Kelsey took advantage of the light load and spread out to sleep for about the first two hours of the ride. She soon got up when we spotted, first some Caribou bulls and then around a switchback corner, a sow grizzly and her two cubs right by the road. We coasted up beside them and snapped off a couple hundred pics between us all, including the bus driver who had never seen one this close before.

 
The three bears simply ignored us...the driver - shown here snapping a few pics - said "You know you're getting a good view when the driver takes out his camera!"

 
After a couple more Caribou and a whole bunch of others that we never got good pics of (Marsh Hawk, Short-eared Owl, Hoary Marmot, Willow Ptarmigan, Red Squirrels and a mother moose with a 2 week old calf), we got to the park entrance, retrieved our luggage and rental car and headed north out of the park towards Anchorage. While expensive as ovenight accommodations go, the experience was awesome. The meals were first-class, staff was great and anything you needed was just borrowed and returned, from fishing gear, to binoculars - even bug spray. Back on the road, we spotted the Alaska Railroad southbound train just north of Denali and slipped into Anchorage for a late lunch and a T-Shirt from the Harley Shop, billed the Northernmost Outpost Harley Shop. Roads were really clear of traffic and the scenery beautiful. Weather is still on the warm side for Alaska - in the mid 70's today with one brief shower.

 
From here we got out of the big city (Fairbanks gave me the impression as being a lot trashier - haphazard and rundown)and headed 15 miles southeast to The North Pole, and Santas House...hey - come on I got teenaged girls in the car! There actually is a town called North Pole (evidenced by the post office sign) and a couple hours shopping was spent while dad lay back in the front seat of the mini-van. When we left Santa's House, headed for the Post Office, I pulled a classic - drove about 3 blocks before I realized Canden was in the bathroom and not in the van!....When we got back she was leaning up against somebody's car, arms across her chest, bottom lip stuck out and not a happy camper....was funny though!

 
South of North Pole we spot a woodworking shop that uses knotty pine to form bugs and animals...we thought after the experience in Denali - this monster mosquito was appropriate!... we stopped in a little 'burg called Delta Junction, right beside the Alyeska Pipeline that carries 20% of the US Crude oil consumption, to do laundry and I finally found a Campground that would let me upload some pics and download 119 emails after 5 days up here. I'll work on the email replies in the motel and upload them in the morning...lets hope most of 'em are junk! Oh...the motel... this is the kind of place that usually advertises for $24.95 per night, although they are ripping us for $80. Stinky rooms, no 1970's color scheme, one-channel TV and no phone. The Alaska 7 Motel, is, though, the only place in town other than the Good Sam Campground....next time I'm staying there! Tomorrow we're off to Matanuska Glacier.

 

 
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