We are now settled in to a routine ~ our living situation is much improved due to the fact that the motel style unit we live in now has the water connected and we only have to share the bathroom/laundry facility with 14 other "golden oldies" (yes we are in what is called "the mature unit!") generally we are not out partying till all hours of the night, so sleeping is not a problem either.
I have discovered a "beauty/spa" salon which our competitors (Princess Lodging...just a 10 min walk away) provide, and treated myself to a WONDERFUL massage yesterday after work....... I will definitely plan a repeat of this treat again next month :)
We have have found another employee dining hall which provides meals mainly for the Denali Park employees but where we may eat also. It is a 4-5 mile round trip which we walk, but the food is usually better. Another well kept secret we discovered is "The Spike" which we stumbled upon close to this particular dining hall........ it is a couple of old railroad cars turned into a bar........ so Ron has found his "local in the woods" ~ this is definitely only known to employees NOT the tourists.
Well, I had my first real look at Denali Park last Monday when we both took the 8 hour round trip bus tour. It was a perfect day weather-wise and we had the most spectacular views of Mt McKinley which typically is only seen 65 days during the 105 day season that the resorts are open. The grandeur of the scenery is impossible to describe or even capture on camera ~ trying to record Denali in photographs is like trying to go to a party through a keyhole.
We did see some Dall sheep and caribou way off in the distance, however one would need a powerful camera lens to capture any decent photographs. I was hoping to see a bear, but did not on this trip ~ there are estimated to be 3oo-400 bears in the entire park and they have a unique way of naturally keeping their numbers small ~ they mate in the spring, however, the fertilized egg is "retained" and not implanted until late fall, and then ONLY if the bear has managed to eat enough and gain sufficient weight/fat to sustain herself and her cubs until the following spring. This way bears are naturally limited and do not exceed sustainable numbers.
On the other hand, the Snowshoe Hare has a "boom and bust" cycle ~ currently Denali is in a "boom" cycle where we are told there are around 2,000 hares per sq mile! During the "bust" scenario they only number 50 per sq mile. There are currently so many that they are eating all the available food and there will not be enought to sustain them through the winters.
The Golden Eagle, of which we saw many, have a wing span of 7 feet and are capable of lifting 14 pounds in weight, as the new born Dall sheep weigh only 11 pounds the eagles are quite a threat to the new-born lambs.
Our closest encounter with the wild life during our bus tour was with a wolf who nonchalantly sauntered along the road, stopping to rest on a patch of snow giving us all the opportunity for a good photo.
We have decided that our next trip into the Park we will take the Hikers bus rather than the packed tourist bus, it will actually take us all the way to the end of the road, which is 93 miles, we only travelled as far as mile 62 this trip, but it did offer us the closest one can get to Mt McKinley which is 30 miles. (I over-heard one guest complaining that the road did not go right to the base of the mountain~ to which I privately thought "and then he would want an elevator to take him to the summit ". Denali is not the tallest mountain in the world but it does have the largest vertical rise (17,000 ft) from base to summit. There have been 3 climber deaths that we are aware of in the last month.
Ron really enjoys being in the midst of the hustle and bustle the front desk position has to contend with, despite having learned to keep quiet regarding the inefficiency in which it is operated. I find my time passes much more slowly as a hostess, however, feel I can now do my job with my eyes closed and backwards, whereas initially it was challenging.
While greeting folks yesterday in the restaurant, in walked Dr Silver an obstetrician I had the privilege of working with 10 years ago in Colorado Springs ~ what a small world. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Andrew and Kate (18-21st) and hoping for the weather to remain at the amazing 70 degree blue skies and sunny which has been the pattern for the past 2 weeks.
I hope to get some more photos of the Park posted soon.
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