Denali National Park & Mount McKinley

We left the lodge at 7:00 a.m. in fog and rain.

Our hopes of seeing Mt. McKinley or even any wildlife were slim.

 

Eight hours on a bumpy road in an old school bus in the rain

ndid not seem like a lot of fun.

 

 

But we were in Alaska

where anything can happen.

 

So we put on a smile and headed out.

 

 

As usual the scenery was magnificent.

 

 We had barely entered the park

and were greeted by some moose.

 

Further down the road we found a

grizzly bear and her cubs.



 

 

Dahl sheep were on the hilltops.

 

And the sky was clearing!

 



And we got to see ptarmagin

and Ground Squirrel

 

Reindeer

 



 

and best of all....

 

Mt. McKinley!

 

We made the 30% Club!

 

and could not have been happier.

What had begun as a depressing, dismal day

turned into one of the most exciting and

beautiful days of a lifetime.

 

So glad to share this adventure with you :-)

 

Until next time ~

Terri



Next Stop - Denali

So the question continues....

What's so special about Alaska?

 

Our expectations were pretty simple when we planned this trip.

 

We love nature and scenery and so wanted to see as much as possible.

The captain wanted to see wildlife.

 

 

We were not disappointed.

 

 

 

The one unexpected treat we did not plan on was that our arrival coincided with

the changing of leaves and fall colors.

 

We stayed at the Denali Princess Lodge

 

and were again treated to a room with a view

 

complete with mountains,

 

a river,

 

 

and awesome sunsets.

 

 

In my next post I will take you to Denali National Park

 to look for wildlife and to hopefully

catcha glimpse of Mt. McKinley.

 

 

Until next time ~

 

Terri

 



Alaska - The Journey Begins

A trip to Alaska has been on our bucket list for a while now. So with some of our travel buddies from previous adventures we picked a tour and set out to discover what is so special about Alaska.

This is what we found.

Our tour was through Princess and the first half was the land portion. 

We arrived in Fairbanks on a relatively warm, sunny evening in September. 

This was the view from our room.  So peaceful.

 

As expected, the scenery is the main attraction and there is more than enough to enjoy.

 

The Princess Lodge is located along a river which ran through downtown Fairbanks.

It was so pleasant.  Hard to imagine what it would be like at 70 below.

 

 

During our time there we toured downtown Fairbanks

 



 

then off to see the pipeline

 

did some good, old fashioned, salmon riding

 

and panned for gold!

 

The captain and I panned $20 of gold flakes which

my friend Sandra and I promptly had made into necklaces.

 

 

 Our days ended with crystal clear skies and a full moon with a hint of northern lights.

 

   

Seems we were only a few miles from the North Pole

We took a riverboat and saw a very nice dog sled camp

and a seaplane taking off and landing.

 We spent three days touring in and around Fairbanks.

It was great but we are really looking forward to our next stop...

Denali!

 

 

until next time ~

Terri

 

 



Minnie Mania

Hello Dear Friends!

Thank you for stopping by even when I was not answering. 

As mentioned in my last post my little granddaughter had some serious eye problems.  Thank God the worst seems to be over.  And I thank you for your prayers:-)

So now thoughts are on Christmas and I've been busy making a few fun things.

One of my little ones is obsessed with Minnie Mouse.  She LOVES everything Minnie and was even dressed as Minnie for Halloween.

I know....too cute!

So I found this little Minnie hat pattern on a fellow blog and made one for her for a Christmas gift.

I think she will like it.

 

And for the five year old....

a Minnie bow on a headband ear warmer!

 

 

These were such fun to make and will hopefully be a hit for Christmas.

 

 

Also, we did travel to Alaska and I promise I will post about that trip soon!!!

So much to do and so little time...  Does anyone else have this issue?

 

 

                     Until next time and hopefully not so long,

 

                                           Terri