Denali

This weekend we went on a mini road trip to Anchorage for a hockey tournament.  USA Hockey and Labatt sponsor recreational hockey tournaments all across the country, and Alaska had some 60 teams participating, with 15 from Fairbanks.  Two of our three family teams won their divisions, Women's Silver and Men's Intermediate.  Marty's team finished dead last, but he had a great time.  On the way home we stopped at the South viewpoint for Denali aka Mt. McKinley.  The Athabascan name Denali means the Great One.  Denali is part of the Alaska Range and is the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet.  Often the peak is shrouded in clouds, but it was a good day for viewing.  Even though the gate to the viewing area was still closed for the season, we were able to walk in and get some photos.

You can see other photos I've taken of Denali and Denali National Park HERE and HERE.

Alaskan Mountains

Yesterday we got up early and began our journey north, first to Chicago, and then flying northwest across Canada, and then up the coast of Alaska.  Along the coast was very cloudy, so all that was visible was the puffy clouds below.  But finally the clouds began to dissipate and the mountains of Alaska began to appear.  They were visible the last hour or so of our flight into Anchorage, and then again on our way north from Anchorage to Fairbanks.  Throughout our trip I've posted many drive-by photos of the passing scenery.  Today's post is a little bit of a twist--fly-by shots taken from about 35,000 feet.   

The three larger photos in the collage are of Mt. McKinley, as is the photo below.  I had booked seats on the side of the plane that would be facing McKinley, hoping for a clear day.  Often the mountain shrouds itself in clouds and is not visible, or only a portion is visible.  We were lucky, and it was a gorgeous late afternoon and McKinley was fully visible. 

McKinley is the tallest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet above sea level.