A caribou checks traffic on the Park Road
A grizzly dozes peacefully, just inches from the roadwayCopyright 2007 Lydia Hinshaw
DENALI NATIONAL PARK, AK -- Sometimes you go days here without seeing anything very interesting -- just distant bears and sheep and caribou.
Then all of a sudden all sorts of neat things happen.
Friday we were nearing the end of our 8-hour, 130-mile trip and about half my passengers were asleep when a bull caribou ran out in front of us. I stopped, shut off the engine and shushed the mounting excitement behind me. People know how important it is to be quiet in this situation, but when the see an animal close up, they become too excited to contain themselves.
The caribou walked toward us for a while, before veering back off into the willow (the shrub-like plants growing on either side of the road.)
Saturday we came upon a grizzly sound asleep right at the edge of the road, in the middle of a construction zone, no less. She reminded me of my cats, who like to sleep in just this position in the middle of my living room floor.
As two busloads of tourists watched, the bear would shift positions, yawn hugely and then go back to sleep. Finally, she woke up and scratched herself vigorously in several places. Then she walked into the roadway in front of us and deposited a steaming pile of bear-scat before ambling down the road and off into the willow.
During all of this, which must have taken 7-8 minutes, she never gave either of our big green buses a glance. It was as if we were invisible.
I've brought home very satisfied customers the past two days. They've seen and photographed things they'll be talking about for years. The job doesn't get any better than this.
Then all of a sudden all sorts of neat things happen.
Friday we were nearing the end of our 8-hour, 130-mile trip and about half my passengers were asleep when a bull caribou ran out in front of us. I stopped, shut off the engine and shushed the mounting excitement behind me. People know how important it is to be quiet in this situation, but when the see an animal close up, they become too excited to contain themselves.
The caribou walked toward us for a while, before veering back off into the willow (the shrub-like plants growing on either side of the road.)
Saturday we came upon a grizzly sound asleep right at the edge of the road, in the middle of a construction zone, no less. She reminded me of my cats, who like to sleep in just this position in the middle of my living room floor.
As two busloads of tourists watched, the bear would shift positions, yawn hugely and then go back to sleep. Finally, she woke up and scratched herself vigorously in several places. Then she walked into the roadway in front of us and deposited a steaming pile of bear-scat before ambling down the road and off into the willow.
During all of this, which must have taken 7-8 minutes, she never gave either of our big green buses a glance. It was as if we were invisible.
I've brought home very satisfied customers the past two days. They've seen and photographed things they'll be talking about for years. The job doesn't get any better than this.
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