We finally visited the largest state in the Union. After landing at Ted "Series of Tubes" Stevens International Airport, we spent two nights anchored down in Anchorage. We made a pit stop in Wasilla (You betcha!) and then continued on to Denali National Park. The park is a delight and it blew my expectations out of the water in every way imaginable. Mercifully, most of the park is closed to private vehicles. We took a six–hour bus ride on a dirt road to the interior and stayed at the Kantishna Roadhouse. We were lucky enough to see several bears, two wolves, elk, Dall sheep and assorted little critters. Sadly, Mr. Moose remained elusive.

All of the guides we encountered seemed to think spotting Denali itself is much more interesting than spotting wildlife. The weather was nasty on our ride in but it cleared up the next morning and we were treated to three days of perfect weather. The mountain was out in all its splendor and we had some nice hikes. There is a small airstrip in Kantishna and we took a plane back to the park entrance, which allowed us to get close to Denali's peak to end the trip.