Early on the next morning, we put our suitcases outside our rooms, as did anyone else moving on to their next stop on vacation. It’s very weird. I’m not the trusting sort to just put my suitcase out there and walk away. It was one thing, when we left Fairbanks, to put our luggage in the hall with everyone else’s, but our doors here were to the outside. (To a deck and short staircase.)
This was also the reason we wouldn’t have left our window open at night, even if the screen wasn’t broken. Even though it was light almost all night long, I didn’t like the idea of anyone being able to see in and the room darkening curtains would have kept the breezes at bay anyway.
Still, I should not grouse (too much). I was in Alaska, after all.
I also wasn’t the only person keeping a close eye on our bags. I met our neighbor next door. We acknowledged each other’s presence, did the obligatory “where are you from,” etc., and that was that.
Aside from the people we met the first day, there was very little chatting with other folks. Perhaps we were all tired.
The ride from Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge was fairly uneventful. It was gorgeous, though, and we did see our first “igloo.”
This odd eyesore was built in the 1970s with a plan to make it a hotel of some sort. It’s awkwardly located on The Parks Highway and was never opened. According to our bus driver, it is being leased to become a brewery.
Still, we sort of saw an igloo. I wasn’t looking for one, but a few people did ask me if we saw any up there.
Later in the trip, I asked someone that worked in the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge what they tell people when they asked if there were still igloos in Alaska.
Seriously, I was asking for a friend.
She told me that igloos still exist, very far “up north.” They are no longer used as housing, though.
They are used as coolers.
I swear her eyes sparkled a little when she said that.
So, now I have something in common with Alaska.
I’ve used Igloo coolers, too!
I should note that both lodges have shuttles that pick people up and drop them off at their buildings. This is very handy, and we took advantage of it here. The driver was cheerful and mentioned watching out for a mama moose and her baby.
I perked up. Maybe I’d finally get my chance to see an Alaskan moose!
I loved this lodge. It was nestled in the woods and did not have any commercial feel to it like the last one. Our room was nice and airy, and we happily dropped our backpacks ready to explore our surroundings. A quick wash of our hands and….
Yuck!
A horrible smell, like something died, emanated from the water flowing in the sink! My allergies went nuts. I grabbed my inhaler. We checked the water in the tub, and it seemed to be fine. The sink water was still stinky. So, I called the front desk and they immediately sent someone to check it out.
What happened next really showed how Princess’ customer service really stands out. While the repair person was outside draining the water in our room, Ed took a walk, and I called the front desk to add a broken toilet seat and a lack of light in the bathroom to our service call. The wonderful human on the other end said not to worry, they were already working on getting us another room.
They put us in a one-bedroom suite! It was comfy and open with a view of one of the mountains when the clouds lifted. They even sent us some brownies for a snack.
The rest of the stay was beautiful and relaxed. The food was good (still overpriced, but so much better). Even “The Mountain” came out to say hello a few times. Of all the visitors that come to this area, only 30% get to see the mountain. We were so lucky!
Reindeer Poutine:
Denali:
The only gotcha was running into one of our new friends from the bus rides only to find that the husband was coming down with a cold and feeling miserable, poor guy.
This is where you say, “Uh oh.”
To be continued,
Llama
One Crafty Llama 
Leave a comment