Caribou and Grizzlies and Moose, Oh My!

July 14, Tuesday

We turned south after visiting the Museum of the North on the Fairbanks University of Alaska campus. It brought to light how much we haven't seen. Heading out of Fairbanks Rich and I both felt as if we had turned the corner, the final stretch of the trip. We still have a while to go and lots of adventures ahead, but we have reached our farthest point in the trip. 

Denali has proven to be a wildlife extravaganza.  We took the green bus to Eielson Visitor Station for four hours and 86 miles before turning around.  Denali is interesting in that private vehicles are not allowed to drive past the first fifteen miles of the park. There is a great shuttle system within the fifteen miles and tours past the fifteen miles. Bike paths are plentiful around the entrance facilities. During our green bus tour our first day we saw in varying degrees of closeness at least twenty arctic ground squirrels, fourteen caribou, eleven moose, five grizzlies and a dall sheep. Don't worry, I have an expert record keeper keeping track of every animal. The kids kept busy on the way up with their Junior Ranger workbooks. They are Junior Rangers seven times over now, including the Canada National Parks. On the way back it has been a bit more rambunctious.  

On our return trip we got off the bus at Highway Pass to hike in the tundra. In Denali they encourage people to hike off trail, as there are few maintained trails. As we arranged our gear on the side of the road another bus pulled up coming from the opposite direction.  The driver informed us there was a grizzly up the draw around the corner from us. Naturally it put us on high alert, verging on evacuation.  Except the bus had left. We headed away from the alleged ursine at a brisk clip, bear bells ringing. Tension was high waiting for another bus to flag down, and Reese attempting to catch grasshoppers added another element. We escaped unscathed needless to say, and rode down to Tolkat River to mess around instead.  We also got a glimpse of Mt Denali's shoulder the clouds which defies the odds. 

We were blessed with warm weather and blue skies for our second day in Denali as well.  A guided three mile hike took us to the dog kennels, where the park keeps it sledding team. Denali still uses dog sleds in the winter for transportation of supplies and people as well as for patrol. When the five dog sled pulled up for the demonstration Ruby exclaimed 'that's what I want to be when I grow up!'  She loved the dogs and the puppies and stated we were getting a dog the second day we get back. Our stay was timed perfectly, as it has been raining all morning. We are headed south toward Anchorage, grateful to be in the car for a change (at least I am). We are all ready for showers (I am ready for everyone to have a shower), clean clothes and regroup to head down the spit to Homer.  Reese is ready for pizza. Rich said for the first time the other night that maybe this trip is too long. I don't wish I were anywhere else, but sometimes I wish I wasn't living out of a cooler in a van. I love the adventure and experience but it has been so long I feel my connection to my friends and family have faded. It is difficult to carve out alone time in traveling microcosm. It is also all I seem to need, or all I can cope with. Rich and I struggle with patience with the kids, the struggle between being friends or enemies. In terms of personal or spiritual growth it puts me right in the fire. It makes me question the wisdom of having children at a late age. Would I have been more patient and less controlling when I was younger?  Probably. It seems all of it would be easier. That's okay. We will all survive and be richer for our experiences. I just keeping hoping this old dog can learn new tricks!