Friday, June 20, 2008

 

Brilliant sunshine, a rarity around here, started off our day, so we got up and headed out to see McKinley after a pancake breakfast.  We drove in as far as we could, and finally had some good glimpses of the mountain.  It is so huge it looks unreal.  We also saw some other critters, and a caribou that came so close to the vehicle that Deaune, who was taking pictures, scrambled back in quickly.

 

During the winter months, the only way the park is patrolled is by dogsled, and we visited a dogsled demonstration.  The dogs love to run, so they were all barking as the ranger described what they do.  The dogs have been a part of the park since it’s inception, so it was interesting hearing the history.  There were 8 puppies as well, so the kid’s really enjoyed holding them.

 

Today was kind of a lazy day around camp, but we made reservations to raft tomorrow.  The rapids are categorized from mild (class 1) to wild (class 5), and the trip we are on will encounter class 4 rapids.  Did I mention the water w/be 34 degrees?

 

We took an evening trip back up the park road and it was worth the drive.  A caribou was strolling down the center of the road, and then two huge moose came up and crossed the road right in front of the caribou.  It was a true Kodak moment!

 

We made it back to the campsite and had a late (but that is normal now) supper of hamburgers and brats around 10:30.  Someone commented that we have not spent any time playing cards or games before we go to bed, but that is hard to squeeze in when you don’t finish cleaning up much before midnight!