Anchorage to Kantishna

Anchorage has loads of really lovely flowers in it. Just wanted to mention that!

We got up at the ungodly hour of 6am in order to get to our Denali train on time. This is a legendary train ride, so we were really excited. It went through the lovely territory between Anchorage and Denali National Park very slowly. Plus I was really tired from waking up so early. Those are my excuses for falling asleep on the train, just long enough to miss the beaver that Chris managed to spot from the train window. I woke up to him yelling, "I saw a beaver! I saw a beaver!" Wide awake and insanely jealous, I couldn't catch a glimpse of the little guy. Hmph! Good for Iff, though.

We spent some time up in an observation dome to check out the scenery, and it was from up there that we noticed how long the train was. In addition to the 5 or 6 normal Alaska Railroad cars, there were 11 (Chris counted) private tour cars for cruise passengers. It was mental! We would later find ourselves often among herds of cruise passengers. Iff reckoned that Florida is empty with all those cruisers up here!

We got off the train and got our shuttle bus to the lodging we'd booked ahead, in the company of a cool Australian family. We were happy to get one of the economy cabins supposedly coveted by backpackers. It's cheap! Woo-hoo! That's pretty rare in Alaska. It's lovely in the Denali park and surrounds. We're delighted to be here.

The next morning, we got up bright and early (again!) for our Kantishna Experience, a narrated tour of the park. This is the longest tour possible and includes lunch and a commentary by a naturalist, so we couldn't resist. Matt was our lovely driver/naturalist (and comedian), and we had such an excellent day. It was supposed to rain, but we had sun all day. It was stunning. And we had what Matt called a double grand slam; we got to see the park's big five animals as well as Denali mountain itself. Denali is the highest mountain in North America and is only visible 30% of the time. We were very lucky to see it. But even better than that was the wildlife we managed to spot:

• 6 moose (including one huge bull at the very end of the day and close up too!)
  
• 1 ptarmigan
  
• 12 grizzlies (including some cubs)
  
• 12 Dall sheep
  
• 1 fox
  
• 1 wolf
  
• 8 caribou
  
• 2 golden eagles
  
• 1 harrier on the hunt
  
• 4 snowshoe hare
  
• various squirrels and rodents

We were especially thrilled by how huge and shiny most of the grizzlies were; Matt said this was due to them bulking up for the winter. The last two moose were thrilling too because they were so close to the bus. When we were parked to watch the huge bull moose at the very end, Matt had to yell at some tourists who had gotten out of their cars and were far too close to the moose when he moved forward. It's rutting season, and the male moose can be very aggressive. Luckily this moose didn't charge anyone, although some of us on the bus were hoping for a good show!

Part of our day included a wee tour of Kantishna, an old gold rush town in the centre of the park. There are still some bits of land within the park that are privately owned, including some tourist lodges. A lovely park ranger named Jamie joined us to give that part of the tour, and we really enjoyed it. The highlight was a visit to Fannie Quigley's old house. She was a pioneer woman the size of H who kicked some major frontier butt. She was a miner, trapper, hunter, baker, gardener, roadhouse hostess, potato beer brewer, and legendary cusser. She's a legend in these parts, and how I'd love to have met her.

We also were touched by a time on the bus when we all donated our uneaten food and extra drinks for a good cause. On another tour bus, one of the passengers sadly died of a heart attack. The other passengers were delayed for three hours while the paramedics and police did their work. Those who wanted to finish their tour hadn't been prepared to be out so late, so another bus driver gave us the word that our stuff would be much appreciated. Chris and I were at the front of the bus and got to see the many bags come forward with whatever people could spare. It was lovely to see everyone helping out like that. Later we found out that the Australian family staying at our same lodge was on that bus; they decided not to continue with their tour after the poor man died.

That somber moment aside, it was a magical day. We are so happy to be here. The park is full of gorgeous autumnal colours and animals fattened up in preparation for the winter soon to arrive. The rangers we've talked to have been so helpful and friendly. We're here late enough for the mosquitoes to be gone, and the weather is uncommonly warm (so we're told by the locals). Also, it's time for the northern lights, although we haven't managed to see them yet. We'll try to be outside at 1am tonight for our chance!