LOVE AFFAIR WITH ALASKA: Part 6

On Day 4 of our land tour, we took a bus trip to Denali National Park and Preserve. Charles Sheldon, who first visited the Denali area in 1906 to hunt Dall sheep, was entranced by the beauty of the tundra, the wildlife, the braided rivers. He wanted to preserve the land for all to enjoy, and largely because of his efforts Congress passed a bill in 1917 to establish Mount McKinley National Park, which was enlarged and renamed Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980. The park covers six million acres, is larger than the state of New Hampshire. My photos cannot begin to do justice to this wild land. I strongly suggest that you click on each picture for an enlarged view.



The above picture looks like a painting, but it's not. I took it through the bus window. The first few miles of the road are paved; the remainder of the 91-mile ribbon of road is composed of fine gravel or dirt. Meeting another bus on this road is frightening. We all gained a lot of respect for our bus driver (also our tour guide).

Look closely at the picture below and you'll see a bus near the top. The two white spots in the center are Dall sheep.





The Dall sheep in the pictures above and below didn't care that we were invading their territory. The sheep always stay in the same group or flock, and prefer steep cliffs and wind-blown ridges away from wolves and other predators. Adult rams weigh 200-250 pounds; ewes weigh between 110 and 150. Their diet consists of sedges, moss, willow, grasses and lichens. I learned that their hair is hollow, which insulates their bodies in the cold weather. There have been times this winter when I would've loved to have had their hollow hair!



Caribou are plentiful, and we saw many herds. I learned that reindeer and caribou are the same animal, except that caribou are wild and reindeer are domesticated. Besides, it would sound weird to say "Rudolph the red-nosed caribou."

A herd of caribou.

Lone caribou standing in a braided river.

It's not uncommon to see grizzly bears, and we were fortunate to see two different families during our ride. They range in color from light to dark brown; some are even two-toned, with the front being one shade of brown and the back being another shade. The two pictures below were taken from the bus. Be sure to enlarge the pictures. We were told by guides that grizzlies and brown bears are the same except that brown bears live near the coast where they dine on fish; grizzlies are inland and eat red-blooded animals. Amazing.

A family of two grizzlies.

A family of bears. Can you find all three? Click on the picture.

Moose can weigh 1,800 pounds, and yet they can disappear quietly into the brush. Considered ugly and gawky by me before this trip, I now look at them differently, think they are beautiful, even graceful.




Below is a picture of the tundra and the mountains. Photo taken from bus.



Denali may have been one of the most fascinating and beautiful places I've ever been. I'll write more about Denali in my next posting. I do so LOVE Alaska!