After our time in Denali National Park and breathtaking views of Mt. McKinley we decided to drive the Denali Highway. Our guide book warned us about possible road problems, but we found the gravel road (not sure why it's called a highway...) to be in an excellent condition – all 135 miles of it. We spent all day driving, the views from the road were truly breathtaking and inspiring! I would say it rivals the drive through the National Park itself; beats me why so many people don't take the time to drive the highway! The expanse of the land, the tundra, the taiga and the mountains is incomprehensible until you see it for yourself. Now I get it why Alaska is called the last frontier, it's still wild and in many ways untouched.

At the end of our drive we stopped for a night at a place that had only bunk beds left in a run down little shack with a wood burning stove, but it was 20$ a bed and came with WIFI!!!!! They had to generate their own electricity, but they had internet; civilization is creeping into Alaska :). (Check out the video of the place).

After our drive on Denali Highway we went to visit Matanuska glacier (we got lucky – it was warm and sunny). It was our first real encounter with an ancient remnant of the ice age and it left us speechless. We were able to walk on the glacier, feel its coolness and hear it melting. Its frigid beauty impressed me and brought home the point about global warming: the glaciers are receding, the planet is getting warmer, the proof was all around us – gushing creeks of meltdown, falling down pieces of ancient ice and forming of freezing lakes in the middle of ice peaks.

Now it was time to go to the Kenai Peninsula where we spent more than a week... (blog to follow in couple of days).

Praleidus kelias dienas Denali nacionaliniame parke ir pasigrozejus McKinley kalnu, pasukome i rytus Denali greitkeliu. Cia reiktu pridurti, kad taip vadinamas “greitkelis” (highway) yra tik paprasciausias zvyrkelis. Musu gidas (kynga) perspejo, jog kelias cia bus prastokas ir teks letai iveikineti visas 135 mylias. Is tiesu teko vaziuoti labai letai, bet ne del kelio kokybes, o del neitiketinu vaizdu atsiverianciu uz kiekvieno kampo. Aplinkui rudenejanti tundra, ezerai, o tolumoje boluoja kalnu grandines. Vienoje vietoje matesi net trys kalnu grandines vienu metu. Neimanoma apibudinti zodziais tos beribes tundros erdves. Reikia ja pajausti!

Vakarejant apsistojome salia greitkelio isikurusiame viesbutelyje, o tiksliau kazkiame neaiskios paskirties namelyje, nes kambariu laisvu nebuvo. Tai patalpino mus i ta kamurke. Skustis negalejom, nes uz du sumokejome $40, o i kaina iejo dvi lovos, burzuika ir... BEVIELIS INTERNETAS! Zodziu, i krosnele malku isimeti ir toliau sekmingai “googlini.” O fone girdi generatoriu elektra begaminant. Kaip rusai pasakytu - romantika balshoi darogi.

Kita diena patraukeme i pietvakarius. Pakeliui sustojome pasizvalgyti po Mantanuska ledyna, prie kurio privaziuoji per koki puskilometri. Mantanuska mus tiesiog pribloske (geraja to zodziu prasme). Atrodo, jog vaikstai ledynmecio eroje. Aplinkui tave stukso ledkalniai, po apacia ledo girdisi ciurlenantys upeliai, o viduryje dar ezeriukas. Grazu ir tuo paciu gaila, jos su kiekvienais metais to grozio lieka vis maziau. Aliaskoje ledynai labai sparciai tirpsta del globalinio atsilimo. Kaip zinia, zmogiskasis faktorius yra pagrindine siu liudnu pokyciu priezastimi.

Siek tiek atsale ir susizaveje siuo gamtos stebuklu, ta pati vakara patraukeme i Kenai pusiasali. Tenai musu lauke nauji nuotykiai ir ispudziai, bet apie tai uz keliu dienu.