Glamping Days

Around mid-day, when the clouds were predicted to break up, I went back to the Denali Viewpoint South in Denali State Park, hoping to get a good look at The Mountain. She stayed stubbornly shrouded in thick clouds.   It was fun to see some wildflowers that are the same as some at home.     There's been very little rain on this trip, & the clouds have mostly been high up, not what I was expecting here. However, on arriving at my campground in Palmer, I found more typical Alaska weather - high of 58 with low clouds & evidence of recent rain.  Most of the RV parks in AK are gravel parking lots with electrical & water provided; this one is a bit nicer than most. For secluded sites nestled in the trees, the options are state or federal parks or recreation sites, but these don't have utilities, & often don't have showers either.                                    ...

This fun little town was the inspiration for the TV show Northern Exposure. It's the base for most climbs of Denali, the Alaskan Railroad trains stop here, & tourist flights over The Mountain take off from the little air strip on the edge of town. In addition, many folks come just to mosey through the numerous craft shops & grab a low key meal. For a town of just 1,000 souls, it's a busy place in the summer.             Of course, I dropped by the local history museum. Their exhibit about climbing Denali was particularly interesting.      There are still quite a few pay phones around the Yukon & Alaska. The local summer festival here is the "Moose Dropping Festival" which includes things like tossing (varnished) moose droppings & such.    There's a shop here called Antler Outpost.  It's about a half mile walk through the woods from the campground to "downtown". The "snow" along the edges of the path is the ...

These shots were taken near the entrance to the National Park & in nearby Denali State Park.                                                           This is Igloo City, which was built as a hotel but never opened. Oddly, a porcupine was scurrying around & around near the top of it, which made the place somehow even creepier.  *   *   *   *   * This little roadside bakery operates on the honor system, & sells a variety of sourdough-based items.  Heading toward normalcy: The sun will set at 11:57pm & rise at 4:10. It will still be twilight all night, but at least we're getting closer to some darkness.  *   *   *   *   * Wildlife sightings today: porcupines - 1  trip total so far:       black bears - 4            dee...

inside the park Didn't catch a pic of this entry sign earlier. The original goal of creating the park was to protect the Dall sheep, seen here on this sign. Interesting that there's a PO inside the park.  Clear views of Denali, The Mountain, occur most often quite early or late. I stayed out late last evening hoping to get a clear view, so didn't get there early this morning. The shot on the left is what I saw later this morning, & the shot on the right is what an early bird saw. The Mountain is 63 miles away. outside the park - Denali Village It's still spring here with Irises just now opening.  The shops in Denali Village are better than most in Alaska. The first shot captures that Alaska is oddly international, with many languages spoken & obvious exotic influences, but also a rustic American frontier. The second pic is a typical AK RV park, basically a gravel parking lot with electric & water hookups, which is why I mostly go to campgrounds in state park...