Around the MT. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

Posted on July 3, 2013July 3, 2013 by Dusty Roads

This was my favorite lodge.

It may have been considered more remote but I thought it was much nicer than the Princess lodge we just left. After all, how many times have you opened a door with antlers for handles.

A shuttle takes you around the property and all of the drivers were great. A female moose gave birth to twins the day before we got there. The little ones were too small to move far so she was right there beside the road. The drivers always stopped so we could get a glimpse of her through the trees. Try as I might I couldn’t get a clear shot.

We even walked down in hopes of getting a shot without bus windows but for such a large animal, she and the babies were hidden well.

The lodge was afraid all the attention would stress Mama Moose and that she might charge and injure a guest in an attempt to protect her babies. They said if people kept going down there they would be forced to make her move so we only made the one attempt. We didn’t want her forced to move babies so young.

The main pastime at this lodge was Denali (Mt. McKinley) watching. They even had an alert system similar to a wake up call. If you wanted a call when the mountain was visible you signed up and got a phone call, no matter what time, when the clouds cleared and the mountain could be seen.

I must have been getting tired at this point because there was a horse drawn wagon ride that I wanted to take but I forgot all about it until we were boarding the bus to leave!

We didn’t do any tours here. I was on the courtesy internet quite a bit wrapping up details of my job offer so that I could be sure to have a job when I got back from vacation. They had a great gift shop with some of the most unique and reasonably priced souvenirs of our trip. We did quite a bit of shopping here.

Even though we were farther in to the interior or maybe because we were, spring was really springing here. Temps were getting up to 60+, almost breaking the 70 mark. That was the trigger for Alaska’s unofficial state bird to make it’s appearance.

These mosquitoes are huge and plentiful. One of our new friends had bug repellant plastic bracelets and shared some with us. To my surprise they worked.

Denali (the mountain) watching was really interesting. When we got up in the morning the sky over the Alaska range was overcast but the mountains, except for Denali stood out clearly.

The line of mountain tops was so well defined it was hard to believe there was a “missing mountain”. About mid- morning Denali suddenly popped out of the overcast.

Cloud banks drifted and shifted in front of her but that only added to her mystique.

We spent a relaxing morning mountain watching before we had to climb back on the bus for the last leg of our journey to Anchorage where we’d be reunited with our luggage and spend the night before our flight home and back to reality.

One more Lodge

Posted on July 2, 2013July 2, 2013 by Dusty Roads

After our exciting evening of dog sledding (I really did have a great time and would do this again) we all climbed back on board the bus to retrace our steps. We dropped off our young guides back at the trappers exhibit and returned to the lodge just in time to stop by the Base Camp Bar and Grill for a late dinner.

Then it was back to the room to pack up our bags again. This time they needed to be left out by 7 am . It was too cold to leave them out overnight. The staff would pick them up and they would be delivered to our room at our next stop, McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. We’d be spending 1 night there before heading back to Anchorage.

We could have squeezed in an early morning tour, quite a few people did, but we just relaxed with a leisurely breakfast and some souvenir shopping.

The bus rolled up right at 11 am. As before the driver checked off our names and gave us a packet with a room key and map of the grounds. Then we were on the road again.

At least the weather was better than when we were cruising. The sun was out and we settled back to enjoy the scenery. This bus driver was talking with another driver that had pulled out ahead of us and was now was maybe 5 miles in front.

In Cantwell, Alaska you can stop and see this strange construction, a now abandoned 4 story igloo shaped hotel. We just drove by. The driver said it had been abandoned because it was an environmental hazard…asbestos or something.

We watched the mountains pass and the landscape change to tundra again.

We passed a herd of caribou then the radio crackled to life.

There was a grizzly bear chasing a moose along side the highway. The driver gave us a mile marker and everyone sat up and started watching. Unfortunately the mile marker came and went and we never saw any sign of the bear or the moose. Everyone settled back down.

A bit farther along the passengers in the front of the bus got very excited. By pressing my face tight to the window I could just make out why. There was a moose running along the side of the road with the traffic! I couldn’t get a picture from that angle but I got ready just in case and it paid off.

Just as my window approached the moose, he decided to leave the road and bolted up the bank. Wonder of wonders, I caught his scramble even though the window glass!

Not long after the moose sighting we pulled into the new lodge.

It was lunch time so we dropped our carry-on’s in the room and made a bee line for the restaurant. Apparently several buses had come in at the same time so we had quite a long wait but finally we were seated right by the kitchen.

An order of chicken fingers made everything right again. 🙂 When my tummy’s not happy, I’m not happy.

