Denali

Today is my second day back in the Park. The weather and the daylight have completely confused me. It was dusk until at least midnight, when I rolled over under my covers to shiver away the night. Daytime temperatures have, so far, been quite mild...though it seems to rain throughout the day without my notice. There are rain droplets on the cabin window, but I somehow missed their appearance. Puddles repeatedly form on the gravel volleyball court across the way, but I *really* missed those events.

C Camp feels so snug in the mountains. Not quite choked, and lofty enough to have some excellent snow-capped mountain views. I'll try out the roadside trail tomorrow morning, granted I get myself up at a reasonable time. Definitely would like to limit car usage (for money, for the spirit of the wilderness too for sure, and for the exercise ...and hopefully for the animal sightings).

Spent the day just settling in and meeting people. Went to a couple interp sessions on the bus system and informal contacts. Denali is definitely a different kind of park since accessibility is so unlike what I'm used to. Only one road drives in to the heart of DENA, and private vehicles are prohibited after mile 15 (the road is 89 miles long). Buses take over from there on a gravel road that gets increasingly narrower as you travel further west. I understand that and appreciate it a little better now, but it still makes work a little difficult.

Started making a dent into my food stockpile...shopping with Dave a few days ago cost about $208 at Fred Meyer, and $68 at Costco...plus a lot of miscellaneous stuff. It would be interesting to post a list of all the stuff I got and to see what lasts and what doesn't, how long it lasts, etc. Not sure where the receipt is though.

Still have my thesis hanging over my head. I have a little glimpse of what life would be like with it finished...it's really the only major thing barring me from being pretty happy. Things would be much grander with it out of the picture.

Nice living in a Park again, though. Actually *inside* one this time. But government bureaucracy is hilarious as always. My current officemate laughed at it, but then seriously commented that if it's a system in place to treat everyone equally, it's worth it.