We met Deb, our energetic, ultra efficient Princess tour director at a breakfast buffet. We also met Al and Julie from Lanai. This was exciting! They are the first people we've met from Lanai. We hit it off right away.
It was a dreary, rainy day. Art had checked the weather before we left Hawaii and was feeling a little miserable that our two weeks in Alaska were forecasted to be wet and cold. We also learned from the Anchorage weather channel that August is the rainiest month. Sigh...
We boarded a comfortable bus for the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
We passed Wasilla. Our tour guide said, "No, you can't see Russia from here."
It was drizzling throughout the bus ride.
We stopped at the Iditarad Training Center and got to learn a little about dog sledding. Art was drawn to this sled puppy.
I think this is a yarrow flower. It was fun seeing all the beautiful flowers everywhere.
I finally learned how to use the darn macro feature on my Canon. Just in time!
Art was a good sport about sticking his face in this moose sign when we dropped off the bus in Talkeetna.
We had lunch at the Roadhouse Café. Talkeetna is the inspiration for Cicily in Northern Exposure. It was fun to walk around and enjoy the flowers and plants in the area.
We took a free shuttle to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
We took a free shuttle to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
I have no idea what this flower is called, but we thought it was pretty.
We saw this fireweed plant everywhere we went.
We were told that only 30% of the visitors to Denali are able to see parts of Mt. McKinley which is the highest point in North America.
We weren't able to see any part of the mountain. We didn't even know exactly where to look for it.
There was free WiFi available, but it was very slow. Still, it was nice to know we weren't completely cut off from Internet.
Appetizers, entree, dessert and beverages were all part of our tour package. It included this $40.00 crab dinner which was a great way to start the vacation.
I did get on the scale before we left Hawaii and I wondered how much weight I'd be gaining because I managed to clean my plate (all of them) ... except for the potatoes.
Deb had arranged for mom and Auntie Grace to have a special room because of mom's bad knees. The room was also right next to the restaurant. How sweet is that?
