Alaska 1997
10 wonderful days began in Anchorage, down the pininsula to Seward, a ferry ride to Valdez and then a drive up to the Denali Highway. Here I had a great scare when I thought the car keys (rental) were lost in the middle of nowhere! Once I found the keys I was back in "adventure" mode. Then a drive across the Denali Highway (dirt road with potholes to spare) to the final destination - the incredible Denali National Park. WOW. After four days of camping in Wonderlake Campground deep in the park I was wet, cold and tired but loved every second of the scenery, the peacefulness and the wildlife. The pictures are tiny reminders of the wonder of it all.
The first picture is along the Denali Highway, every direction you turn there was all this space and mountains and glaciers! The second shot was taken near Wonderlake Campground( in the park), what a great choice to camp there! That is Mt. McKinley in the Background. It is HUGE!
There were all sorts of mushrooms(left) in the grasses and moss
all over the tundra. 
This Caribou(above) was seen for hours along the distant hills near the campground, so I hiked out to see him. The alpenglow (left) was incredible. This picture of Mt. McKinley (Denali) was taken from the picnic bench at the campground during dinner (now that's ambiance!). The setting sun on the mountain lasted for over an hour, it was breathtaking, everyone was speechless.
Took a long 6 mile hike, and came across this cabin from the
gold-rush days. Boy the people were much smaller then, the door is maybe
4'6" tall!
This is the tundra on the way out of the park, there were only two people on the bus ride out and it was so serene and quiet as we stopped in the required places to take a break. It was also chilly and I was starving, should have brought more food! Amazing how much you need to eat on a cold camping trip! Next time I will have all the required needs and more!!
As you can see the "Abode" had a lovely porch, mosquito
screening and a drying rack. The campground was 85 miles into the park (the
farthest campground on in) and required a 5 hour bus ride to get there. It was
all dirt roads and fantastic scenery. 
The grizzly bears barely (ha-ha) noticed
us as they ate the blueberries with vigor to put on the pounds for the
approaching winter nap. I spotted 13 grizzly bears on the trips in and out
of the park.
Other wildlife included a bull and cow moose, I managed to take this picture of the bull when he wandered right into the campground. Yes, I am taking this from the tent!
The fox was also
a regular visitor at Wonder Lake, he shared the road while hiking. This picture
does the fellow no justice, he had beautiful colors of red and orange and black
with a bright white tipped tail(or "brush" in the horse world). He truly matched
the turning colors of the tundra. The wolf was a rare sighting as the area had
been "trapped-out" years ago. You can see the radio collar on his neck. This wolf came
within 25 feet of me, I do not think he noticed until he was right there!
This great view was upon exiting
the park and heading to Anchorage for our flight home. The day was beautiful!
The red blob is me in my dazzling parka while I stand at the base of a glacier
near the beginning of the trip. The blue color of the glacier was so intense!
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