Chop Chop Billy Goat

At Denali, as Ma said, we spent the first four days at Riley Creek. After that we went to Teklanika. One day we took a bus to the Eielson visitor center. On the bus, people can call out “stop” if they see an animal and the bus will stop. Sometimes people would call stop for a rock or something else that looked like an animal. On the way we saw some Grizzlies in the distance, little white  dots on the hill that were Dall Sheep, and lots of caribou that were really cool. When we got there (after almost three hours), we had great views of Mt. McKinley.  We went on a mile long hike with a 25% incline! When we finally got to the top, we were blown off our feet with what Ma guessed was forty mile per hour winds. The wind was so strong that I could lean back into the wind without falling over! Up there we also saw two caribou. After a little hunkering behind rocks to escape the wind, we headed back down the mountain.

On the way back to the campground, we saw plenty more caribou. We saw a grizzly bear with two cubs and stopped to watch them. The three came closer and closer until they crossed the road and began eating right next to the bus. They must have been three feet from the bus! After awhile we finally kept going. The rest of the drive back was uneventful.

On my birthday, my day started with surprise chocolate milk – In a striped cup that was super tall! After geting awesome presents from Ma and Pa, Aunt Nancy, and Grandma, we watched a movie on the computer.  Soon we ate delicious brownies cooked by Ma. After that, we took a walk in the campground. I met the campground hostess’s boys and spent the rest of the day playing with them, playing a game where we tried to push each other in mud, and many other games.  In the evening, Pa and I went on a cross country hike. First we took a trail over a hill, bush whacked across the tundra, and then climbed the hill on the other side. When we got to the top, we were very tired. On the way back we got stuck in a swamp and were wading for a while. When we finally got back home,  mosquito bitten and wet, we enjoyed ice cream.

After a couple of days we got on the bus again with plans to get off randomly and hike cross country. Unfortunately, at the place we wanted to get off there was a grizzly bear. The second place we wanted to get off there was a caribou in the middle of the road! Little kid then fell asleep and we went all the way to Eielson. At Eielson, we set off on a small hike. We soon settled in at a patch of blue berries and began eating. After that we got on a bus and headed back. We saw another bear that was right next to the bus! After a little more time in Denali we headed to Fairbanks.