August 18th, 2024 The End of the Road in Denali

Today's adventure...The shuttle bus to East Fork!

From yesterday:

"The Denali Park Road goes 92 miles into the park.  Near the end is Wonder Lake and at the end is Kantishna.  Sadly, there was a landslide at MP 45 and nothing is allowed past MP 43 (East Fork).  Private vehicles can only go to MP 14 so a bus is needed to go beyond that."

We were blessed..In 2007 we made the shuttle bus trip to Wonder Lake.  Those iconic pictures that you see of Denali and the reflection on a lake is done on a clear day at Wonder Lake.  That trip is here: 

https://thehitzels.blogspot.com/2007/07/july-19-2007-denali-and-wildlife.html

In 2009, we were able to take the trip to Kantishna.  That trip is here:

https://thehitzels.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-25-2009-kantishna-experience.html

Sadly, we can only go to MP 43 because of the landslide.  BUT!!  That is okay since we saw wildlife.

They have a saying that everyone should see the Big 5 Wildlife in Denali: Caribou, Moose, Wolf, Bear, and Dall Sheep.  Well, we were blessed to see all but the Wolf!

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The nice thing about taking the shuttle is that you can see a lot.

The not so nice is that you are taking pictures thru the bus windows OR the siting is on the side that you are not sitting on.. LOL

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Our bus stop pickup... (Side note. If you come here in 2027, go to Eielson.  Great visitor center, great trails, and if the weather Gods are good.. great view of Denali!).  Roaming around the Eielson Center is still on my bucket list!

The mountains are in the clouds:

Our first sighting... CARIBOU!   Just losing the velvet from his antlers which is why it is so bloody.

Not too far away, we saw this guy (Sorry the pictures are a little blurry - he was far away1):

Scenes along the way!:

We made a stop at the Teklanika Rest Area.  WOW! What a difference from 2009!  This is the Teklanika River - a braided river.  So what is a braided river?:

"A braided river is a river with a network of channels that branch and merge to create a braided pattern. The channels are separated by small islands called braid bars, aits, or eyots, which are often temporary. The bars form, are consumed, and re-form continuously, making braided channels very dynamic. "

The bridge across the river into the wilderness of Denali:

The Teklanika River:

The Road:

The views and those white spots are Dall Sheep:

If you look close, there are caribou on the ridge:

We made our way to the end of this road at the East Fork of the Toklat River:

Fall is coming!:

So... we were able to get off the bus and take pictures.  The shuttle bus is a hop on, hop off bus, meaning that if you want to hike, you can hop off the bus and when you are done, you can hop on another shuttle bus. (Depending on the time of day, they come thru every 20 - 30 minutes.)  A few folks left our bus and a few got a ride back.

Heading back:

It is raining out there:

Incredible country - the pictures do not show how grand it is.  That "hill" on the left is over five miles away (and look how huge it looks - WOW!)

Dall Sheep:

This caribou came down in front of the bus and then walked up the road - too funny.  This is the best picture I could get - LOL!:

Love the fireweed color!  As we get into the fall, the fireweed leaves turn a beautiful shade of mauve/red:

Another view along the way:

How beautiful!  Look at those antlers!:

And our last treat of the day!:

Isn't he beautiful!

Moose rutting season is starting so hopefully we will see more of these guys before we leave.

Another great day!  (But I really want some sun and no rain - LOL!)

Enjoy today!

November 10, 2021 Nashville, Johnny Cash and Broadway

We took a different shuttle today that dropped us off at the “Batman” building. (Picture later.)  Instead of going straight to the Johnny Cash Museum, we decided to walk around a bit.

One of the many murals in Nashville:

We walked to the Cumberland River.

And found a replica of Fort Nashborough:

It was neat although it was not open for tours.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Nashborough

We continued our walk – the parkway is beautiful.

There was a historic train station that we decided to check out.  When we came to the door we were greeted by a Greyline Rep.  I asked about the station and he told us about the tours (LOL!).  Anyway, we decided to take the one hour tour around Nashville – Andy got the tour for free because he is a veteran and I got a discount because I am a senior..   Cool.

So on the open air bus we went.  Broadway in the daylight.

Tootsies Orchid Lounge – great color!

So many beautiful churches:

Greek Parthenon – we may check this out:

The “Batman” Building:

It was a really nice tour. I did not take a lot of pictures – just enjoyed the beautiful day!

We had lunch at Johnny Cash’s Bar and Barbeque:

Where we heard another great band.

Then it was off to the Johnny Cash Museum. 

Some tidbits:

Johnny Cash -

- is one of the few entertainers to have sold more than 100 million records.

- recorded over 1500 songs during his career.

- received two of the Nation’s greatest honors: The National Medal of Arts, presented by President George W. Bush and the Kennedy Center Honors, presented by President Bill Clinton.

- His genre-spanning music embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel sounds. This crossover appeal earned him the rare honor of being inducted into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.

- was an activist for Native People and treatment of prisoners.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash

Wall of Gold:

Wall of 45’s:

Wall of Albums:

Man in Black:

I had forgotten about his involvement in the Highwaymen:

All in all, it was a great museum about Johnny Cash. 

From there we went to Broadway to The Hero’s Bar at the John Rich Redneck Riviera.  This bar is dedicated to all military vets, active duty, and first responders.  As a vet, Andy got his first drink free.  The folks here are amazing. 

We stayed for a while, listening to the band, and talking to the bartender.  (His name was Brandon – yes for real!)

Our next stop was Whiskey Bent Saloon – another good band:

And lastly, Dierks Bentley’s – another good band:

We made our way back to the Batman Building where we met the shuttle for the ride home.

Another great day and the weather was perfect.

Enjoy today.