Big Cashew Adventure Day 16 - Wildlife show in Denali

Here we are, the third Sunday of this trip and it seems like only three months ago that we started.  Perhaps the enthusiasm has waned slightly.  Perhaps we miss our warm, cozy bed at home, or decent cable offerings.  Well it could be those points but its not. It comes down to the fact that my ass and back are killing me from sitting and driving 5 thousand miles.  That's a round trip across the US. Whew, am I bushed.  But only a dwindling few days to go so I am getting off the mat and back in the drivers seat to lead this rag tag group of two to the finished line.  But first we do have to talk about Denali, as excruciating as it is to read one more day of these inane tombs.  Here we go, one more time.

Since it was Sunday, and there are Catholic Churches about one every 500 miles, we found ourselves with an infinite number of options that totaled only one with only one mass time period.  That was at 10 AM, back in Healy, AK, about 10 miles away.  It was a bit different compared to what we are used to.  There were 8 pews and some chairs lined up along the back.  The room is about 40 X 40 with a few statues and pictures.  There were about 35 people at the service, and at the end when the priest asked all visitors to stand up and say where they were from, about half the room stood.  What must a gathering in the winter be like?  I can only imagine.

So mass lasted an hour.  We then got in the RV, drove down the dirt and gravel for pot holes from the church and headed back to Denali.  It was just after 11 and we had a date with a park bus at 1 PM, so we went to the park at the Wilderness Center, parked, had lunch and prepared to go.  You are allowed to drive into the park up to mile post 15.  The road is paved for that distance.  To really see the wildlife you need to venture further.  The shuttle buses, that have been running since 1972 take you in further.  Of course, the remaining part of the road, which stretches to miles post 90, is unpaved, pot marked continuously and very narrow at spots (like up high on a mountain side with a direct plunge to the valley floor below.).  At least the bus comes with seat belts.  Another point is that the speed limit is between 15 and 35 MPH, with more towards the lower numbers.

The ride itself is bearable, but not comfortable.  There is no heat in the bus, and it was about 51 degrees outside.  The seats are typical of a regular city bus, I guess, but the bus itself looks more like it should be taking kids to school.  It will hold about 40 people.  Whether you are sightseeing, camping, biking or hiking, you can use these buses for a fee.  We paid $26, but the price is higher during the summer.  The cost is dependent upon how far in you are going.  At this time, you can go as far in as 53 miles.  The remaining part of the road opens as of Memorial Day.  Out driver, Marilyn, is a retired bus driver and has been doing this for 8 years with her husband, who is also a retired bus driver.  They drive their trailer up every year from south California and work this for extra spending money.  I guess life is what you make it.

OK, now to the main course.  As we started out, I had some doubts as to whether we would see many animals.  It was a bit cool, very overcast and I was just sick of sitting in a moving vehicle.  But I was proven wrong again!  As we past a turn off driveway to one of the housing buildings for the employees, there was a moose in the parking lot.  It was just a very quick glance as there were more trees than opening and I did not see it.  By the time someone said something, the bus has traveled past and could not back up.  But fear not, the day would not disappoint.  As we made our way in, we started seeing Caribou.  We actually saw a number of groups of them.

  Overall, we saw more than 2-3 dozen at various points.  A good number of them were growing their antlers.  One group of three seemed to have a full set of antlers, were large bulls and were eating in the brush about 50 feet in front of the bus.  We got some good shots as they stayed there awhile until we had to move on. We saw plenty of birds, especially this one that looked like a small rooster but can fly.  It was white with black spots and had a red crest on the head.

As we moved further in, we came across a wolf who was just meandering down the road.  We noticed him at about 50 yards away and he just kept coming at us until he reached us and then must kep walking down the road past us as if we were not there.  This is a rare site as there are only about 70 wolves in the park.  Once we hit the final stop, we got out to stretch and in the head.  We had to wait 35 minutes as this was all scheduled so that people can depend on the bus showing up regularly.  On the way back, hit the jackpot.  Just starting out, we saw a grizzly with her two cubs on the side of a mountain near the top.  It was far away but we got some good pics.  We also saw Dahl sheep on anther ridge.  As we kept moving back towards the visitor center, we saw more Caribou, three moose, and multiple sites of the sheep up on the ridges.  Hopefully the pictures will do it some justice, but they are not the best substitute for being there.  I was exhausted and worn down on the return to the point I wished the driver would speed up, but we saw so many animals that it was quite s successful day.  The only disappointment was that Denali mountain was not visible due to low clouds.  We were advised that it is visible less than 30% of the time, so you have to be lucky and time it just right.  Not something you have control over.

So that was our day.  As I noted, I am tired and worn down, but this was great for Chiara and that has been the number one goal of this trip.  Just two days to go and then we return the RV and head to airport Wednesday.  What will these last days have in store for us.  Tune in to find out!