Week 629-631 - Favorite Photos #25 Denali, Alaska - 09-16-2018

Favorite Photos #25 Denali, Alaska

Alaska has over 1,100 landing areas not counting water landings. This one was photographed between Fairbanks and Denali National Park on the Parks Highway 3.

This highway pull out was a nice place to spend the night. The blue RV was parked in a way that hid a sign that said "No Overnight Parking". We parked in front of a post without a sign; no doubt it used to say the same. At 2:00 a.m. a park ranger knocked on the door. No, we did not have to move. They just wondered if we had seen a lost hiker on the mountains we viewed from our living room window.

Denali is a wonderful park to visit featuring Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) which is North America's highest peak at 20,300 feet.

Adorable shops on the Parks Highway near the entrance to Denali National Park.

There is nothing special about the quality of these moose photos. But, they are a favorite; why? Moose are solitary animals. But on our bus trip to Denali mountain, we saw not two but three moose hanging out together.

One of Alaska's 3,000 rivers, this one seen on the bus trip to Denali.

Mount Denali? No!

Is this Denali? No!

How about that one? No!

Ahhh! Now we see it. Look quick as it is reported that only 20 of 90 summer days are fog-less enough to see Denali. This is June 2009 and a park ranger said that typically you can only see it about four days in June. Wow! That makes us feel very special. That being said, every person that we know who visited Alaska did see Denali. Hmmmm!

This little squirrel was more bashful than Ellen.

Another post card river along the Parks Highway.

On the following day our good friends John and Rosie took us back into Denali to the Savage Creek Loop Trail. This dove or pigeon was out for a walk. Doves and pigeons are both members of the Columbidae Family. We decided not to label this one as either, but allow it to decide for itself when it grows up. That seems like the 2018 thing to do.

The Savage River trail is 1.7 miles in length and follows the river to the bridge and loops back on the other side.

The Willow Ptarmigan is the Alaskan State Bird. Chicken, Alaska was named that as the folks there could not agree on the spelling of Ptarmigan.

This squirrel is a little cutie.

This critter is too.

And this critter seems as interested in us as we were with him. We wonder what species he is?

This marmot was along our trail but didn't show himself until we were on the other side of the Savage River.

Leaving Denali on the next day, we stopped to enjoy the beauty of the Susitna River along the Parks Highway.

This is our version of a drone photo of the area.

We hope you enjoy God's creation in Alaska, we find it stunning.

Have a blessed week, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from June 2009