From Fairbanks, it was a half day ride to Denali Princess Lodge where we would take one of the infamous school buses into the National Park.
Mind you, it’s still raining. What we found out is Mount McKinley was given it’s name as a political gesture before President McKinley was elected and has been trying to change it’s name back to the Native name (Great One) until it finally succeeded during President Obama’s administration. Talk about political bureaucracy! Unfortunately, we also found out that only 30% of the visitors actually get to see the mountain because of the weather. That’s something they don’t put into the travel brochures either.
Actually the “school buses” are not bad at all and are more comfortable than some airplanes I’ve ridden on, but that’s another story. Our driver has a degree in environmental engineering but became attracted to Alaska and is happy driving this bus during the summer and being a personal chef to people with medical issues in the winter. This year she is planning to stay in Alaska and live in a dry cabin with no plumbing or electricity. Truthfully, the Alaskan mentality of self-sufficiency and modest means is admirable but not one I fully understand.
As soon as got into the park, we spotted a mother moose and baby. 
Unfortunately that would be the extent of the animals we saw during our trip into the park. There were stops along the route when we would get off the bus and walk some but it seemed like every time we got out of the bus, it would rain hard. Our first stop was a cabin with a guide giving a presentation while she stood on the covered porch and we stood in the pouring rain. I have no idea what she said only that it seemed to me that she didn’t shorten her speech at all given the rain.
After being totally drenched, the rest of the trip into the park was a blur. Jim got this picture to prove we were there but please don’t ask me to describe it because I couldn’t. When we got back to the lodge, I was so frustrated I ate a reindeer hot dog and didn’t ask it’s name.
Pictures in Denali Park
Before we started, however, we had to go to the 40 Below Room in the gift shop for a picture with our new friends and the sense of what that temperature feels like. Needless to say, we didn’t stay in there long.
that makes me think of the “dry” cabins we’ve seen elsewhere with no water, plumbing, or electricity. Definitely a land of contrasts. Then we watched a prearranged takeoff and landing of a seaplane right in the river near the boat.
We were told that 84% of the population has an airplane of some kind. We listened and watched while eating wild blueberry donut.
Check out the picture of the two moose with locked horns. 
They were found locked together in the ice where they died because they could not unlock themselves.
Jim and I combined took home $22 worth of gold. Of course, they then wanted to sell you a $50 locket to put it in. I’ll pass.
There are even games and tables for folks to gather to play cards. It is located on 200 acres right outside the Wrangell-St Elias National Park which is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite and Switzerland combined and has higher mountains. Because the lodge is so close to the Ranger Station, there are regular presentations at the lodge about the park. This is an outdoorsman’s paradise designed for hiking and fishing.
goneagainblog.com 