Adventure 973: Alaska Anniversary Trip/F

The locals say only thirty percent of those visiting Denali get to see the mountain range clearly. Most of the time, it's shrouded by grey clouds. Today we woke up to azure blue sky, not a cloud in it, ever changing by the minute as the sun rose carving sharp shadows midst the bright white snow. MAGNIFICENT I took several million photos, none capturing anything as real as the naked eye experience. After a leisurely breakfast (Salmon Benedict) and another photo, we hopped the shuttle, sidled onto down to the train and enjoyed what seemed like a slow crawl toward Denali National Preserve. We arrived a little after 4 P.M. hopped another shuttle which took us and others to our lodging for the next two nights (Denali Cabins). The cabins are cute, warm and snuggly. We had dinner on the property: Venison meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and roasted Brussel sprouts. As comfort food, it fit the bill nicely because the temperature in this area is at least ten degrees cooler than what we've been experiencing. After dinner, I enjoyed a pleasing soak in the property's hot tub, glancing often at the narrow profile of the spruce trees which surround the place. There are thirty-six cabins on the property. We're housed in #35, and of course, we're delighted to report that life is good, especially today.

6 A.M.

Close up.

Eight o'clock selfie.

A nice twist. The poached egg and hollandaise sauce covered a pan fried salmon cake.

Nine thirty  photo.

Not noticing the clouds. That's because there weren't any.

Some history somewhere along the route to the Denali Preserve.

An hour out from our destination, still no clouds.

Two o'clock photo taken through the train window.

Thousand foot trestle.

Official entrance to the Denali National Park and Preserve, which covers 6,045,153 acres.

Because of the glacier melt most of the rivers in the area are silt filled and milky blue.

The scourge of the spruce beetle is steadily killing trees. No solution in sight.

As we descended off the plateau we left the blue sky behind. Notice the traces of white snow, first of the year. The locals call the snow "termination dust" because it's the first sign that the summer tourist season is about to end.

We watched this bush plane land on what appeared to be a sand bar. Amazing.

Our home away from home for the next two nights.

Cute, well appointed, and cozy.

 Those who know me can easily see me in the tub: rub-a-dub-dub.