Denali State Park - Aug 3 & 4

Aug 3rd was a driving day.  I can't get over the mountains -  (hee hee) not climbing, just the size and colors.
I had made a reservation before we left Fairbanks at the White Moose Lodge.  They have a pic of a white moose and he is not albino, David the owner of the lodge said he had pigment.
They are really set up for tourists.  There is one strip of several shops and restaurants.  Bill said what would tourists do without souvenir shops.  We went up to a resort on top of a small mountain and sat in the window and had a beer, again weather not cooperating couldn't see too far.
On the 4th we spent all day in the park.  You can only drive in 15 miles and then you have to take buses go further into the park.  We were going to get a bus but decided we didn't want to sit on it for hours so we drove the 15 miles and saw 2 caribou with hugh antlers.  Not sure you'll see them in the pic but I'll attach it.
We walked on some of the trails and had lunch at a pull over in front of Mt. McKinley.  The clouds were breaking at this point and I don't think we saw the top of it but you could really see all the snow.  The clouds sit on top of the mountains so its hard to distinguish between cloud and snow.  There was another family doing the same thing.  You have to take everything you want into the park. Beautiful.
We went to a dog sled demo at 2 p.m.  They have 33 dogs there and they are Alaskan Husky, different looking than a huskey.   They have lots of different colors.  Well behaved.  The Ranger lady spoke for a while about the history of the mushers and then they put a team of 5 on the sled.  The dogs get so excited when they go to the pens to get them.  The dogs don't know who will picked for each demo and they all want to do and are barking and talking all at the same time.  We have to be quiet when they are getting set up so there are no distractions.  Then off they go (on the dirt gravel road) around a loop and back into the stage area and park.  They each get a big bone when they are finished and just lay down and start chewing.  The viewing area isn't very good because they go behind a lot of trees and you can't see them until they come around the bend and are they ever moving and she says woo and they stop.  They do breed them but sometimes bring outsider dogs in to do the "breeding".  They had a litter of 4 pups and mom was in her kennel and you could just peek in and see the babies.  Only a week old.  Most people take the bus to the demo but we drove as we missed the bus and just got there in time so we didn't have to leave when the buses do and only a few of us left and they said stand over here we are going to release the dogs and watch.  They are equally excited to get to run back to their kennel.  I really enjoyed it.
Then it was back up to see if Mt. Mckinley was out and no it wasn't but that's when we saw the caribou, so trip not wasted.
We were on a path in woods to a cabin to see it and coming towards us was Santa.  He was the guy on the Arctic Circle trip.  Wait til you see his pic.  I asked him if I could have my pic taken with him, he is use to and of course said yes.  I said I guess you never know who you are going to run into in the woods.  This is several days after we saw them in Fairbanks.  We also ran into them in Fairbanks at a restaurant.  Really nice folks.  Live full time in their rv.
Then it was back down and I had crab for supper.  Really good.
Ok here are some pics.

Mt. McKinley

a moutain

Dog sled coming around corner

Dog sled after run

Dog on kennel, posing

Dog in 7th heaven

Dogs chewing bones

Dog waiting to be released

2 caribou somewhere in this, make it bigger 

Sea Gull landed on our hood while we were looking out

Santa (aka Ken) & Nancy

That's all for now folks, Cheers nrm & bam