Denali National Park is larger than the state of Massachusetts and tenderly watched over by Denali — “the high one” — at over 20,000 feet the highest mountain in North America.Weather can be an issue. For current conditions, please follow this link here: https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

On an African safari, the goal is to spot the Big Five — lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, cape buffalo. In Alaska, the concept is the same — just the names are different: moose, bear, wolf, caribou and Dall sheep. But when we initially stopped to see a rabbit — okay, our guide called it a Snowshoe Hare — I thought, “This is not a good sign.” And in truth, you can’t always accurately decipher what you see in the distance: snow fills are mistaken for sheep; large boulders for bears. Hopes rise and are dashed and the guide takes refuge in another Snowshoe Hare.

But this is a tour for the long haul — and you’re not likely to be disappointed. And even more impressive, our driver/guide, with infectious enthusiasm, kept up a constant patter covering vegetation, history, animal lore, Alaska peccadilloes, personal experiences and other tantalizing tidbits for more than five hours. The fact that it was still interesting by that fifth hour is even more of a phenomenal accomplishment. The running commentary that accompanied our guide’s driving along narrow, winding roads clutching the mountainside while he rapidly gazed right and left for any movement that might indicate animal activity was a heroic act of multi-tasking I didn’t want to think too much about.

And there was always something to see –over the course of the tour, we saw numerous Dall sheep, occasional moose, caribou (the North American relative to the reindeer),the ubiquitous snowshoe hares, of course, and other native wildlife. And should the animals play hard to get for a period of time, just lifting your eyes to the proverbial snow-capped mountains in the distance is enough to keep you enthralled until the next native creature reveals itself.

Because the bus is so big, the sound of recognition travels like a wave from front to back — and there’s always a risk the animal the front has viewed is gone by the time the back of the bus catches up. But never fear. On the off-chance you miss the mama moose and her calf or the Dall sheep straddling a steep slope, it will magically appear on the TV screens lowered above the seats in the bus. Close-up images from the driver’s video camera are reflected on the drop-down screens. I was torn between resenting seeing my”in the wild” Alaska wildlife resembling a Discovery Channel documentary and feeling grateful I could see them at all — and close up at that.

But, in truth, I was in it for the bears. Earlier in the trip, I had discovered that we were there too early in the year (June instead of July) for the peak running season of the sockeye salmon and, therefore, too early for the bears to gather around the streams just waiting for those happily spawning salmon to fly into their mouths. My own mouth had been watering at the very thought of watching such a spectacle.

So once in Denali, I hoped at least to finally get my chance to see bears. Our guide kept reassuring us we would certainly see grizzlies, but by hour number five, when only a glimpse of brown had been seen once in the far distance, he finally, guiltily, sorrowfully, very apologetically acknowledged that maybe we wouldn’t this trip.

And then suddenly, the cry went out — waves of wows traveled along the bus — as a momma and two bear cubs came into view. “Hallelujah,” cried one excited passenger; “Thank goodness, we paid $5000 to see that critter,” noted another. Our guide admitted he was getting quite nervous — only 20 times in 18 seasons had he not seen a bear. It was far away and it clearly wasn’t catching any fish, but I did feel some sense of vindication.

At the end of the trip, our guide played back the video that captured the highlights of our bus trip from hare to bear and all the other denizens of Denali in between: the many Dall sheep, mama moose with twins, caribou, golden eagle, ground squirrels, ptarmigans(the state bird) and, of course, the bears. We just missed Alaska’s Big Five by one wolf. Not surprisingly, like the ubiquitous gift shop at the end of every museum tour, the video was for sale.

But Denali was only one stop on the Gray Line escorted Alaska Explorer Tour. There were also glaciers and mountains and gold mining history and native cultures and whale watching tours and frontier towns and backcountry plus a myriad of experiences I’ve had nowhere else.In the process, I learned to appreciate not only America’s Last Frontier but the hardy, independent-minded people who inhabit it. Still next time, I want to see more bears.

For more information, visit https://www.denaliparkvillage.com/tours/tundra-wilderness-tour or call 888-452-1737.88-452-1737.

The post Alaska’s Denali National Park & Preserve: Hours of Wildlife, Wild Scenery and Wild Stories appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Happy New Year

Another year comes to an end. Is it just me or are things getting worse every year? Sure, I could list the craziness out there but why spoil the party, huh? Instead, let’s thank God for the good that happened.

• Covid cases have not been as deadly
• China’s Zero lock down policy has stopped.
  (No more senseless killings)
• Faucci is no longer in charge of the NIH.
  (No need to trust his science)
• Although airports are still sorting out the stranded travelers, at least there have been no plane crashes
• Gas prices are starting to go below $5 a gallon
  (from an all time high of $7)
• There are 3 million potential new workers due to the open borders
• Twitter is helping sort out truth from conjectures
  (unless of course you believe truth to be subjective)
• Media networks have revamped their staff and policies
  (hope this ends wild biased conjectures)
• Ukraine is still alive and kicking.
  (I do wonder why it’s so hard for Putin To catch Zelensky … I mean, is he really trying?).
• The Johnny Deaf Amber Hearst … I mean Johnny Depp Amber Heard trial is over.
  (They said the main problem of their marriage was weak communication —- Amber HEARD but Johnny was DEAF).
• The January 6 Trial is over
  (now they can start focusing on laws and running the country)
• The election commercials are over
  (no more mud slinging)
• The Fusion Energy breakthrough gives us avenues of hope for clean and abundant energy
  (this is amazing news)
• Finally, God is still in charge. This is all part of His plan. As long as we are on His side, we have nothing to fear.

So take out your glasses and here’s a toast to 2023 — may we continue to survive the craziness of the world and maximize the borrowed time we are blessed with.

TGIF people!

Raoul

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Jose of LA county

Videos of the Week

Thanks to Rene of Cavite, Philippines for this encouraging lesson.

Thanks to Wyne of Mandaluyong, Philippines for this look at the past.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Maling of New Manila, Philippines

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA who is still in the Christmas mode.

I found these

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

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