On Sunday evening, we made sure that we had properly tagged our bags for their 6:00 a.m. pickup on Monday.
Today, we travel by train on the McKinley Explorer for a little over seven hours to Denali. Once we are settled into our lodging in Denali, the Commander and I are scheduled to go out on a guided hike.
The train ride to Denali National Park was at times indescribable. Sure the occasional sightings of wildlife added to the journey, but in truth for me the best part of the train ride was the scenery.
I could have taken a million photos. No matter where my eyes took me, no matter the terrain, didn’t matter if it included water views, mountains, vegetation— what I saw was stunning.
Added to that was the high quality of the train’s personnel who gave us local knowledge about where we were and what we were seeing.
This quality of personnel also included the waitstaff, and yes, the kitchen staff. They were exceptionally gifted in providing hospitality. I wonder how the human resources department for Holland American finds these good people?
Our lunch in the dining car was an unexpected surprise. Quite simply, the food was delicious. The triple berry tart for dessert tempted me to have one every hour for the remainder of our trip.
Gradually, the train chugged into the Denali depot. There a bus picked us up and drove us to our lodging for the night. The Denali Lodge was owned and managed by Holland America.
As soon as we departed the bus and walked in the lobby, there was a massive power failure. Not what management or guests wanted or needed.
We found our rooms. Our luggage had already arrived. There was a bit of clumsiness with the power out, but we figured it out.
With our rooms secured, we regrouped at the bar.
Even with the chaos of the power outage, the staff kept their cool. Our waitress told us we would need to pay for drinks in cash, and that cold sandwiches were being provided for free. We ordered our drinks, and in a few minutes our sandwiches arrived.
Betsy and I had to be back in the lobby by 6:30 p.m. for our guided tour. We made it back without any trouble.
Eight people had signed up for the tour of the Oxbow Trail. Only six of us were present for the tour.
It was a cool, rainy evening, but the personality of our guide and his expertise made up for the conditions. Any reluctance we had to attend because of the weather conditions was quickly removed.
We learned so much about Denali and the trail we were walking.
Our guide informed us about the twenty seven species of mosquitos that grace this part of Alaska. He also shared insights about the red squirrel’s habits, winter moose scat, the native trees, wildflowers, and the pretty north flowing Nenana River.
With regard to the power failure at The Denali Lodge, our guide told us that repairs can take time in this remote environment.
Often, linemen from the power company must travel two hours from Fairbanks to Denali. Despite this information, he was hopeful that luck might be on our side.
Our ride back to the Denali Lodge was pleasant as the Oxbow Trail had been a treat. I would recommend this 1.5 mile loop to anyone. Our guide gave us an insightful orientation to Denali.
Maybe, the travel gods were looking out for us. At some point after, 10:30 p.m. the power returned.
We had to be up early on Tuesday morning. We were all scheduled to take a five hour guided tour inside the Denali park. The tour started at 5:30 a.m. Our ride for the tour was to be a school bus.
might be baloney 