Alaska - Day 3 - Train to Denali - August 27, 2012

We started Day 3 with a ride on the breakfast leg of the Wilderness Express.  It was a great experience.  The domed car allowed excellent visibility for enjoying the beautiful scenery as we traveled from Fairbanks to Denali.  Lots of fall color to see even though it was a rainy, overcast day.  Instead of breakfast, we shared a dessert on the train - brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce.  Yum!  The lower level of the train is a complete restaurant with impeccable service.  We arrived at the Denali Park Visitor Center and enjoyed a quick picnic lunch with Allen & Barbara before boarding a school bus for an 8 hour tour of the park.  

 On our bus tour, we were very fortunate to see several moose, brown bears, caribou, sheep, and a lynx.  We had hoped to get a glimpse of Mt. McKinley (Denali) but that was not to be.  It was very exciting and I took lots of pics, although the wildlife may only be visible to me because of the distance.  My photography leaves much to be desired - most of my shots were through a window on a moving bus! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

 We learned a lot from our bus driver/tour guide, such as what to do if we encountered a bear on our way to the portapotty.  No bear sightings at the potty but we did experience SNOW!  As we got to the higher elevation, snow started falling and it was beautiful.  We arrived at the McKinley Lodge for the night around 9:30.  Our room overlooked the river and was nicely furnished in a lodge motif.  I had forgotten how quiet it can be in the woods.  There was no traffic noise so we enjoyed a peaceful night.  Off to Talkeetna tomorrow!