When we left Fairbanks after drying out, our hopes were for a bit of clearing so we could see Denali park and Mt McKinley. I've flown over it multiple times on my way to Prudhoe Bay to work and Edie and I had been here 10 years ago. Each time it has been clouded over, my luck held this time and we did not get to see the mountain. The weather on the drive to the park was mostly overcast but nice.
The buses for the park are booked at least a day ahead and the weather for July 11th was "Rain". We decided to just enjoy the 15 miles you could drive into the park, spend the night and head for Anchorage. We drove almost all the way in the rain.
We still managed to get a few nice shots though.
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| A moose and twin calves between Fairbanks and Denali |
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We set up camp in a campground just south of Denali overlooking a river about 500 feet below us. It was nice and quiet but became very windy and quite wet overnight.
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| The pad under our tents was gravel...ouch! |
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We had stopped at the Visitors Center before we set up camp. We decided to drive the 15 miles they allow you into the park. What we saw was beautiful, I really want to go back some time when I can see the mountain!!
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| Caribou enjoying a break in the weather. |
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| Behind the clouds is Mt. McKinley |
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| The view as you are headed back out of the park. |
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| Terry and Marilyn enjoying the ride before we headed back to camp. |
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| Gas prices at the only station close to Denali Park to the south. |
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This isn't the highest price we paid for fuel on our trip but it was the highest in Alaska so far. The owners of this station know they are the only place to get gas south of the park for quite a few miles. Most of the stations in Alaska we have fueled up at are below $4 per gallon. In the Yukon we paid as high as $5.66 CDN per gallon.
Our trip to Anchorage from the park was very wet. It rained most of the way. We decided to stay in Anchorage an additional day to let things dry out and to wait for a break in the weather before we headed to the Kenai Peninsula. This next picture is the last one I took just before the clouds started pouring on us.
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| Rain, Rain go away, come again some other day!! Didn't work as a kid, still doesn't. |
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