Riding the green bus

July 7, 2012  RIDING THE GREEN BUS--DENALI

What a day it was today!  We were up before 6 a.m. and at 7 a.m. we were on the Green Shuttle bus to the Eielson Visitor's Center which is 66 miles into Denali National Park.   After an 8 hour round trip, we still have not seen the mountain, but we really saw some wildlife.

Rarin' to go at 7 a.m.  

First we saw a group of 4 caribou, then a grizzly, then a female grizzly with two cubs who were wrestling with each other.  SO CUTE!   Then came another caribou and  a few miles later, a huge grizzly chowing down on some greenery.  A ground squirrel scampered out at the visitor's center, and on the way back we saw the same large male grizzly, the mama and cubs, some Dall sheep and more caribou.   The day was topped off by a female moose strolling through the willows followed by her calf.  Of course there were also birds and mountains and valleys and braided rivers (made by glaciers) and canyons to see.

Braided river.  

At Toklat River

Growing antlers!

A glacier, seen from the Eielson Center

Big Grizzly

Ground squirrel 

Awesome.

Look closely to see the calf following mom. 

Where's the bear spray?

A great rack!

What a wondrous place!  I am so thankful that our forefathers had the wisdom to set aside these National Parks to preserve and protect the geography and wildlife for us and for future generations!

Because the dogs had been home alone for so long, Steve and I wanted to give them a treat, so we took a walk with them  from the campground to the entrance to the park--about 3 miles round trip.   We got caught in a rainstorm the last 1/4 mile, but none of us melted.

Happy hour, planning for our next day or two, and dinner were followed by a quiet evening.