The Mountain

Day 52 – Saturday, August 3
We got our first glimpse of “The Mountain” on the drive to Denali.  The Mountain is Mount McKinley, the highest point on the continent, at 20,320 ft!  In this picture, the mountain is about 100 miles away, so that gives an idea of the size and grandeur of this giant peak!  The native name of the mountain is Denali which means “The High One”.  We were lucky to see it, as many people who come here are not able to see the top of the mountain, because of the cloud cover.  They sell a t-shirt that says “I’m part of the 30% club”—meaning that only 30% of the 400,000 people who come here actually see the top.   We had a short 2-hour drive here this morning, and planned to stop for breakfast on the way.  We passed on Skinny Dick’s Halfway Inn which looked like a questionable establishment; and the next three places we stopped were not yet open. (I think there is definitely a business opportunity for a good breakfast place on this stretch of highway) We finally found Rose’s Café, which was packed--there was a traffic jam in the parking lot.  The owner told us if we were in a hurry to get back in the car and drive on!!!  But, it was worth the wait.  The pancakes were as big as the plate!     

The scenery continues to change at each corner, and we’ve enjoyed each and every view.  We are staying at the Rainbow Village RV Park, right outside the gates of Denali National Park. The Nenana River runs right next to us, and there is a busy little city around us, complete with a boardwalk and shops connected to the RV Park.   We were disappointed that we didn’t see any wildlife today on the road, but plan to catch up on our wildlife count tomorrow when we enter the Park.  We meet at 6am for an all-day bus trip through the park.  (It’s okay, because it will definitely be light at 6am!)  We will be at Denali until Tuesday morning, and have a busy few days ahead.  We have a rafting trip and dinner theater planned for Monday, so that should be interesting!  And, speaking of wild life--Happy Anniversary to my sister and brother in law—Susie and Guido who are celebrating their 40th today!  Congrats!  We attended mass this evening at the Wilderness Center in Denali Park.  The pastor is from Holy Mary of Guadalupe in Healy, (about 10 miles away)  but they do this mass in the summer to accommodate the visitors.  He was a delightful priest, and when he found out there were some people from Texas, he told them that Alaska was going to split in half, and that would make Texas the third largest state in the union!!