I had the great fortune to travel to Denali National Park recently. I spent three unforgettable days there under the constant sunshine. This particular shot was taken on the only road in Denali. On this morning I followed the road as far as the Savage River cut off before I had to turn around.
I chose to include the bus because it is the main way to visit Denali because very few personal vehicles are allowed to travel on the road past the 15 mile mark. These buses are everywhere and are a great way to see the park. The tan buses, like this one are strictly sight-seeing buses, while the green buses are for hikers and campers. I rode on a green bus that allowed me to get out and take a great hike while inside the park.
What you see in the distance is a relatively small mountain (compared to the others in the Alaska Range), and is called Fang Mountain I believe. It sits 6,736 feet up in the sky.
The land in this area is referred to Taiga which in Russian roughly means norther evergreen forest, and is characterized by the scant tree growth. It takes years for trees to grow just inches, in fact the warm growing season only lasts roughly 100 days each year (don't forget about the cold dark winter too!).
If you ever have a chance to travel to Denali, do it! It's a un like anything you'll see anywhere else...this photo is just the tip of it!
