Blogs from Denali, Alaska, United States, North America - page 4

On March 2, 1914 the U.S. Congress authorized President Wilson to locate, construct and operate a railroad in the territory of Alaska... This was the beginning and our start of our 7 hour Star railroad trip to Denali. We began in Anchorage with our train trip going thru towns of Wasilla, Talkeetna, Hurricane and Cantwell before ending in Denali. The Alaska Railroad was instrumental in the modern Denali National Park and Preserve experience. Until road access to the park was established in 1958 with the completion of the Denali Highway, visitors could only reach park by rail, and these visitors' experiences and travel tales fueled the early awareness of the need to preserve this area. Communities sprang up when the rr was built and continued opportunities to explore. Our conductor actually came around and collected our ... read more

There was still the lower visitor centre at Denali National Park that I hadn't seen yet. I headed over there after getting up and had a look. It was quite interesting with lots of displays of animals and their habitats. I am getting more and more impressed with the interpretive material put up in national parks in Canada and the US. I decided that I would stay around and watch the sled dog demonstration as well. Denali National Park is the only park in the system that has an active sled dog kennel. Indeed, it is still the case that they use sled dog teams to do the bulk of their work in the winter, from patrols in the park and preserve, to bringing in equipment for various projects and research studies. They also give demonstrations ... read more

Vern and Susan have the type of property that I consider a dream come true. In an acre and a half clearing there is a house, Barn/garage, out buildings and a guest house. A garden area and wood shed complete the picture of country living. Surrounding it is wilderness. A less wooded section to the back of the house provides a small vista and the rest offers woods to hike and run through with the pups. When asked how much property he has, even Vern was not sure. Not all of his property is contiguous. He bought up the lots in front of his property so that he would have more privacy and there is a combination of public land and several owners to the rear of his lot leading out to Hatcher pass. Speaking of ... read more

ATTEMPT AT PCITURES, I think we may have this working. Needed to get pictures from camera. These cabins outside Denali have a real computer, so I downloaded to the computer then copied to a flash drive, didn't want to leave on an unknown computer, then copied to this blog site. We 're out of time so we may have to give detail about pictures later, just enjoy! Trisha... read more

July 30-31, 2011 HOUSTON TO DENALI, AK. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and rainy today so there was no chance of seeing the vast Alaskan mountain ranges. One of the best views of Mt. McKinley can be seen from Mary’s McKinley View Lodge but we were not able to see the mountain at all because of low cloud. However, Dwain was able to capture a picture of the view on a clear day from the photos on the wall!! This was a good place to stop for a cup of coffee and a delicious pecan roll fresh out of the oven. Then it was on to Denali RV Park and Motel where we parked for the next two nights. This was another short drive so we were able to relax in the afternoon after getting settled ... read more