Denali National Park, Pt. II

Denali National Park has a stark sort of beauty that's different from other big national parks like Yosemite or Yellowstone. However, I saw only a tiny sliver of Denali (since I was only there for the night), so perhaps I'm poorly qualified to judge.

This was taken on the one road that runs into Denali about ten miles from the entrance to the park. It was a lucky shot, and not for any reason having to do with the actual photograph. When I stopped to take it, I noticed that one of the two screws holding my chainguard in place had disappeared (no big surprise - I'm amazed my fillings haven't come undone up here). It couldn't have come undone more than a couple of miles earlier, as I was playing tourist and taking a picture every few minutes and probably would have noticed it. It had managed to start rubbing against the chain pretty well in just that short time, though.

Thankfully I still had the safety wire in my Givi trunk (I'd dropped the rest of my things off at a motel) and I was able to temporarily secure it in place until I got back to the motel, where I just removed the thing completely. The dealer in Anchorage was able to scrounge up a replacement screw and I put it back on then.

One of the interesting phenomenons up here (Denali and all of the North) is the size of the trees. I believe that the permafrost keeps them this small. Weird, huh? Most of the trees don't get bigger than about 12-15 feet tall, except for some of the birches further south.

Anyway, I didn't spend more than one night at Denali for a number of logistical reasons. You see, DNP has only one road running into it. It is 90 miles long, but cars are only allowed on the first 15 miles or so. While I applaud their efforts to keep Denali wild, it is kind of frustrating for me, since I don't really have the option of leaving the DL parked somewhere with all my gear on it. People in cars can easily throw their stuff in the trunk and hop on the park bus for a day of sightseeing, but I'm a little more threatened by thievery than they are. The frustration is compounded by the fact that there is an RV campground about 30 miles inside the park, so those big, annoying Landwhales that are camping there can drive further in than the rest of us.

No worries, however - I was looking forward to heading south to Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula anyway. I was hopeful that I'd see the tallest mountain in North America on my way, and luck was with me once again.