Moose, Moose, More Moose and Some Elk too

Look at those white teeth!

This is my fifth time visiting Rocky Mountain National Park in the last couple of years and I have never had so many moose sightings!   I've seen moose on most of my visits and have had some great sightings, but I have never seen this many on one visit.  I was thrilled when I saw five moose the afternoon I arrived. At the time, I thought how lucky is this? I also thought those sightings may just be the only moose I would see on this visit.  But lucky for me, that has not been the case.  I have seen several moose each time I've gone into the park.  I was even lucky enough to capture that mamma moose and her calf just outside the house I'm renting.   

Clearly this one doesn't like the paparazzi

As I noted previously, I don't know why I'm so fascinated with these guys, but I can't seem to get enough of them.  They just seem so goofy and silly.  I can sit and watch them munch on leaves and twigs for hours.  Finding one bedded down in the afternoon is equally thrilling.  I watch fascinated each time I catch them walking down the road or crossing the street.   My heart soars with each sighting and has yet to get even close to getting old. 

I love spotting elk too.  Seeing a herd at the base of a mountain or roaming across the valley is exciting as well.  I also love capturing a group of them bedded down, with just their little heads popping out above the grass.   It looks like someone planted a little elk garden with the heads starting to sprout!  But as much I love seeing elk, it is not quite as exhilarating as spotting a moose.

The elk garden is starting to sprout

These gangly, awkward, goofy looking creatures just make me smile, if not laugh out loud. 

The not so majestic moose!

The Beauty of Colorado Never Ceases to Amaze

I know I've written about this before, but Colorado is so beautiful.  I come here often, not often enough, but I'm blown away by how scenic and beautiful it is every single time.  The mountains, the trees, the creeks and rivers provide a majestic backdrop to this picturesque state.   The term Colorful Colorado doesn't do justice to how truly magnificent it is.   

Scenic mountain backdrop

Something about this place connects with me on a deep, spiritual level.  I wonder if this is were I'm ultimately  meant to be.  I have a vision that goes back to my childhood of me living in a small town, surrounded by mountains, unloading boxes of fruits and vegetables from a Jeep.   Like many things from childhood, this vision is often long forgotten.  But when I'm in Colorado, it comes to the forefront of my mind.   Maybe it's a memory from a previous life, if you believe in these types of things.  Or maybe it is truly a vision of where I'm meant to be.  

For a kid that grew up in beach towns and lived near the beach most of my life, I'd expect to feel at home near the ocean or at least a body of water.   But I'm frightened of the ocean.  I have a very difficult time relaxing on a beach.  I've had a recurring dream for years of seeing a tsunami heading my way and feel the panic of being swept away by the force of the impending waves.  Again, maybe this is a memory from a past life.    But maybe these two recurring thoughts are connected.   Maybe the deep seated fear of tsunamis has led to an unconscious need to be in the mountains.

It wasn't until I went to the mountains in the southwest that I realized I loved being in the mountains.  The mountains, brought me peace and tranquility.  It calmed my soul.   I ultimately bought a modest house in a small mountain town that became my happy place.  Unfortunately I lost the home in a wildfire and am now forced to make a decision to rebuild there or look elsewhere.  I loved that home and did a lot to make it cozy and comfortable, so my instinct is to rebuild.   But maybe the fire was yet another sign that is leading me to where I'm ultimately meant to be, here in Colorado.

As finish writing this, I looked out the window to see a mamma moose and her calf just outside the window of the rental I'm staying at.  It makes my heart soar to see these two so close. 

Back to Rocky Mountain National Park

 Rocky Mountain National Park has become one of my faves.   I love visiting here in May just before Memorial Day and late September to avoid the summer crowds.  I have developed an obession with moose.  Not sure why they fascinate me so, but these goofy looking creatures do.   Colorado is fairly close to visit and Rocky Mountain National Park provides a great opportunity to spot moose, along with elk, fox and other wildlife.   I first came here two years ago and have been coming back 2x a year since.    There's nothing like spotting that first moose of the trip.  It's thrilling every time and has yet to get old for me.

Where to Stay?

It really depends on what you're looking for.  I have stayed in both Grand Lake and Estes Park.  Grand Lake is a smaller, quieter town than Estes park and there's only one entrance to the park from Grand Lake. However, while Estes Park, has lots to see but I prefer the quietness of Grand Lake.  It has more of an small old lake town.

When to Come?

If you come before Memorial Day weekend, the Trail Ridge Road will most likely be closed, so you don't get to see the whole park. But I do think you have a great chance at spotting moose closer up.  And if you're really lucky, you might even see a mamma moose and her calf!  Keep in mind in May, moose and elk won't have their antl
ers yet.   They will most likely just have some stubs starting to grow.

