The skies just outside of Denali Park were clear at sunrise this 11th day of our Alaskan trip. This corner of the world sparkled and shined as we walked to the motor coach after breakfast in upper 30 degree air!
We drove along the Alaskan mountain range and enjoyed several brief photo stops to allow our group to snag the stunning pictures of incredible snow covered Mt. McKinley. This amazing 20,000 foot mammoth is so often shrouded in clouds that many visitors never have such a near clear photo opportunity!
Lunch brought us to the town of Wasilla, Alaska. There we sat down to a great meal at Settlers Bay Lodge overlooking the breathtaking Chugach Mountain Range.
Wasilla is known for much more than Sarah Palin’s hometown. Many may not realize that this sleepy Alaskan village is also headquarters for the Iditarod Trail Committee and Visitor Center. Known as “The Last Great Race on Earth”, The Iditarod is rooted deep in Alaska’s history, dating back to 1925. In groups of four, our pack of travelers were given the opportunity to “ride” behind a pack of ten huskies and get a small taste of this exhilarating race!
It seems as though much of our time is spent getting on or off the motor coach. What great attractions we have witnessed doing so, however!
Our next stop was the town of Palmer, the only community in Alaska to be developed primarily for agriculture. Some of the world’s largest vegetables are grown here due to the very long growing season under “the midnight sun.”
The Alaska Veterans Memorial was another stop along our journey this day. Several of our travelers served in the U.S. Armed Forces and each branch was represented in solid marble as a tribute to the fallen from this 49th state.
Our next, and final two days, will be spent in historic Anchorage. Lots more to see and do before we jet back home at the end of this vacation which seems to have gone by much too quickly!
Rusty's Entire Alaskan Travel Blog
Part 1 - Seattle
Part 2 - Vancouver
Part 3 - “The Inside Passage”
Part 4 - Ketchikan
Part 5 - Juneau
Part 6 - The White Pass and Yukon Narrow Gauge
Part 7 - Canadian Yukon
Part 8 - Fairbanks
Part 9 - Panning for Gold
Part 10 - Denali
Part 11 - Mt. McKinley and Wasilla
Part 12 - Anchorage and Prince William Sound
