One day into our vacation, we slowly started connecting with other travelers. It was nice to see familiar faces as the days wore on. You can imagine my surprise, though, when we met another family that lives only an hour away from us!
After a lovely breakfast, we said goodbye to our large suitcase and boarded a bus to head to Denali.
Our first stop was nearby, a beautiful ride on a real paddleboat! The weather was gorgeous and we settled in for a beautiful ride by Riverboat Discovery along the Chena River.
The boat we were on was called the Discovery III.
Discovery II and I were close by.
The narration along the river talked about the history as well as the current life along the river. We passed gorgeous homes (for the most part) and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like there in the winter.
I only wondered. I’m not going back to check it out!
We passed Trail Breaker Kennels, along the river. I was so enthralled with Susan Butcher’s story that I forgot to take pictures until the ride back, so here’s a photo of their kennels.
Susan Butcher was the second woman to win the Iditarod. If you are interested in a great Iditarod story or about her life, here’s a link.
Next up, we passed the Chena Village Living Museum, where we were given a demonstration of fish cutting for smoking and a hint of what to expect on our way back.
We turned around at the spot where the Chena and Tanana Rivers converge. The Chena is a beautiful clear river, and the Tanana is a grayish brown and silty. I loved watching the two swirl together where they met and even saw a surprise in one of my photos. Can you spot the “polar bear” face?
We returned to the Chena Village Living Museum, where we docked and were split into different groups. There we followed our guides to three different points in the village to learn about what life had been like for Athabascan Native People.
Did you know that reindeer and caribou are the same animal? In Alaska (perhaps all of North America?) reindeer are domesticated and caribou are wild. We met a few reindeer at Chena Village, up close and personal:
Where’s the rest of the reindeer? Not in any of my good enough to share photos! Ah well, we had fun meeting them and that’s what really counts.
After the riverboat cruise, we boarded our buses and continued on our three-hour ride to Denali. It was amazing watching the terrain change as we headed south. Our driver did an excellent job of letting us rest and enjoy the quiet, but he added in some great stories and even slowed down when someone spotted a moose.
I missed it.
Someone exclaimed there were three.
I still missed it.
I tried to get some reading time in, but I was tired. I missed that, too.
I can’t really count this guy. I’m sure he was a real moose, once upon a time:
I did manage to get this lovely shot at one of our stops along the way.
Here is a teaser from the next place we stayed: Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.
Until next time:
LLivin’ La Vida Llama (and thankful I took notes on this trip)
One Crafty Llama 
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