In the late September/early October, which is rut season, the moose and elk will have their antlers.  And if you come at just the right time, you'll be able to see the beautiful fall colors of Colorado!  It is really hard to time optimal "peep leafing" but if you get lucky, you'll see why Colorado is called Colorful Colorado. 

I have yet to come in the depths of winter, but I imagine it would be beautiful and there would still be plenty to do.  As for summer, I try to avoid as much of the summer crowds as possible.  It's hard to find places to stay and don't forget between Memorial Day weekend and mid-October, you'll also need a timed entry permit in order to access the park.  Basically you have to have a reservation, that allows you a certain window of time to enter the park.   

There's just something about Colorado that touches my soul whenever I visit.  It truly is a beautiful place and Rocky Mountain National Park is a must for me, especially when I need my moose fix!

Denali a bit of Disappointment

 Part of my disappointment was my own doing.  When I travel, I like to be settled and not jumping around every night or two to a new hotel or destination.  I also like to avoid not having two or three days in a row completely booked/planned out with events.   Given this was a last-minute trip, I had to do Seward and Denali back-to-back, which meant a few long days of travel and adventure back-to-back.  So, after a 15-hour magical day in Seward, I hopped on an 8-hour train ride to Denali early the next morning.

Day 4 started off great, with another scenic train ride.  This time on the Wilderness Express to Denali.  The train ride to Seward was more scenic given the variety of terrains, but this ride was surrounded by beauty as well, just not as much variation.  I love taking the train and being able to have a comfortable ride, having a meal or two and way less stressful than flying these days.

So, the train ride was great, but when I got to the hotel there was an issue with my reservation.   For some reason, they were showing that I still needed to pay.  I showed them my confirmation, which showed I’d already paid and even showed them the charge on my Am Ex.   They were very pleasant but couldn’t seem to figure out why it wasn’t showing on their end.   After a long train ride, I planned to check in, change clothes and head to the park to get a short hike in before having dinner.   Unfortunately, it took an hour + to get checked in, then I didn’t have my luggage.  Rather than letting my frustration ruin my first day in Denali, I decided to head to the park anyway.  Despite not having my hiking shoes, I figured I could at least check the park out.  And hoped by the time I returned, my luggage would be there.   The hotel has a shuttle that runs to the park every 15 minutes, but the shuttle didn’t show up as expected.  Turns out there was an issue, and the shuttle was delayed.  By the time I finally got to the park, I had less than 30 minutes before the last shuttle back to the hotel and everything was closed.  Need less to say, my frustration level was rising. 

All ended well though.  When I got back, my luggage was in my room.  I took a quick shower and then headed to the hotel bar for dinner and a drink, maybe two!

After a good night’s sleep, it was time for my first adventure in Denali.  I booked a Jeep excursion
along the Denali Highway. The Denali Highway is the original road used to get to Denali before they built the George Parks Highway.  So it’s no longer used by many folks and it’s basically a dirt road that doesn’t go through the actual national park.   While the guides were great, the excursion itself wasn’t really exciting.  

After I got back to the hotel and had a quick lunch, I hopped on a “Tundra Wilderness Tour.”  I had not planned to do this, but shortly before I left for my trip, I learned from a couple of folks you can’t get more than 3 miles into the park, unless you do this.  These tours go 43 miles into the park (they used to have an option that went all the way to the end, but that’s no longer an option since the road washed out a few years ago), so you can see a lot more of the park.  Basically, you are sitting on a school bus, driving through the park, hoping to see some wildlife.    As we all know, wildlife is most active at dusk and dawn.  When I booked this, I booked a late afternoon tour.   After I booked my tour, my confirmation stated, my actual tour time would not be available until the day before and it could be anywhere between Noon and 5pm.   Well, I found out the day before, I was on a 1:40p tour.  

After an 8+ hour travel day, I spent the day in a Jeep for 4 hours and then on a school bus for just over five hours.   It was just a lot of sitting two days in a row and not nearly the adventures I was hoping for.   I would have preferred more time to explore the area and park on my own.  I did get to see lots of caribou.

Time to head back to Anchorage for a couple nights.  I have another day and a half free.   We’ll see what else I can get into.

Chatting with Strangers

It started at a bar in the airport. After arriving at the airport, only to discover my flight had been delayed, I headed to the bar right next to the gate. I sat down and an older gentleman sat down shortly after. We quickly started commiserating over flight delays and he talked about his family, how he was retired but had just gotten a new opportunity that he was very excited about.   You could tell he had a great love for his family and called his wife a couple of times to update her on his flight status. It just made the time go by fast and I really enjoyed our chat. He had been a salesperson throughout his career, which was not surprising. Chatting with strangers came so easy to him and he was so easy going. I had not even left the airport and had already had a pleasant experience, leaving the travel delay frustrations behind.