Now fed, we had the whole afternoon to explore. There was a show in the movie theatre we wanted to see about the Aurora Borealis but we’d missed the mid-day showing and the next wasn’t until the evening. There was another about Alaska so we went to that instead. It was a series of photographs in slideshow format set to music. It was beautiful and worth spending the time to see. It even included some shots of the northern lights so maybe we could skip the other movie.

Natural History Tour into Denali

Posted on June 27, 2013June 27, 2013 by Dusty Roads

As we’d been told our tour was on an old school bus style bus. Remember those windows that you could open from the top by squeezing the release mechanism ? The window would then open 1/2 way so the top of the window was open but not the bottom. Sort of like a double hung window for a bus. Well that’s the kind of windows we had. To take pictures you had to balance on the seat to get the window open and then either lean back (Still standing…sort of) or lean over the seat in front of you to get a shot with no window glass or frame in the way.

The bench seats had been replaced but that was the only change and it might have been easier to take pictures from the bench seats than the captain style. Each row of seats was placed so the frame of the window was right in the way.

Sandy and I settled in and I took the inside by the window. We’d been told that the bus would stop for wildlife and if it was safe, let us out to take pictures. In all the brochures you see the bus on the side of the road with the occupants standing outside watching the wildlife. We were about to discover that “art” and life were very different.

Once everyone was on our driver made a strange announcement. He said if we were on the tour to see wildlife then we were on the wrong bus. As far as I knew from chatting with the others on the tour, we all wanted to see wildlife. No one got off so I thought he must be kidding.

He took a head count and we were on our way. Everyone’s eyes were peeled hoping to see animals. And we did begin spotting some. First up were moose.

We spotted a couple making their way through the snow. One of them had a radio collar and she seemed to be struggling.

At first we were all concerned until someone suggested that she might be about to give birth and that was why she was having trouble getting through the snow when the other moose was fine. I hope that was the case. It made everyone feel better anyway.

We stopped at a rest area where 2 rangers gave a short presentation about the history of the area.

One of them had a really vintage looking uniform and with his beard he was a ranger “poster boy”.

We also got another chance to see Denali (Mt. McKinley) who was again cooperating with us.

The “rest rooms ” were quite state of the art too.

As we stopped at the ranger check point that was as far as cars could go we saw a little Alaskan ground squirrel. He stuck around for quite a few minutes so we all had a chance to get pictures. He’s a cute little fella, isn’t he.

I also spotted a grouse, in fact several, but they blended in with the brush and were so quick to hide that I didn’t get a picture . The bus was moving and if I’d yelled stop they would have been out of sight before he could hit the brakes.

There were more sea gulls flying around. Seemed strange so far from the sea. But it was time to turn around and head back to the lodge.

Into the Interior

Posted on June 24, 2013June 24, 2013 by Dusty Roads

As we left the coast behind we moved through the Alaskan Tundra toward the Alaska Range and Mount McKinley also known as Denali. That can get confusing because Denali is also the National Park and a State Park. I’ll try to remember to make clear which one I’m referring to.

We weren’t seeing many bald eagles now and the reason we were given was that we were leaving the coast behind and bald eagles need the coastal waters and rivers to fish, salmon being a big part of thier diet. The higher into the mountains we traveled the more likely to see golden eagles which survive on small ground animals like squirrels or hares. (Don’t call them rabbits!)

The food and beverage service in the car seemed to be concentrated closer to the bar where several groups were keeping the attendant and bartender busy. The food menu in the car was quite limited so we decided to try the dining car which was really just the first level of our car. The restrooms were on that level too so about noon all 4 of us headed downstairs. Since we’d only have to climb over each other if we went at different times we thought it’d just be easier to all go together.

The menu in the dining car was also quite limited but that makes sense when you figure they have to bring all of the supplies for the whole trip. Eggs benedict seemed to be a featured item. I ordered what I thought was a crab cake lunch only to get crab cakes with eggs benedict piled on top. At least I wasn’t the only one who misunderstood the menu.

Back in our seats cries of “Moose” started going up. Most of the sightings were on the opposite side from us. I managed to stretch up far enough to see some of them but after 1 attempt to shoot over everyone’s heads and across the car and through the window I decided it just wasn’t going to work and gave up.

The moose on my side were a possibility but the angle of the sun made the reflections from the windows cause distortions in the pictures.

Our seatmate, Robert, came back up to say he had gotten some pictures from the platform but that it was really cold standing out there. We had a few stops with no explanations. After sitting still for 5-10 minutes at each unscheduled stop we’d start up again with no explanation.

