Denali National Park, Alaska

The drive from Anchorage to Denali was the easiest 5 hours I've spent behind the wheel.

Glimpses of the Denali mountain range lured us from the distance.

If only the roads in Chicago were like this.

A roadside pullout looks out towards Denali. Mt. McKinley looms in the distance, obscured by clouds.
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Our first close-up look at the moraine.

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I told Kate there were igloos in Alaska!

You can't get to Denali without passing Wasilla.

Wal-Mike's is a scary place.

Beware of bears.

This guy is clearly not following the saying: “If it's black, fight back. If it's brown, lie down.”

Welcome to Denali.

We set up camp for the night.

I took this photo at 12:36 a.m. our first night in Denali near the Riley Creek campground.

The midnight sun peeks through the clouds and touches the distant mountain tops.

Shuttle busses access the heart of Denali National Park by a single road.

The 5 hour shuttle ride to Wonder Lake offered plenty of stops to enjoy the wildlife and scenery of Denali.

Kate enjoys a look out onto the Polychrome Mountains and the expansive moraine.

Panoramic view of the Polychrome Mountains and moraine.
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Detail of the moraine.

Caribou.

A stop at Toklat River.
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I'm a caribou!

Kate is a peek-a-bou.

A steep climb up a mountain ridge offered views down to the Eielson Visitor Center at left,
the moraine and the surrounding mountain range at center, and Mt. McKinley in the distance off to the right.
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Detail looking down at the shuttle bus road, moraine and the Eielson Visitor Center.

The mythical looking Mt. McKinley looms off in the distance.

Wildflowers peek out from a cluster of rocks alongside our ridge trail.

Mountain goats.

More caribou!

We spot a bear lumbering in the distance.

Moraine and Mt. McKinley.
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