As we were descending into Anchorage, the cloud ceiling lifted and we got a great view of Mt. McKinley, which we thought was a good sign. We picked up our Budget Rent-a-Car, which had been upgraded to a Ford Fusion from a compact, then drove to the Days Inn. It was sort of dingy, and the only parking place was in a separate lot behind the motel. We ate at the next-door Mexican restaurant, La Cabana, because we had a buy one/get one (BOGO) from the Northern Lights book. It was OK.

The next morning, we drove to the Alaska State Fair in Palmer because I wanted to see the giant vegetables grown in the MatSu Valley. It did not open until 10, so we drove into town, where there was an interesting visitor center and gardens (with giant cabbages). The fair was very enjoyable. Besides the veggies, the flower and craft exhibits were very nice. I bought a horny toad carved from a moose antler from one of the booths - I figured I'd never see one again, and the collared horned lizard is our state reptile here in OK. We went to the lumberjack show, then headed out because it was getting crowded, and we were driving to Denali that evening. It was a beautiful day, so we stopped at the Mt. McKinley viewing turnouts at Denali State Park. We got to Denali National Park in time to pick up our bus tickets for the next day, then drove north to Healy, where we had reservations at the Denali Park Hotel for two nights. The staff there was very friendly and the rooms were simple, but nice and clean. They had a computer in the lobby (which was an old rail car) for guests' use. We ate both nights at Rose's in Healy - good diner food.

We took the school bus to Wonder Lake, an 11-hour round trip. Mike was our driver, and he stopped for wildlife sightings. Close up, we saw moose, Dall sheep, a golden eagle, and a grizzly with two cubs. From a distance, we saw caribou, more moose, sheep, and grizzlies, and a beaver swimming with a branch to build his lodge for the winter. The scenery was beautiful - the trees had turned to solid yellow, and the tundra was purple, gold, and red. We saw the Mt. McKinley all the way out. At Eielson Visitors Center, it was visible from base to peaks, with only a small wisp of cloud. We felt very lucky, as we had been told there was only a 20-30% chance of seeing it at all. The next day, we drove back to Anchorage by way of Talkeetna, where we walked around, had a local brew, went to the museum and talked to some real characters. The museum had exhibits on bush flying, mountain climbing, and mining, and a model of Mt. McKinley that had been in the Smithsonian. Read more