Then I was lucky enough to be seated next to this lovely woman who was traveling with her husband to see the birth of their grandchild. While they were traveling together, they were seated apart. I offered to switch seats with her husband so they could sit together but she was like, oh no. It’s fine.   Now I’m not usually a big talker on a plane.  I’m one of those folks who bury their face in a book and while I will be pleasant to the folks seated around me, I do not chat up folks when flying.  I like this to be “me” time. Maybe it’s because I’m semi-retired now and have more “me” time than I used to, but I set my book aside and continued to listen to this woman sitting next to me.   She was a retired special ed teacher, but still works as a substitute teacher from time to time. She is wanting to do something and is trying to figure out what that something is. She talked about her kids, two sons and a daughter and her multiple grandkids. She is lucky both her sons live nearby so she gets to spend a lot of time with them and their kids. She was on her way to see her daughter who is about to give birth to her 3^rd child.   She talked about the tension in her relationship with her daughter and it was obvious this causes her some angst.  She loves her daughter very much and wants to be there for her daughter but isn’t sure exactly how to be there in a way her daughter wants/appreciates.   The distance doesn’t help. Unlike her sons, her daughter lives on the west coast. She talked about what an amazing mother her daughter is, showed me pictures of the boys and  is excited to finally be at the birth of this newest grandchild.  She has missed the birth of the first two as her daughter said it would be most helpful for her to come out after the baby was born. But this time she had re-arranged her travel plans at the last minute to ensure she could be there from the beginning. She was such an interesting woman, and my heart broke for her knowing her relationship with her daughter is weighing on her.

 Just before we landed, she said, “it was so nice talking to you. I am a nervous flyer and talking with you made this flight go by first. In case you can’t tell, I don’t like sitting next to the window, I prefer the aisle.”  I laughed and said, I actually prefer a window seat, but the aisle seat was all that was available. We both laughed at the fact we’d chatted the whole flight and this would have been good information to have shared 3 hours ago, as we could have easily switched seats (we were on a smaller plane with just two seats on each side, so no middle seats).  

As I departed the plane and she caught up with her husband, I wished her well and said have a great time meeting your new grandbaby and then headed to find the gate for my next leg to Anchorage.

I must admit, talking to her brought me some comfort. It was like talking to my own mother. For that brief flight, it was like having great conversation with my mom.

I was waiting outside the airport in Anchorage waiting for the hotel shuttle to take me to the hotel. It was 1:30 in the morning and I was thinking about how exhausted I was, and I couldn’t wait to get to the hotel, take a hot shower and climb into bed.   Then a young boy, who looked like he couldn’t be more than 15, asked me if I was waiting for a shuttle to the Lakefront Anchorage hotel.  I told him yes and he seemed to be relieved he was in the right place.  I told him I thought this is where we were supposed to be but wasn’t 100% sure.  Suddenly we saw the shuttle pulling up and we were both relieved to get on the shuttle. He sat in seat and front of me and asked about my trip. I in turn asked about his, thinking he seemed to be too young to be traveling alone.  Turns out he’s here for a college study program and will be in Alaska for 3 months.  He’s from Bangkok and just exuded positive energy and excitement about he’s upcoming study program.  Such a sweet kid. I saw him the next afternoon sitting in the hotel lobby so went to say hello. It turns out that the company that booked his room booked it for the day of our arrival vs. the day prior. So since we didn’t get to the hotel until almost 2am, they told him he couldn’t check in until 3p in the afternoon.  The poor kid had been in the lobby for 12 hours, waiting to be able to finally check in. He took it all in stride and was the same happy kid I’d met on the shuttle in the wee hours of the morning.  If we could all have this kind of outlook, the world would be a much better place.

 After my amazing first day in Alaska, I sat at the bar with my laptop in the hotel restaurant for a late lunch. My plan was to write about my first day while enjoying a leisurely lunch. Before I even had the chance to complete the first sentence, one of the guys sitting next to me struck up a conversation. After a few minutes, it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to start writing about my day.  I closed my laptop and became fully engaged in our conversation. He was supposed to be heading to the airport to pick up a friend, but his friends flight had been delayed so he stopped by to kill some time. He arrived yesterday and turns out he’s here for 10 days for work.   He used to live in Fairbanks and now lives in Juneau. He’s been to Anchorage many times and gave me some dining recommendations.  He asked me where all I was planning to go and do and told me I would have a great time.  All his brothers and his kids have come out to visit while he’s lived here, and he said they were all blown away by their experience.  We wound up chatting for a couple of hours before the jet lag and the travel delays caught up with me and I knew it was time for a nap!

