We all meet up in the morning and get on a bus to take us to our train. We’re taking GoldStar Dome service from Fairbanks to Denali Depot. This ends up being a really nice way to do it. The seats are great, views are good, meals and alcohol are included (we’re on vacation - we can start drinking before noon!). The railroad has a guide that explains what we’re seeing as we go (nicely summarized on their route page). We do get a glimpse of Mount Denali on the train which is nice. The trip also gives us a bit of time to start getting to know our fellow travelers better. Nobody drops out of the trip when we arrive at Denali Depot so I guess that’s a good thing. Had we known what was coming up next, there may have been some folks going AWOL. 😉
At this point we’re in the village just outside Denali National Park. For the next several nights, we’re staying at Kantishna Roadhouse, one of the few lodges that actually sits inside the park. There is one road in the park that’s just over 92 miles long. The roadhouse is essentially at the end of that road. We load up into a school bus (we learn that it’s a relatively new one) and start into the park. They call it a road, but given the location and harsh winters, it isn’t in the greatest of condition. Luckily we’re on a bus with excellent suspension (we wish). We only see other similar school buses on the road, so presume there are weight limits that essentially mandate the less than ideal transportation. Regardless, we get moving and have a fantastic driver who has done this for years. She clearly loves her job and the park and basically keeps up a non-stop description of what we seeing, history, and other interesting facts, all while searching for wildlife and keeping us safely on the road. We have about a 7 hour journey (between rest stops, stops for wildlife viewing, and times we’re waiting for oncoming vehicles to pass in narrow portions of the road). The first half is great. We’re excited, we’re seeing lots of wildlife and everyone is happy. At some point, though, it starts to rain and it becomes harder to see things (other people are breathing too much!). There is also a nice rest stop that has a very small museum that is quite nice. The last two hours ends up being quite uneventful and a bit boring as we really can’t see anything (the weather gods are not favoring us today).
We arrive at the Roadhouse and everyone is glad to get off of moving transportation. We head immediately into the dining room and have a nice dinner. While we’re doing that, our bags magically appear in our cabins. We finish dinner and head to bed - everyone hoping for good weather tomorrow.
Ready to board!