back from Denali National Park and headed to Denali State Park...

 back from a fun trek into Denali with friends. still looking at photo's but here is a teaser with other photo's tossed in. i knew i was going to miss my furs so i took some pictures to carry with me...not that i don't already have thousands of photo's of them in the phone, but hey. they are cute.

 lingered in bed a bit before getting my day started. who wouldn't linger with these cute snugglers?

 i took them for a stroll in the dog park at U-Lake before i settled them in and took off. 

 i think they had a nice stroll.  didn't want them amp'd up before i left them for the week.  i don't leave my dogs very often.  in case it's not obvious I'm somewhat of a home body.  i love the idea of travel but i know that i am not all that keen on it...just hate leaving my crew. always easier to leave home if the heart of it, these critters, gets to come with me.

 wrote their names on mushrooms.  we strolled the back trails to check on the mushrooms.

 my friend TO arrived and after we loaded up we took off to LM place to pick her up.  it's a 5 hour drive to Denali.

 we made it in time to set up camp without much rain, go get dinner in "town" up there and then come back for a campfire and wine. there was a mist coming down and i must say, not many campers out.  lots of RVs of course, packed with campers who are fair weather and apparently don't like to do campfires in the rain, haha.

 i got to test out my new car camping tent.  i like it.  it's pretty big though.  two rooms.  i think we were all cozy...maybe me a bit more since i had my blow up mattress. 

 my iphone pics never load in any order so this is day two in Denali at Wonder lake.  we got lucky with an afternoon trip down to Wonder Lake...the entire range came out so we got the official Denali/Wonder Lake photo's.

 the next morning after a good sleep we packed up the camp and headed out for a walk at Horseshoe Lake.  figured it was a good idea to get some walking in before we sat on a bus for hours getting back to the Kantishna Roadhouse Lodge.

 this is our adorable bar keep at the lodge, he's been there for over 20 years.  totally remembered our drink order preferences. 

 the weather improved a bit through the day.  we had breaks in the rainy weather.  eventually Denali graced us with just the top of the mountain. 

 along the way we saw caribou, a moose and even a pack of wolves.  they were pretty far off but still cool to watch them on the move below the road.

 we saw lots of bear activity.  much of it fairly far off.  we did have a rather exciting bear encounter.  i was just looking at some of those pictures.  hoping to get through this round of photo's before i head back out tomorrow.

 we watched a sow with cubs grazing on blueberries no doubt.  we were about to roll on when i spotted a second large bear in the distance headed towards the area the sow and cubs were in.  so we opted to stay and see what happened.  that big bear was sneaking up to the sow and cubs.  eventually he did surprise her.  we all wanted to warn her as she didn't seem to notice for a long time...not possible though. 

 she charged the big boar and he ran, but pretty quickly he stopped and spun around and chased her.  he chased her for over a mile we figured down the hill. the cubs high tailed in up the hill. they crossed right in front of the buses and then just kept running. 

 eventually the boar stopped chasing the sow, but she kept running for a bit before turning in a big loop back in the directions of her cubs. 

 this is my new tent at Riley Campground

 we never got to see if the mama reunited with the cubs.  we will just have to tell ourselves that they did and that the big boar was not able to do any harm to the cubs. 

 we were getting pretty hungry by the time we arrived.  i was trying to sort out the details as our reservations had been all screwed up.  I'd originally wanted one room for us all, when i booked it wouldn't let me put the names all in one room. when i tried to call the number was not really active as it was non season so then i forgot about the screw up.  it got more messed up with our switching of MW to TO...not sure why this got all messed up but it did.  so i got into a bit of a scuffle right off with the manager guy who was pretty rude and condescending. 

 went back and forth through our meal with him, eventually he did take the time to sit at the computer and see how screwed up it actually was and that i was not a nut case.  so we all ended up in one room....though i still think we need to all look at our charges closely and i still wonder if we were charged too much. 

 aside from that glitch all went smoothly and i think we all had a great time.  the next morning the weather, which had been rainy off and on that night, improved until we ended up with the full range views and Denali view in the afternoon.

 the rest of these pictures are on the way to chicken.  these are the sunrise at the campground.

 we signed up for the moderate hike, it was a lot of up hill  but only 4 miles.  great views from the top and again the mountain graced us with the top view.

