So far the tour had been ok. I had hoped we’d see more animals. We’d scoured the mountainsides for Dall Sheep but there weren’t any around. No bears either even at a distance.
We did see a couple more moose and then some caribou.
The guide finally addressed the issue of gulls in the middle of Alaska.
They are called Mew Gulls. And according to him they migrate here to nest. They usually build their nests in trees or even on the ground as long as they are near water. Each time I/we saw them there was a river or pond nearby.
We even got back to the lodge in time for lunch.
Thinking we might be able to save a couple of dollars (or a few pennies) we went to the Base Camp restaurant next to the King Salmon. Turns out they are really the same restaurant just different names. I didn’t quite get the logic there. They share the kitchen, the menu is the same and so are the prices.
Both Sandy and I ordered the fish and chips. It was so good. Not cheap (or inexpensive) but worth every penny.
Then we wandered through the souvenir shops before heading to the shuttle for a trip to the Visitor Center.
After all, I had to get my National Parks Passport Stamped because who knows when I’ll ever get back to Denali again.
The Visitor Center was awesome. There was a small museum nearby that we never even got to go to because the displays in the Center were so good. I got my passport stamped and then we explored the exhibits.
We saw more animals in the Visitor Center displays than we’d seen the whole trip. There were dioramas of Moose
and bear
and wolves.
The Dall sheep looked magnificent.
The Golden eagle was caught in the act of snatching it’s dinner.
The conservation message was clear. Even the smallest things can make a big difference even tipping the balance of nature. I couldn’t help but think of the endangered Piping Plovers back home.
The Athabaskans, the First People, understood this and still respect the delicate balance of man and nature today.
Finally one of my favorite posters…Dogs Don’t Run Out of Gas…I loved that and it was a reminder that we needed to catch the shuttle back because we were going dog sledding this evening.
