DENALI NATIONAL PARK, Alaska

On a clear day you can see the mountain. Denali, Mt. McKinley, The Great One, whatever your name of choice, around here she's simply "the mountain." Considering there are hundreds of statuesque peaks looking up at her from every angle, the generic term pays tribute to her dominance in this vast wilderness diligently maintained to preserve raw and untrammeled beauty - all 6 million acres of it. There's one gravel road in the park stretching 95 miles to the historic mining town of Kantishna. We took the shuttle out to Wonder Lake - at mile 86 - for an 11-hour round-trip ride. At 20,320 feet, you'd think Denali would be visible from any vantage point but there are actually few places accessible by road to catch a glimpse. In fact, in the park you only begin to see the very tip of Denali at mile 9 and then only intermittently until Eielson Visitor Center at mile 66. Only then does the mountain become a constant part of the scene. And with each mile closer to Wonder Lake, the rest of the Alaska range comes more fully into view. Stunning really and completely uncapturable on even the widest panoramic.

There are only a handful of campgrounds along throughout the park, primarily small tent camps, and the intrepid can obtain a back country pass and simply wander off across the tundra to set up camp. Well, they do a little more than "wander" I'm sure and a little gear like maps and bear-proof containers and warm layers are requisite. Trails are few in Denali and forging owns way across the vast expanse gives an amazing sense of absolute freedom.

Oh, and by the way, there are wild animals out here. Grizzlies, caribou, moose, fox, Dall sheep, wolves, lynx and more. We were fortunate to witness all of the above, except for a wolf, including two separate (and rare) lynx sightings. In addition, there were five birders on our bus with keen eyes for all creatures with wings. I'm sure they're all very nice people but their continual requests to stop for birds were met by muffled sighs by hour number five. It was more an amusement than an annoyance as we all honored the blessings the travel gods shared with us on this one CLEAR day.

Road to DENALI, Alaska

"This is God," said a fellow observer on the Mt. McKinley Lodge deck
as Mt. McKinley began to wrap her powdery shawl round her neck for
the night. We nodded in agreement and found ourselves so enraptured
that we sat for two more hours as the sun took her leave behind the
magnificent Alaska Range. Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in North
America, is a fickle mistress, showing herself to only 20% of those
who make the trek to see her. We were fortunate to catch a glimpse as
we rounded out 16 hours of travel.

We drove straight to the lodge after picking up our car in Anchorage
- the only airport I've been to where arrivees change into hiking
boots before getting to baggage claim. Still being on East Coast
time, we were first in line at the cafe at 5:30 this morning and
first to hit the trail for a misty half hour hike before driving the
final leg to Denali - two hours of scenic driving amongst nothing but
treeless mountains, low-lying red brush, stunted coniferous trees and
yellow highlights. Fall comes early in the Alaska interior and
according to our seat mate on the flight up, "we only get yellow and
it lasts about two days."

Individual cars are only permitted on the first 15 miles of the
Denali park road. We drove the full awe-inspiring 15 to Savage River
where we took a moment to scale a few rock mounds and drink in the
colorful bounty before heading back to the park entrance to hike the
Horseshoe Lake Trail where a swan dunked for food just above the
beaver dam. The swan and a snowshoe hare were our only animal
sightings today. The season is winding down here so we picked through
the sparsely filled shelves at two mercantiles before finding some
tomato soup and ramen noodles to have for supper at our little cabin
on the Nenana River.

ASSATEAGUE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Maryland

Assateague Island is a huge barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia and is home to about 250 wild ponies, with a fence separating the herd in Maryland from the one in Virginia. I was hopeful but not expectant of seeing ponies but the hour drive was well worth it just for the beautiful beach free of man-made dwellings. Umbrellas lined the shoreline in a single row and after a mile or so run up the beach I plunged into the surf which had that perfect combination of bobbing and smashing and casting one gradually downshore.




Before heading back to the mainland we hit all three turnoffs - most of the island is inaccessible by road. The hardy can hike down the beach for camping if they don't mind being devoured by mosquitos. Three ponies were grazing at our first turn. I hopped out wearing only my bathing suit and took a few photos before retreating to the car for long pants and a shawl. Whew ... they continued to graze unfazed by the pests. The ponies, being neither fed nor harmed by humans, expressed no interest or fear as I stood several feet away respecting and simultaneously entering their space.

Next stop, the bayside, where more ponies grazed out in the marshes. As we crossed to one of the outer islands we encountered teens hooking the entire necks of chickens as bait on their fishing rods. They explained that this was the best bait for crabs as they illustrated their skill in getting the crab hooked, grabbing their nets and hoping the crabs held on long enough to make the catch. A few times they were successful but all were thrown back in to feast on more chicken necks. Who knew?



As we exited a baby pony was snacking at the entry gate. What an amazing day. Fabulous swimming, wild horses and a delicious bowl of Maryland crab soup on the screened in porch at the Atlantic Hotel in downtown Berlin.

LEWES, Delaware

Lewes is a historic and still bustling fishing port on the Delaware Bay where the ferry to Cape May makes daily departures. Our first intended stop was the farmer's market at the historical society. Turns out antiques were on display so we enjoyed a little antiquing with the backdrop of the historic buildings that have been preserved and gathered on the grounds.


Lewes is one of those quaint towns with enough of a downtown to make it interesting but not enough to draw hoards of visitors. There are a few low-key B&B's and an Inn but it's across a drawbridge from the shore setting it apart from tacky beach shops.
The hoards, however, do gather at Cape Henlopen State Park, with its five miles of shoreline just east of Lewes. We arrived at 10:30 and beachgoers were spilling across the boardwalk from carpark to beach equipped with carts piled high with coolers, chairs, umbrellas, pails, boogie boards, towels and countless other accoutrements. We glanced out at the water and quickly headed farther afield.

There was quiet up on the bayside at The Point where a major section is closed off for the benefit of piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns and other threatened and endangered beachnesters and migratory shorebirds. A few photographers with telephotos gazed at the nesters and children and clammers waded out 1/4 mile filling their buckets.





Lewes is a sustainable food lovers paradise. We hit the farm market and stocked up on fresh veggies to satisfy us between feedings on local seafood.