Denali National Park

Before I post pictures, I have to stress how lucky we were when we went to the park. I don't have the statistics in my head anymore, but people who visit Denali Park are more often times disappointed than fulfilled. Why would that be? Well, people want to see the mountain. The mountain is the biggest in North America and creates its own weather conditions. Conditions that often do not allow it to be seen. This is life. A disappointed part of life, but life nonetheless. Then there's animals. Sadly, there is no way to guarantee seeing any. Many people leave the park only having seen a few distant specks of white that are dall sheep. Again, life. WELL... having said all that. We were incredibly lucky! We saw the mountain AND a ton of animals. When I mean a ton... I mean 7 bears, a heard of dall sheep on the road, etc... a lot of animals. So, without further adieu... enjoy the pics. 

That's right folks, that's the Mountain. Incredible isn't it!? 

Here are the specks of sheep. Don't worry, it gets much much better!

The wind was really strong that day as you can see by the flag!

And by the fact that I had to wear a hat!! Go Liverpool... thanks brother for the hat. Would have frozen if I didn't have it.

Cute ground squirrel!

Bears!! Momma and two babies. We spooked them a bit at first, but once they realized we weren't a real threat they didn't try to run away.

Next up? Sheep. They were right on the road enjoying some lunch... and we were right there to enjoy them!

Lest I forget the beautiful scenery.... here you go!

Golden eagle...

Wolf! This was my first time seeing a wolf... and this one was just walking down the road. Kind of like saying, "Screw running through the bushes, I'm taking the easy route!"

Caribou crossing the road in front of the bus. The driver actually had to break quite hard as we came around a corner. 

A slightly more picturesque view of the caribou!

And to round out the wildlife portion... here's some moose! We saw a momma and babies just off the road. They stayed in the bushes a bit, but you can see them peaking through a bit now. :-)

We saw so much wildlife that when we saw another bull moose up the hill... we didn't even stop. It would have made a good picture, but we were really late returning from the trip as it was. 

Hope you enjoyed the pics... there's a few more to post... just not of animals. Anyone ready for a trip to Alaska now?