A Day in Denali

The phone app said "unhealthy"
To describe Denali's air.
The sky was gray and smoky
All the hours we were there.

So we were disappointed;
Thought the day would be a bust
'Til somebody hollered "Moose!"
Our brakes kicked up a heap of dust.

A mother moose and baby
Ambled by in camera range.
Then an antlered caribou strolled close - 
Our luck began to change.

More caribou were spotted
In the distance, in a herd,
Then a sharp-eyed passenger yelled out
That much-awaited word:

"Bear!" We all looked over
And a grizzly came in view.
He lumbered in the bushes 
Seeking berries where they grew.

Our fortune held - the driver spied
A most impressive lynx,
Who crossed the road both back and forth.
(Just showing off, methinks.)

A final sighting- quite a brood
Of willow ptarmigan
(They're the state bird of Alaska)
Got the cameras out again.

We saw no sheep or eagles
And the sky was far from blue.
What a treat, though, watching wildlife!
(And they never even knew...)