Night had long since fallen when I arrived in Alaska from California, and all I wanted was to sleep in the car during the long drive from Fairbanks to Denali National Park and Preserve, where I'd be staying with a friend who lived and worked within the park. But the normally overcast Alaskan skies had opened up with the Northern Lights on full display, proving too much to ignore. Just moments into my trip and I had managed a sighting. I was stunned, and hoped it was a sign up what was yet to come.
On my first full day in Alaska we had no plans other than to take the main park-operated bus 62 miles out along the road to what was said to be a wonderful vantage point of Mt. Denali. To my disdain, the windy mountain road took four hours to go one way. To my delight, the windy mountain road took four hours to go one way.