Denali and then some..........

Yesterday(Saturday) we toured Denali Park. It is about 2 hours away from Fairbanks and a very scenic drive enroute.

We arrived at the visitor's center around 11am and found our way through some short hiking trails. All the while hoping to see some moose, bear or something that resembled wildlife here in the last frontier. As has been the case for weeks now, nothing in terms of wildlife. I am starting to think Alaska has one big marketing ploy to get people up here and then they see no wildlife. No fish either, Kirkland and I have been three times now and no fish. Maybe one day.......

The Park was a great trip. You are only able to drive about 15 miles into the park and then you have to either hike, bus or shuttle in. No private vehicles are allowed beyond the Savage River trailhead area. This is for safety and to help preserve the natural areas in the park. According to Kirkland, the Denali Park is bigger than our home state of SC. The Park has incredible views. I have uploaded some photos on the flickr site. Click here to view more photos.

We had fun at the Savage River Trailhead as hiked this huge rock formation. I have to admit I was very proud of Kaylee climbing along. It was a high peak and one slip would be costly. Actually, one slip and death is on the menu. No joke, we were high and it was rocky. Travis, Kirk, Kay and myself made the climb. Tammy stayed back for obvious reasons.

Saturday was a long day and we are all tired. In fact, I think today will yield a nap for us all. It's hard sleeping in the middle of the day because you feel as if you are missing something, but we are all tired and we have the Bucs coming in for a four game series starting tonight at 7pm. Hopefully, our guys will be ready to go and get a winning streak going.

We went to Church this morning at Bethel Church in Fairbanks, close to the Univ of Alaska @ Fairbanks. It's always good to visit other Churches in the area and see the people in the area.

Travis is searching for places to visit while in the area. I think he will be traveling to the north if he can find a rental car. There are only certain rental agencies that allow cars on that particular stretch of roadway. The roads are just too rough.

Travis has also added some blog material. I will be including a link of his travels today/tomorrow. For those of you that know Travis, you will expect a very detailed report. Plan on about an hour of reading time, just kidding.

I hope everyone enjoyed the 4th. We had our first fourth of July without fireworks. Just too bright for them.

A quick funny story for you involving the sun around here.....it was really bright last night for some reason. In fact, Jackson(Beck's middle son) woke up later in the night after going to sleep around 9pm and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He thought it was morning. The sun was really bright last night. It is going to be odd getting used to darkness in Los Angeles on August 2.