Transit Bus to Toklat

So, our plan for a relaxing afternoon at our campsite after a roundtrip gravel bar hike changed to a one-way hike and a road trip out to Toklat and back ... with a drop off at the campground.

The drive was not unlike what we did a few days ago from Riley. With two differences. That trip was on a tan colored bus — aka a tour bus ... this one was on a green bus — aka a transit bus ... more like a shuttle that one can hop on and off at will. As well, while the tour from Riley was 106 miles R/T, today we only drove 46 miles R/T since the rest area is at mile 30 of the Park Road. Plus, the tours are narrated; the transit rides are not ... but that depends on the driver, and ours today did share bits and pieces of information.

Staying at Teklanika Campground, one cannot drive back and forth on the Park Road at will. So, it’s suggested that campers buy what is called a Tek Pass — $60pp. The advantage of the pass is that you get one “reserved ride day” on the transit bus, but are allowed to ride stand-by on other days ... as many times as you want ... at no additional cost.

Today’s ride was on a stand-by basis. Though the buses are apparently operating at full capacity now, there was plenty of room for us each to get a window seat ... more room to spread out ... better wildlife and scenery viewing. Of course, masks required for the duration of the ride, just as it was on the tour.

No bears or moose today, but we did see a number of caribou (8); a bachelor herd of Dahl sheep grazing roadside and about 15 of them in the high reaches of some of the steep mountains; Arctic ground squirrels everywhere; a lone spruce grouse; a willow ptarmigan ... male ... a mere white dot perched on a bush; a hoary marmot that wasn’t shy about posing.

The scenery — especially at the Polychrome Overlook — was as spectacular as ever ... even though the light was a bit harsher. This time, when the bus stopped at the overlook, Mui and I headed up the steps to do half of the short trail that took us around to the back to check out the views in that direction.

The highlight? If you can believe it ... Denali was OUT again! And because it was a warmer day, she’d shed even more of her cloak! (Actually, the clouds have nothing to do with the temperature, but it seemed like an appropriate analogy.) They say that you only have a 30% chance of seeing the Mountain ... we’ve beaten those odds in spades. Czytaj więcej