Denali National Park - Day 2

Today we ventured farther into Denali National Park. We caught a mid-morning shuttle bus for a 5.5 hour round-trip into the park. Some buses go even farther in, but we were already concerned that this bus ride would be long for Penelope.

After some difficulty getting Penelope's car seat installed on the bus, we settled in for our ride. Our final destination was Toklat River. Along the way, we saw grizzly bears (very far away), caribou, and Dall sheep. We also passed through some amazing scenery. The highlight of the trip was Polychrome Pass, which entailed a harrowing climb up a road that was right on the edge of an 800ft drop. At the overlook point, we got out and soaked in the amazing view. We also saw a fox nearby. There were some trails nearby that probably would have been fun, but we didn't have time with our bus.

At Toklat River, our plan had been to eat lunch, walk around a bit, then catch a later bus back (which might have meant waiting for one that wasn't full). However, when we got there, a storm had just blown in, nixing our plans for a lunch on the river bank. Given the uncertain weather and uncertain bus system, and lack of shelter, we decided to take our own bus back and had lunch on the bus after some leg stretching and photos at Toklat River. On the ride back, we all fell asleep, but we still saw some more animals and enjoyed passing back through Polychrome Pass. Penelope did really well on the bus, especially considering how long she had to be restrained in the car seat. A dose of Benedryl at the start probably helped, too. We certainly hope to come back when she is older and we can travel deeper into the park, but we got a nice taste of Denali, and Penelope seemed to have fun, too.

Back at camp, we had snacks, then went on a short hike out of our campground to Savage River and the Mountain View Loop, but the mountain was hiding in the clouds (luckily we had already gotten nice views of it the two days before). We started another campfire to cook our halibut dinner. The halibut was not as good as the salmon we had a few nights ago (mainly due to our limited spice selection), but the campfire gave it an extra special flavor. Then we played with Penelope, who enjoyed being outside and insisted on wearing just a T-shirt because she was "hot." After Penelope went to bed, we ate our last s'mores of the trip and burned the last of the wood. Our great Alaska adventure is coming to a close, but we are so glad that we saved the best, Denali, for last.