ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log

[QB93Z]

Originally Posted by Dynomite

Jim: Super photos and text and the photos full size are perfect and of high quality. The photo coverage of the side trips on ATVs and the glacier trip are very interesting and great viewing.

Just one question...........Do you change your oil once or twice on this trip and do you find the oil available you like to use in the LT5?

Cliff

My plan was to change the oil once, and I did it today. I went to a SuperLube in Anchorage. They had Mobil 1 and I added a bottle of ZDDP. They even had the correct oil filter in stock.

Jim

[QB93Z]

Originally Posted by jcruz

When I look at pictures like these I'm always struck at how puny and insignificant man is compared to the forces of nature.

I agree completely. The vastness and scale of the mountains cannot be captured with a camera. The entire surface of the mountains around the glacier was shattered rock, "waiting" to be transported to the valley below. The tectonic forces that created the Alaska Range are continental in scale. Mt McKinley is a monolith of granite. It formed from a volcano below the surface of the earth millions of years ago. Since it is a lot harder than the surrounding continental plate, as the Pacific plate slides under the North American plate, Mt McKinley is pushed up more than the surrounding material to form the tallest mountain in North America.

Jim

[QB93Z]

Originally Posted by scottfab

Stunning, breath taking, fantastic, surreal and outstanding.
What else can I say?
Oh, what was the temperature outside when standing on
the glacier? Like mid 40s or so?

I think it was about 50 air temp out on the glacier. The funny thing is that your mind is thinking snow but you are standing on solid ice. The surface is wet from the sun melting the surface, but it freezes quickly again in the shadows. The surface is very rough.

Jim

[Rex Ruby]

Great pics and write up!
Thanks for sharing!

[QB93Z]

On Monday we stayed in the Denali area for a second day. We took an all-day guided bus tour of the only road in Denali National Park. It was a fantastic day. The Park is an amazing place. Because the National Park Service has designed the park with only one road and that road is only accessible to guided bus tours and very limited use by hikers and campers, the wildlife and scenery in the Park is unsurpassed in the park system.

The buses are not very fancy which adds to the adventure:


Here is a picture of what is called a braided river. The wide alluvial plain of glacier run off becomes the course of a meandering river when the volume of melt water deminishes. As silt is deposited, the stream changes course many times making the pattern:


Wildlife in Denali is visible to someone with sharp eyes. The bus driver/guide would stopped when anyone spotted something. Here are three Dall Sheep that are grazing high up the slope to try to avoid the wolves:


We spotted this golden grizzley bear with one of her two cubs:


This antelope was grazing near where we saw the bear:


The main attraction of Denali National Park is Mt McKinley. At over 20,000 feet, it is the highest mountain in North America. Most visitors to the Park never see Mt McKinley because of the clouds.

We were very lucky to get an unobstructed view of the mountain from the park road:


Just a few minutes later the peak was obscured and by the time we got to the Visitors Center, the mountain was hidden.

Jim

[QB93Z]

The end point of the Denali National Park tour is the Kantishna Roadhouse, where we had lunch. We decided that instead of riding the bus for five hours back to the Park entrance, we would fly back and do some sightseeing on the way:


We took off from Kantishna and flew across the relatively flat central area of Denali towards Mt McKinley:


As we approached Mt McKinley, the pilot took us above the clouds at about 10,000 feet and we saw McKinley again This is the north face of the mountain, called Wickersham's Wall, named for the first man to try in 1903 to climb McKinley. This view is only the top third of the mountain above the clouds:


We got very close to the peak:


And then we circled around to the east side where the main glaciers are that were the route for the first successful effort to climb:


After we explored McKinley, we returned to the park entrance. Along the way we witnessed the splendor of more mountains:



Jim

[ghlkal]

Originally Posted by QB93Z

The main attraction of Denali National Park is Mt McKinley. At over 20,000 feet, it is the highest mountain in North America. Most visitors to the Park never see Mt McKinley because of the clouds.

We were very lucky to get an unobstructed view of the mountain from the park road:

Wow, is that awesome! Seeing McKinley is rare from the ground.

And then you got to see it from the plane too.

[94Admiral]

Jim -

These posts are absolutely awesome. Please keep them coming all the way back home!

Very much appreciate them.

You are the best!

Scott

[QB93Z]

On Tuesday, we left Delani and headed south to Anchorage. The day started out cloudy with a little rain. The route runs on the west side of Denali National Park and the scenery is wonderful:


We stopped in the town of Talkeetna, which is the base for a lot of tour companies that operate in the Park. The Mayor of Talkeetna is a cat (by a write-in vote). We tried to find the Mayor, but it was rumoured that he was asleep under the General Store:


We did find an Alaska Railroad Locomotive on display:


In Trapper Creek, AK, we stopped at Wal-Mikes, a icon in southern Alaska:


When we arrived in Anchorage, Lyndi visited with a long-time friend while I took care of some logistics. I changed the oil, washed the Z, and did some shopping.


In Anchorage, our accomodations were on Elmendorf Air Force Base. Being retired US Navy has its benefits:


Jim

[QB93Z]

On Wednesday, we stayed in Anchorage and took a train from Anchorage to Whittier and then boarded an excursion boat for a tour of the glaciers on Prince William Sound.

The Alaska Railroad is a state-owned company that provides passenger and freight service from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Whittier and Seward. We found the passenger trains to be very comfortable and well run:
.

The route from Anchorge to Whittier runs east along Turnagain Arm and through two tunnels at Portage. Along the route, we passed a marshy area where all of the trees were dead. During the severe earthquake of 1964, the ground southeast of Anchorage dropped eight feet. After the ground shift, the salt water of Turnagain Arm infiltrated the ground water and killed the trees: We did spot an American Bald Eagle sitting in one of the trees:


Across one of the tidal ponds we had great views of the Chugach Mountains:


Here is Lyndi on board the excursion boat. In the background three glaciers are visible:


Here are some more of the glaciers we saw: