Where are my feet?
First hint...Sheldon Air Service...
The weather report at Base Camp on Mt. McKinley....SEVERE CLEAR. You can't get better than that.
And there we are up in the air and in the distance you can see just a small white cloud over Mt. McKinley...
Here we are flying around Mt. McKinley...up close and personal...
Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain in North America....over 22,000 feet!
Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain in North America....over 22,000 feet!
Lots of very deep snow everywhere...
The landing field on the glacier....you can see the tracks of the airplanes landings...
Our plane on the glacier....the ice is over 5,000 feet deep on this glacier!
Hubby getting ready to throw a snowball...
And there we are on a glacier with Mt. McKinley in the background just six miles away! The weather was beautiful! I'm holding a snowball too. The snow is soft and our feet sunk down into it as we walked around.
I can't even describe how wonderful this experience was and how lucky we were...because only 30% of visitors are lucky enough to see Mt. McKinley. It is usually covered with clouds and 70% of visitors NEVER see it.
For example while at Denali National Park we saw the top of Mt. McKinley our first day (but it was over 75 miles away) and the next two days were rainy with clouds covering the whole Alaska Range. During our bus tour into the park it was overcast, rainy and dark so we never even saw the mountain range.
We waited three rainy and cloudy days at Kalkeena and woke up the last day to see clear blue skies. We called the air service and got a reservation to fly at 11:00 AM to see Mt. McKinley and have a glacier landing. By that afternoon clouds had moved in and the mountains were covered again. One of the air service companies representative told us that they hadn't been doing glacier landings because of the soft snow. So we were also lucky to be able to land on a glacier.
Hope you enjoyed joining us on our flight of a lifetime.
Don't forget you can join our host Mary at The Little Red House (here) for more Mosaic Monday postings.
Sandy at Teacup Lane
Hi Sandy,
ReplyDeleteSorry I've not been leaving comments for ages but for some reason my computer struggles with your blog. I visit every day but as soon as I try to leave a comment it crashes. This morning I've left it and am now on Tony's computer which seems OK.
I'm loving your photos and enjoying your trip immensely. What things you are experiencing! It really is a very special holiday. The flight to land on the glacier today looked magic. Alaska really is an amazing place isn't it?
So keep them coming. I 'll continue to persevere with my old computer every day and drop in to leave a message when I can get to Tony's computer. By the way have you had any close encounters with bears yet? or moose?
Cheers
Helen from Helsie's Happenings
breathtaking view it seems! beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLucky, lucky girl - the photos are fantastic - thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy,
ReplyDeleteOh what an experience! It is just beautiful and you got some wonderful pictures. Fabulous!
Valerie
I am laughing as I was one of those visitors who never saw it:-) Tons of clouds when we were there. However we did land on a glacier in Alaska by way of helicopter and I found the experience terrifying. I held onto the helicopter and never walked around like my husband. Me, I like to be on concrete 24/7!
ReplyDeleteJoyce
Magnificent! Just magnificent. I cannot imagine standing there, it has to be breathtaking. This is so great that you are sharing such pictures, thank you.
ReplyDeleteAn experience of a life time! Thanks for sharing your photos.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! You had such a perfect day for it. I love your photos.
ReplyDeleteSandi, Stunning pictures, a trip of a lifetime. Enjoy and thanks for sharing the flight with us.
ReplyDeleteSuch an amazing trip to take. Lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous...thanks for taking us along!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is INCREDIBLE! I have been there -- but unfortunately she was being shy that day. What a lucky woman you are!!!
ReplyDeleteFabulous photos!
Wow, that is so cool! What a tremendous view of the mountain, and the perfect opportunity for pictures. thanks so much for sharing your beautiful images at MM. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, snow in summer! How lovely, I can see you are enjoying your stay in Alaska.;)n I ma back from my short vacation trying to catch up.;)
ReplyDeletexoxo
What a trip you're having! Thanks for sharing your adventures.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy,
ReplyDeleteI sure could sure some snow right now, its been so hot here. What a great trip you are having. I love your photo's. Your granny squares are really coming along! I love all the color.
Have a wonderful day, Hugs Elizabeth
What beautiful pictures, Sandy! You are having an amazing adventure! Love your guest bath that you featured too. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Beth
You were so fortunate to see the mountain so up close and personal. The day we went it was not visible at all. Amazing for you I'm sure.
ReplyDelete