT THE TIME WE WATCH THE GRIZZLY BEAR RUN A 1/4 OF A MILE OR MORE TO CATCH THE CARIBOU FOR HIS DINNER..

I WAS  JUST STANDING THERE LISTING TO THE GROUND SQUIRREL BARKING AT US AND WATCHING  A CARIBOU 100 YRDS OR SO GRAZING IN THE TUNDRA. WITH SNOW COVERED MOUNTAINS 360 DEGREES AROUND US AN DOING IT WITH THE LOVE OF MY LIFE THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION.

A FRIEND OF OUR WROTE AND SAID DENALI WAS A PEACEFUL PLACE YES LYNN IT IS VERY PEACEFUL  PLACE.

AS I WRITE THIS WERE IN SEWARD ALASKA. SO I'AM GOING TO LEAVE YOU WITH AS MUCH PIC AS I CAN UPLOAD.

SO UNTIL NEXT TIME                            CATCH YOU LATER

OKAY QUESTION OF THE DAY WHAT IS THIS

                                                           

WHATS UP DOC

MAY 31 HAINES TO ALASKA
WE LEFT HAINES ON MAY 31 HEADING TO THE ALASKA BORDER. WE STOPPED AT CONDON GOVERNMENT CAMPGROUND YUKON. ANOTHER NICE PLACE.

IF YOU TENT CAMP YOU HAVE TO BE IN THEIR ELECTRIC FENCE AREA BECAUSE OF THE BEARS.

JUNE 1 MADE IT TO ALASKA.

FINLEY MADE IT!
5700 MILES

FROM THE BORDER WE HEADED TO TOK ALASKA. WERE WE WOULD TAKE THE TOK CUT-OFF TO THE GLENN HWY TO PALMER ALASKA.
.AS WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO TOK WE STOPPED AT A REST AREA AND MEET A COUPLE AND THEY SAID WE SHOULD STOP AT FAST EDDY'S RESTAURANT WHEN WE GOT INTO TOK.
SO WE GET TO TOK HUNGRY AND DIDN'T WONT TO COOK.SO WE  TOOK THEIR SUGGESTION
AND PULLED INTO FAST EDDY'S. AS WE WERE GOING IN A LADY ASK US WARE WE  WERE HEADING. SO I TOLD HER WE WERE GOING TO TAKE THE TOK CUT-OFF TO DENALI NATIONAL PARK.. SO SHE AND HER HUSBAND PRESIDED TO TELL US WHY 
WE SHOULD  GO UP TO FAIRBANKS TO GET TO DENALI. AFTER 45 MIN OF THEM TELLING US WHY. WE WENT IN AND HAD OUR SUPPER.
SO WITH SOME DISCUSSION I MADE THE DECISION TO GO THE TOK CUT-OFF. BECAUSE THE MOUNTAINS AND WILDLIFE ARE SUPPOSE TO BE GREAT.

THE FIRST PART WAS GREAT. ROADS GOOD AND SOME WILDLIFE.

FIRST GRIZZLY 

SO FAR SO GOOD. NOT
HELL  AFTER THE BEARS IT STARTED TO RAIN AND THE ROADS GOT ROUGHER NO I MEAN ROUGH.
SO THIS IS THE BEST MOUNTAIN VIEWS WE GOT ALL DAY IT WAS SO CLOUDY AND RAIN ALL DAY.

HOLD ON! IT HAPPENED THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HIT A FROST HEAVE
AT 55 MPH.

THIS IS MARGARET'S MOM TABLE NOT GOOD.

THE BAD NEWS IS THAT THE BIG GOOSE EGG KNOT ON MY HEAD WILL NEVER GO A

WAY . THE GOOD NEWS WITH SOME GLUE AND CLAMP I CAN FIX IT.

SO LESSON  LEARNED WHEN A LOCAL TELLS YOU NOT TO GO THAT WAY LISTEN TOO THEM. IT FEELS LIKE I GOT A BIG BOBBIE ON THE BACK OF MY HEAD. DAM MARGARET.

NOW I HAVE SOME THING TO DO IN MY SPARE TIME.

TILL NEXT TIME                                      

                                                         CATCH YOU LATER