Denali Princess Lodge

 We sleep in as late as we want, which happens to be 6am Alaska time because we’re still really on east coast time. So, an early start to the   

day even though it doesn’t feel like it, we’re off to Denali area. We stop in Wasilla at a target for snacks and things that we realize that we forgot to pack, see a bald eagle flying right over us as we drive up the main street. We hit the parks highway and stop a couple of times to see the trail for Thunderbird Falls, Reflection Lake and the Knik River area. And realize that we need the mosquito spray out of the car immediately if we’re going to look at anything outside. John promptly

spills half of the bottle all over himself, so we’re safe from mosquitoes as long as he wears those pants. We’re just taking our time moving up the parks highway and got to Talkeetna because so many people have liked it and it’s a must in the tour book. We head up the peninsula to Talkeetna and a couple of tours or the train must have just opened up because this little town is inundated with people and I’m not inclined to try to find somewhere to park. We determine that we can't see Denali from the viewpoint anyway because of the clouds, so head on

out. We get back to the parks highway and find our first stop which is the Princess cruise lines McKinley View Lodge. We’re here for two nights and there is a laundry, great views, talks and walks available to us even though we’re not on their cruise. We’re in between their cruise tours which is why we were able to get this room, but I screwed up royally on this because we are still 100 miles away from the entrance 

to Denali National Park. We are going to try to see the dog sled demonstration at 10 am and then do a transit bus through the park and when we ask about how long it would take us to get there at the front desk, they tell us 2 and a half hours because of construction and the way that miles work in Alaska. Well, shit. I should have booked us one night here and one night at the Princess Lodge that is right by the National Park, but didn’t have any clue and didn’t look at a flipping map. Of course, even if I had, I would have thought of 100 miles as chump change probably, but Alaska doesn’t work like other states. 

You’re not doing 80 mph on the freeway here. You’re doing 50 mph if you’re lucky and stopping for construction every few miles. So, great!!! But we’re here now and we have lunch at their bistro, go on a nature walk with a parks ranger, go see the talk by the climber who scaled 50 states in 66 days with only one leg and a history of Alaska talk by our ranger that led the walk. We took the lodge loop on our 

way back to the lodge and then went on the same path with the park ranger…..uh, there were signs for being aware of moose and bears, but there were no signs that every damn leaf, shrub, and plant on the path was a neuro toxin that would shut down your body if you touched it!!! I’m glad Oscar is a cautious kid who follows the rules, I can’t imagine if he ran through that stuff and I didn’t know it was all poisonous. I was afraid to touch anything after that walk and kept telling him to stay away from everything that was green in Alaska, except for ones 

that we could identify like the watermelon berry, fireweed and air radishes as we called them. The watermelon berry was good, Oscar is in love with fireweed and we’re going to get some for home. Oscar also fell in love with our climbing talker who was more an inspirational talker than a climber. The Alaska history talk was great too and I feel a little better about the fact that I screwed up the lodging.