Today started fairly early. Josh and Kelly scheduled a Helicopter tour of Denali State Park that included landing on a Glacier. We worked hard to get Jared to go, but he was firm about his discomfort in small planes.
The tour was sponsored by ERA. We were picked up at the Crow's Nest. Three Helicopters were making the tour scheduled for two-hour intervals. The Helicopters were all very recent models and appeared to be in very good condition. Each helicopter had six passengers. They weigh each passenger, and based on the weight, they decide who is seated where. Josh got the premium seat right next to the Pilot.
The pilot had been flying for 15 years. He learned to fly in the Army and spent a tour in Iraq. We really liked the way he handled the machine. The flight is about 30 minutes over the Alaska Range to the glacier. The landing was on a field of ice. We walked around for about 15 minutes, taking some pictures. The pilot pointed out the melting of the various glaciers. Apparently, it takes the tundra about 100 years to grow after the glacier has melted. You could see the lines on the rocks about 100 feet where the glacier was 100 years ago.
The flight was really awesome. I haven't been on a flight like this before. It reminded me of some of the movies where they put a camera on the front of a helicopter, and you rise over a mountain, seeing the steep drop on the other side. Better than any roller coaster ride.
After the Helicopter ride, we loaded up and rode the 15 miles that we were allowed into Denali National Park. To go further into the park, you must be a part of an organized group.
We headed up the Parks Highway to Fairbanks. This was a great ride--good weather, good road, and generally very little traffic.
Kelly began experimenting with his digital camera mounted on the handlebars of his motorcycle. He got a few pictures, but still needs to experiment with this or get a better camera.
We arrived in Fairbanks fairly early (around 5 pm), had lunch (or dinner?) at Pikes Fish Camp, and debated whether to ride more. However, there were thunderclouds in the area, so we camped out at the local Marriott to prepare for the rougher sections of the trip over the next five days.
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Where oh where is my hubby?
Where oh where is my hubby--he hasn't called me in two days?.... :(