Mount McKinley came into view in the distance. This is a rare sight from what we were told. The mountain is so high it makes it’s own weather and its almost always shrouded in clouds and fog. Over and over during our stay we were told that only about 30% of visitors ever get to see the mountain and how lucky we were.

Today it was really clear so everyone’s camera came out, including mine. Well almost everyone’s. We heard one husband complaining to his wife: ” You brought me all the way out here to see a mountain!” I guess the wonder that is Mount McKinley is lost on some people. 🙂

One or Maybe Two Final Comments on this Maine Visit

Posted on September 7, 2012September 7, 2012 by Dusty Roads

Rise and Shine it ‘s time to check out and get on the road home but I can’t help feeling like it wasn’t quite complete. I got a decent picture of Pemaquid Light but not the one “in my head”. One more try…

I checked out giving a call to the Hardy Boats as I pulled out of the parking lot. They said they were fogged in and to call them around 11:00 for an update. Since that gave me a couple of hours to kill I headed north to Maine Wildlife Park.

It’s not too big. I walked most of it in a little over an hour but you do get great views of native wild animals.

The park takes in orphaned or injured animals that would not survive if left in the wild.

There were raptors like eagles, a red fox, coyote, deer…some of the cutest fawns you’d ever hope to see, bears and turtles, bobcats and cougars.

I was following one of the game trails. A sign thanked the Kittery Trading Post for the use of the fake animals. I’d just seen one of them. At a pond was a Great Blue Heron. Now I’ve taken enough pictures of them that I knew something wasn’t quite right, still it was a good enough imitation that I had to look really closely. And yes, it wasn’t moving but live herons can stand still for hours when they are listening for fish and frogs.

Walking along the path I was thinking that the noise I was making would scare away any wildlife. The path was gravel and no matter how hard I tried I was “crunching” . Out of the corner of my eye I spotted what looked like a moose. I chalked it up to another fake put along the trail as decoration so I was not ready when I turned the corner and came face to antler with a cow and bull. The bull had a full rack of antlers, still in velvet.. The cow drifted away but that bull just stared me down. I grabbed for my camera.

I just had time to get off the one shot before a family with two young children came around the corner. The kids were having a great time whooping and hollering and that was when Mr. Moose had enough and slipped silently back into the woods. It’s amazing how such a large animal can be so quiet.

Leaving the Park I was thrilled with my visit but it was time to check in with Hardy Boats. They said they were going out but that they were going to delay until 12:30. That was good. I could take a leisurely ride over.

When I arrived I again parked up on the hill and walked down to the dock. The closer I came to the water the foggier it got. I bought my ticket and chatted with the attendant. She told me of a spot where I could drive that might let me get the picture I wanted if I couldn’t get it from he boat. Her father is part of the search and rescue team in New Harbor and he is out to Pemaquid almost daily rescuing people who fall on the rocks. That made me glad that I’d chosen to be conservative yesterday.

I settled down to wait. A family came down to fish from the dock so it was fun watching the action.

About noon the boat pulled in.

The fog was still really thick so it wasn’t too surprising when they canceled the cruise.

My ticket price refunded, I took a quick run over to the spot I’d just been told about. The fog was so thick I couldn’t see the lighthouse at all. Disappointed I headed back to the south. Amazing how just a few miles inland the fog was gone , the sun was shining and the sky was blue.

Lunch time found me passing a bunch of interesting looking shops known as Heritage Village. If I had more time I would have loved to explore them all but for now I’d settle for lunch at the Lighthouse Restaurant.

It just seemed fitting somehow. A fish sandwich was plenty. It was very tasty and I would eat there again. I must say I haven’t had a bad meal at all while in Maine. Lunch out of the way it was back on the road.

There was just one more thing I had to do before I left the Pine Tree State.

I had to meet Lenny the 1700 lb. chocolate Moose and his companions, the dark chocolate black bears.

Lenny resides at Len Libby Chocolates just south of Portland in Scarborough, ME. It’s definitely worth a stop. A full size chocolate moose is almost as rare as the real life kind! To the best of my knowledge Lenny is the only one of his kind.

But even if Lenny wasn’t there, the homemade candy is awesome. They also have ice cream. They have a candy that makes me think more of a caramel but they call it Len Libby Taffy. They were giving free samples when I was there. Soooo good.

So, my friends, that about wraps up my Portland trip. I didn’t get THE Pemaquid picture of my dreams and I didn’t have time to visit York’s Wild Kingdom but I would not have missed the Maine Wildlife Park for the world. It was a great visit. I saw a real Moose and got some great pictures of Nubble light decked out for Christmas in July. I have a feeling I’ll be going back to Maine again.