I’ve finally finished going through my pictures from our first full day in Alaska, which was the bus trip from Anchorage up to Denali National Park, and a little hike that Sub-Evil Boy and I took up to Horseshoe Lake that evening.
Travel in Alaska (at least the parts we were in) is quite remarkable (esp. when blessed with such wonderful weather), as there are remarkable views around every corner. The shot above, for example, was taken right through the front window of the bus as we drove north. A bush pilot was kind enough to pose by the mountain here (you may need to see the larger version to see the plane). 1 in 6 people in Alaska have their pilot’s license, and the small plane airport in Anchorage runs more flights than any other small plane airport in the U.S., and you hear people talk in idle conversation about flying like most Americans would talk about driving.
Our bus from Anchorage to Denali made a stop at the McKinley Princess Lodge along the way. Thanks to Mom’s weird gift with weather and mountain views, we had some spectacular views of Denali and the Alaska range from their deck, including the shot above. (Mom always seems to get great views of mountains, even those reknowned for their reticence such as Fuji and Everest. One of the many wonderful reasons to travel with her!)
Sub-Evil Boy was pretty darn exhausted after our very long day of travel getting to Alaska, and the early start to the bus trip. After we left the lodge he officially gave up on being a tourist and lay out in the back (the bus was mostly empty) and slept most of the rest of the way to the Park.
After we got to Denali, we had some food, sorted out our rental cars, got settled at our (quite wonderful) B&B in Healy (just outside the Park entrance), Sub-Evil and I went for a hike on the Horseshoe Lake Trail in the Park, while the rest of the family went to see the kennels. We didn’t have long, but it was a nice little hike, and Sub-Evil enjoyed getting out of vans/planes/buses/cars, stretching his legs and seeing a bit of Alaska without a window in the way. He still had to contend with his father’s annoying habit of wanting to stop and photograph every little rock and shadow, however…
Now on to day two!
