Recently my husband and I had the opportunity to visit Alaska. This was one of my husband’s dreams on his bucket list. I myself do not have a bucket list, but if I did, this would be a place to visit again! The beautiful landscape that God created is astounding and in all of wonder, places like Denali National Park does not disappoint!
We began our day travel at a Denali Bus Terminal in the park and took a 7-8 hour bus tour to and from the spot where you can see this tallest mountain in the United States! Due to the clouds and weather, it is usually covered by high clouds, but we were fortunate that the clouds broke up just in time as we arrived at our destination area.
Along our route to the Denali mountain, once called Mt. McKinley, we encountered views so breathtaking and beautiful that pictures could never do it justice. We saw bears and caribou, birds native to Alaska, and valleys so wide with rivers and streams. The lush vegetation and flowers such as fireweed were sights that I wish everyone could see!
Now, for some like myself who may be a bit scared of heights, you might consider riding on the side of the bus facing the cliffs because sometimes the road is basically a one-lane road and if you look down as you go around a sharp corner of the mountain sides, you may not see ground below you. Depending on where you sit on the bus makes a big difference! The back end away from the tires makes for an interesting ride! But the view is worth the panic!
There was a young caribou laying in a ditch beside the road. The driver explained that even though the temperature seemed cool, these animals get heated and will lay in random damp area to cool off. To get an up close look at a caribou was awesome! He was correct because along our way, we saw another in a stream area below our bus.
God’s beauty surrounded us around every corner. People vacation in Florida and experience the sandy beaches and ocean but there were so many other places like Denali that offer unending views! Those valleys I mentioned earlier, well, let’s just say they were wide and gorgeous! Some included finger-like streams that broke out all over the place and others were simple streams.
Bears were all over in different areas. In one pull off, they had a conservation officer keeping watch closely due to tourists around. It remained up in a hill above us while we were there! Another was roaming the top of a huge hill that was covered with grasses and no trees. Below him was caribou. I was amazed how close to them it was but our tour guide said caribou are too fast for them and they usually leave them be.
One caribou guided our bus up the road. He didn’t want to get off the road for a bit and when he did, he took his sweet time walking. We were in their territory and it did not seem to bother them. There were groups of caribou eating freely on the hillsides and their massive racks could be seen as they lifted to see who was invading their meal. They were just beautiful!
Blessed is all I can say about being able to see God’s country. It amazes me how different landscapes can be when you travel. Where I live, some have said this area is beautiful. But when you have grown up in an area all your life and get to experience other area, you will see that beauty is actually everywhere! If you ever get the chance to go to Denali, go! It’s worth every penny you save up for it!