Denali National Park...day 2

Museum exhibits
in the visitor center

On Sunday, we had a late start to the day after feeling the wind buffeting the RV all night, blowing it to and fro with strong gusts. Eventually, we all got up and out, drove to the Denali National Park and toured the visitor center where an extensive museum exhibit highlights the features, flora and fauna, geology and industry of the area. We read about different animals, Native Alaskans uses for those animals' hides and pelts, as well as about the development of the park road and the gold mining ventures that long ago petered out. The museum was fascinating and comprehensive.

We watched the park film 'Heartbeats of Denali' about the wildlife that live in the park's borders and how both predator and prey depend on each other for their species' survival. Overhearing a conversation between a park ranger and several tourists hanging on her every word, we learned that while you should just stand your ground, wave your arms and shout at a charging grizzly bear, you should just run from a moose. Just run, don't talk to him, don't back away...just run. Let's hope that knowledge won't soon become necessary.

Mushrooms
and little plants

We decided to head out of the park and south on the Parks Highway to the McKinley Creekside Cafe for lunch. One of the first things we all noticed on entering this adorable establishment was the giant cinnamon buns. Giant, as in dinner plate sized. Wow. After a decent lunch, Janine ordered a berry crisp for dessert, which she (and we) really enjoyed. To satisfy our curiosity, we ordered a couple of the huge cinnamon buns to go, hoping they'd be as good as the berry crisp.

Meadow View Trail

We drove back to the park and hiked a couple of short trails near the visitor center. The Meadow View Trail offered views, predictably, of meadows. But they were sweeping meadows bordered by stands of spruce trees all the way to the foothills of the mountains behind them and the trees seemed to run out of steam as they climbed the hillsides. Along the paths, we found mushrooms and alpine flowers of every small size growing in thick squishy mats of moss and lichen.

Moose damage

We also found plenty of evidence of moose along the trail. Not only did we see they'd stopped to eat and such, but we also saw where they had rubbed their antlers against the trees. Several trees were scarred on one or both sides from all the rubbing.

We climbed back out of the hills and drove back to the RV for dinner, enjoying the sunshine as the blue skies finally broke through the clouds. We polished off one of the cinnamon buns, secure in the knowledge that they really are just as good as they are big. Yum!

In front of the Denali National Park sign

Fresh on a sugar high, we opted for a late night hike in the evening sunshine. We chose the Mountain Vista Trail, near the site of the former Savage River Campground. As we made our way along the park road, we soon passed a moose standing literally feet from the roadway. Ken stopped up ahead, turned around and slowing inched the car toward where we had seen the moose. In stunned silence, we watched the moose walk across the road right in front of our car, followed closely by a baby moose and then another adult moose. We stared and snapped pictures of the two remaining in the roadway, until we decided we should move on.

Moose on Park Road, 10:30pm

Ken put the car gently into reverse and as he eased the car slowly away from the mom and baby moose, the mom began walking toward us, perhaps to ensure we would leave. We continued in reverse until we were quite some distance away, then turned back around and warned the next two cars heading toward the moose about them. How exciting! No sooner had we left and we saw yet another moose well off the road.

Savage River

We found the Mountain Vista Trail and though the blue sky was bathed in beautiful evening sunshine, the entire path was in the shadow of the mountains nearby.

Mountain Vista Trail, 11pm

A chilly walk, but a very enjoyable one, we strolled leisurely, hoping to glimpse the alpenglow on Mt. McKinley. One problem was that we didn't know where to look for the mountain among the other peaks and valleys in that general direction. (We later learned that if the mountain had been out, it would have been really obvious, standing head and shoulders above the others.) In any case, we ventured off onto the Savage River Trail, saw Mt. Healy and some of the Alaska Range.

Alpenglow at midnight

As we walked along the banks of the Savage River, we saw more evidence of the hardiness of alpine plants, all blooming and thriving despite the harsh conditions in which they live. We returned to the car and started back down the park road, watching the sun casting a pink glow on anything tall enough to receive it. We arrived at the RV at just after midnight, still waiting for the sun to dip completely below the horizon. What a great day!