 after we got back from the hike we caught the bus to Wonder Lake...that was when the skies really cleared up. we chilled there and then planned our walk back to the lodge so we would be back in time for dinner.  it was a 3.5 mile walk...though i think we all think it was a bit more.

 also, even though we'd been told there would be no shuttle back to the lodge for us and we'd have to walk, the others that took the bus out apparently were told a shuttle was coming to get them.  we were later asked why we never showed up for the bus and  also told they had looked for us.   thankfully, it was a beautiful afternoon...so we got a lot of walking miles in that day and we were totally ready for dinner when the time arrived.

 after dinner we went to a lecture they were having about adaptations in animals in the area.  the girl did a really great job on her lecture i must say.  the lodge then offered a shuttle back to the lake for the evening.  not much of a sunset and the mountain was clouding back in when we arrived.

 it rained pretty solid all night and all the next day....and all the next night too.  happy we got that one beautiful day out there.

 we were going to do a chill tundra walk but we bagged on that and instead took the shuttle once again to wander around Wonder Lake.  not much of a view but still pretty. 

 the other two had arranged massages for the afternoon.  i hadn't really wanted to commit myself to a massage in case the weather turned nice. it didn't.  i took a little stroll with TO around the lodge before she headed off then i took another stroll while they were gone.  that stroll was all uphill so i came back and jumped onto a little tour they offered.  it got me to the end of the road there for a photo op. 

 we met loads of nice folks on the bus who made our stay even more enjoyable.  everyone at the lodge was super nice...other than that first nights issues.  i think the desk clerk went out of her way, after witnessing her managers behavior, to be super nice to us. 

 we skipped the lecture the second night and just chatted and laughed with the many new friends we had met in our time out there. 

 our wake up call would be super early the next morning.  we had to have our gear outside our doors for pick up by 0520...that is am!! some body's alarm went off at 4:30 though.  i had no idea it was that early so i just got up and started brushing my teeth and getting ready...then i was informed it wasn't 5 am but 4:30.  don't think i really got back to sleep.

 our drive out was rainy and foggy for the first bit.  we did see some caribou and a bear but nothing as dramatic as on the drive in.  the termination dust had settled pretty far down the mountains but not far enough to bother the buses.

 thankfully, the drivers of those buses have a lot of experience and the park must pride itself on this. our driver wasn't the most exciting but i was very happy to see her caution in the wet conditions we found ourselves in.  i was never concerned.

 one of our new friends was very anxious about the steep bits of Polychrome Pass.  this helped me to forget my concern over the heights...she had said the night before she was counting on our antics keeping her calm and getting her over the scary bits.

 that road is not really wide...just a few feet wider than the width of two buses.  the bus drivers have signals and chat as they pass often.  there are rules for who stops their bus and allows the other bus to pass.  there are signs to let each other know there are animals for sighting.

 my one friend loves her Denali bus drives.  I've never been on the official bus, but we were on lodge bus all the same.

 these are at the campground in the morning before we headed out.  figured I'd let them swim and get some of their excitement out.

 don't believe anyone is joining me for tomorrow night at the cabin...maybe not either night really...so i figure i can take my time getting there and crash when i want.  no hurry really.  perhaps I'll stop a lot along the way.  maybe hit Talkeetna finally.  haven't been there all summer.

 the fall colors will just be getting better and better.

 this was a lake along the way towards Tok. the reflections were just beautiful that morning.

 i better crash so i can get myself moving again for tomorrow. 

 still a lot of  photo's to look through. hopefully i can get those knocked out before i crash.  still some laundry to fold as well. 

 i love a good reflection.

 caught up on the news...mostly just saw a few of the eulogies for Senator McCain.  he planned his funeral back in the spring it seems.  he had called Obama and Bush to request they each speak.  interesting i thought.  figured he'd ask his buddy Graham.  i do hope he gave him instructions to not be such a follower. 

 the iitoo was requested to not attend.  he was so disrespectful to McCain.  guess he pulled the White House flag up way too early...so petty and small minded.  only cares about himself.  so jealous really.  pathetic.  i guess he was spotted out golfing while the service was going on.  also told not to attend was Sarah Palin...found that interesting.  bill and hill were there so that says something as well. 

thankful for:  A.  fun trek to Denali with friends.  always so great to get out in nature and enjoy all that was created.  B.  safe travels C.  that he pups and cat were okay when i got home.  the pups were pretty excited to see me.  good to be loved by pups...