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We had to leave the house by 7am in order to make the 10am shuttle bus to Fish
Creek we were booked on. Before we jumped on the Parks Highway,
we drove through Sunrise Bagel to get some breakfast sandwiches.
There was construction on the Parks, which worried me a little bit,
and we also got behind some really slow drivers. But we made it
with 15 minutes to spare!
Our shuttle bus was only half full, which gave us the opportunity
to spread out and have our own seat. Brandon and Becky sat on one
side of the bus, and Chris and I sat on the other side. This way,
no matter what side the wildlife was on, we'd be able to grab a
window for viewing and photos.
I had a horrible headache creep up on me almost immediately and
an upset stomach followed. I don't know what brought it on, but
it made me miserable. The shuttle driver (an EXCELLENT driver/narrator
named Linda Paganelli) found two aspirin and they took away my headache,
but made my upset stomach worse. Steve thought it may have been
the meal I got at Sunrise Bagel. I wonder now if it was just a little
bit of motion sickness, since I was riding a few rows back on the
bus and couldn't see the horizon clearly.
As we crossed the Savage River (mile 15 on the park road), we noticed
a dark shape up on the hill overlooking the checkpoint. It was a
black wolf! Of course we were all thrilled to see a wolf in the
wild, and Linda pulled the bus further forward so we could get a
better look. Unfortunately, the black wolf took off running for
the taller grass and disappeared from sight. However, as we moved
forward in the bus, a silver wolf came into view. What a rare treat!!!
He stood there and let us photograph him for several moments before
coming down the hill, crossing behind the bus, and getting lost
in the grass on the other side. I was thrilled - as were the kids!
You can bet one of these photos will be enlarged for placement on
my wall.
In addition, we saw moose, caribou, and a lot of grizzly bears.
Although it rained for some portions of the trip, and was overcast
during others, it was a beautiful drive as always. I'm so glad that
my kids had the opportunity to see such splendor.
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Here comes the rain |
Polychrome rest stop |
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Bus passengers at Polychrome
overlook |
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Park road |
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Toklat rest stop |
Toklat rest stop |
Me and Chris (soft filter to
hide the wrinkles LOL) |
Wet grizzly |
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On the way home - kissy face
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  On
the way home from Denali National Park, we were rained on heavily.
As soon as the rain started, it stopped. We could see blue skies
in the distance, despite the heavy gray clouds over us.
Just southwest of Nenana, a rainbow suddenly appeared. It was brilliant
in color and formed a full arch on the horizon. We just had to find
a place to stop and take some photos.
The rest of the drive home was unremarkable. All four of us just
wanted to get back to the house where we could put on our lounging
clothes and relax. We were starving as well, and Steve whipped us
up a quick meal of Hamburger Helper, even though it was nearly 9pm.
We couldn't believe the week was coming to an end. I was glad that
the kids weren't flying out of Fairbanks until 9:40pm the next day;
I'd have almost a full day with them before they had to leave Fairbanks.
The only plan I had for Saturday was to take them back to the Santa
Claus House and have their photo taken with Mr & Mrs Claus. |
