Day 14 - Saturday - May 3, 2008

This will be the last post from Matilda Howard for about two weeks. The laptop from which these posts have come will be staying with Carl in Alaska while Becky and Hank will be riding the Alaska Railroad from Denali to Anchorage on Day 15. The post will resume and include her notes and Hank's pictures from that point on. Carl will start a new blog and the address will be posted here.

Meantime let's look at day 14.

Hank & Becky read in this morning's paper that the park road was now open to mile 30 and for a few days private cars would be able to go past mile 15. H&B previewed the road this morning and then picked up Carl who finished his orientation about 1:45.

Remarkable changes had taken place along the road just since day 13. The thaw is amazing. Where snow had thoroughly covered places yesterday today were brown. Streams were running down the banks and along the road.

But the excitement of the day came when we noticed some people gathered in the road ahead of us taking pictures. We stopped and learned that there was a lynx in the brush.

He/she was obviously stalking a snowfoot hare. I did not manage to get the lynx and the hare in the same picture and decided that even if I could see the capture I really did not want to photograph it. We all have to eat but I'm not sure I would want to see a picture of me eating, either.

Look hard. She is in there.

See her now?

The hunter.

The hunted.

Still hunting.

Then to top off the day, this herd of caribou showed up. Sorry, only have a 200mm lens so I couldn't get any closer. You can't really see it but these guys have nice racks.

More beauty, courtesy of the Alaska range.

Taken from the observation deck at mile 30 on the park road.


Loved the colors in this valley and the blues in the sky and snow.

That's it for a while. Thanks for reading, and thank you also for the comments.