On to Denali

Woke up to a clear day and boarded the bus. At this point we’re beginning to feel a little rushed. It might have been smart to do the land portion of the tour first and have the opportunity to relax on the cruise going south from Steward.
At Mile 147 of the Parks Highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks is the Alaska Veterans Memorial that is beautifully designed to complement its setting in the spruce and hemlock. For travelers, the memorial provides both a refreshing stop along the highway. The word "Denali" means "the high one" in the native language and refers to the mountain itself. For years we have known this mountain as Mt. McKinley but this is not accepted by the native population. They prefer the name Denali. Denali is the highest mountain peak in North America with an elevation of 20,320 feet. On a clear day the Veterans’s Memorial is a wonderful place to view Denali. Unfortunately on our visit it was not a clear day. The park rangers could only point to an area on the horizon and say “It should be right there”.
The Park headquarters are located at Denali, Alaska, not an incorporated city but, in all but the winter months, it looks like one. Restaurants, hotels and police, it looks like a small town. After the middle of September everyone, yes everyone, leaves, vamooses, abandons ship, and are gone. The city is empty. But while the city is open, the Prospector is a great place to eat, lots of local color and fun people. Two stop lights and lots of shuttle buses, this place is a lot like Six Flags. We stayed at the McKinley Village Lodge. The lodge was a wonderful place, right on the river looking out over the mountain range. In the evening, when it became cool outside, the fireplaces were roaring inside. We shared a bottle of wine by the river and prepared for our trip into the park the next day.