So, I’ve only been traveling a little over 24 hours and have already met some great people.  I know some of you cynics are saying be careful! And I admit I have a cynical side as well, so when I’m talking to strangers, I’m hesitant to share too many details about myself, where I live, where I’m headed etc., but I choose to focus on the positive of these encounters.

Day 3 Was Magical

 

Day 3 was one of the things I planned that I was looking forward to the most.  When the Traveling Hillbilly decided to make an Alaskan trip happen this year, the first thing I did was google scenic train rides in Alaska.  I love taking a train and thought this would be what I would build the rest of my itinerary around.   Everything I read, said the train ride from Anchorage to Seward was the most scenic train ride in Alaska.   So, I decided to make a trip to Seward part of my trip and while there, do a day cruise around Kenai Fjords National Park to see some glaciers and wildlife.

The day did not disappoint!   Despite the early start, had to leave hotel at 5am to catch the train, I was wide awake on the train in awe of the scenery.  At one point, I thought, I better stop taking pictures or both my camera and cell battery will be dead before I even get to Seward.   I wound up having to ask if there was any place I could plug them in to recharge them.  Luckily, in one of the employee “offices” they had a makeshift charging station set up, so I was able to get everything charged up before I departed the train. 

The train goes along the coast, probably the reason they call it the Coastal Train 😊.  You pass through valleys with snowcapped mountains as backdrop, there are rivers and streams, waterfalls cascading down the mountains, then areas still buried in snow, that is just starting to melt.    The only bummer was it was raining and/or cloudy for most of the day, but Alaska’s beauty managed to shine through.

After completing the breathtaking first leg of the day, it was time to head to the harbor to find Major Marine’s Kenai Fjords cruise.   The Traveling Hillbilly must admit, I was a little nervous about being on a boat for six hours.   Four hours seemed like plenty of time to be on a boat, but since the season hasn’t yet started so not all tour options are up and running.   Turns out six hours wasn’t too much.  We saw mountain goats, bears, bald eagles, puffins, whales, sea otters, sea lions and of course a glacier.  While I didn’t get the best pictures, I have great memories of the day.  

Now time to hop back for another scenic ride back to Anchorage.

Day 2 in Alaska - Another Bike Ride and a Long Way for Pizza and Beer

 

As you all know, my plans were to go back to my room, take a nap and do a post dinner ride to downtown Anchorage.  I was so tired after lunch, I thought I would fall asleep in minutes and would wake up in time for dinner and a post dinner ride.   However, it took me forever to fall asleep and then I didn’t wake up until well into the evening, so no dinner, no ride.

Started my morning with a walk to my coffee place, followed by a quick breakfast as I was ravenous after not having eaten anything since lunch the day before.

I rented another bike and took off to finish the last part of the coastal trail.   The Tony Knowles coastal trail itself is just 11 miles long from end to end.  However, there are so many trails in the city to explore.   I have since learned when you knit together all the favorite paved trails, it becomes a single 32-mile route that resembles the shape of a moose’s head! 

Yesterday I got on the trail at Earthquake Park and rode to its finish at Kincaid Park and then back past Earthquake Park for a bit before heading back to the hotel.  So I only had about 3 ½ miles of the trail to do, but of course took some detours along the way.  The first part of the trail leaving Earthquake Park is very scenic.   However, I have to say this part of the trail was not as scenic as the way to Kincaid Park. It was much busier and there were several homeless encampments.    I can’t imagine how hard being homeless is, but being homeless in Alaska has to be unbearable in the winter.  I’m not sure how they can survive a winter outdoors. 

After making my way back to the hotel, I hopped on the hotel shuttle to downtown.  I decided to have a late lunch at Moose’s Tooth.  Someone told me they had the best pizza in town and also brew their own beers.  That turned out to be more of an adventure than expected.   After I exited the shuttle, I put the Moose’s Tooth in google maps only to realize it was a 2 ½ mile walk.   After my bike ride, I didn’t feel up to an hour walk, but it seemed silly to pay almost $10 dollars to take an Uber ride to get a slice of pizza and a beer.  So, I decided I’d walk there and then just take an Uber back to the hotel after. 

The same man that told me about the Moose’s told, also informed me the navigation in Anchorage can be wonky.  After this walking route I have to agree.  It had me walking along a major highway in Anchorage and there were some areas with no sidewalk.  Given all the beautiful trails in this city, there had to be a more scenic route than the one I took.   However, I made it, and it was a good reco.  The pizza was great and the two raspberry beers I had eased the pain a little.

https://moosestooth.net/

So excited for my train ride to Seward tomorrow.   It’s supposed to be the most scenic train ride in Alaska.  Plus, I’ll get to sit down for a while!  Can’t wait to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.  Alaska Railroad, here I come!