Alaska Day 2

Alaska Day 2: Anchorage to Talkeetna

Quote of the Day: It's a Covid World...masks are required while on transportation unleess dining or drinking, so we are masked up while on our giant bus

Weather: Extraordinary - clear, blue skies, around 70 degrees F. In other words, exceptional as even the locals don't see Denali all that often.

Department of Treasury: this six day extension is an all inclusive, so prices for individual items (other than tips) are not available

 

the town that Northern Exposure was based on

Downtown Anchorage from the train station

The bus: there are 13 on the tour, one tour guide and one driver. There are 48 seats. THB and DB split up

Our first adventure is riding the train from Anchorage to Talkeetna. It is about four hours, and our departure includes breakfast. Fortunately we cane prepared: DB goes down to the Hilton lobby and gets a large decaf au lait and we split a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin imported from Arizmendi. That hold us until 9am when our group is "invited" to the dining car. Well, we are in a double-decker car, sitting upstairs to gain a better view and the dining room is downstairs. Very convenient. 

Pancakes with reindeer sausage and birch syrup (a local treat, only made in 3 places...maybe?). We share the pancakes and the scramble (bacon and more reindeer sausage) accompanied by a biscuit. 

Pics taken from upstairs: 

Something novel: a car in front of a meadow blooming with orange flags

The first of many pics of Denali (nobody adds the mountain peak descriptor). It is massive, largest mountain on the continent, and as we hear many many times: harder to climb than Everest even though it is 9K feet shorter

The train has arrived in Talkeetna

There are no penguins in Alaska

Pics from Talkeetna. The place is jumping, swarming with tourists. Yet, we are total over and over that this is about 25% of normal. Lots of staffing problems, the local businesses can't hire fast enough and the J1 visas allowing foreigners (mostly youth) aren't being issued in big enough quantities

Many Asian style dishes, and even Korean food (untranslated)

Our lunch spot...most people have ordered the halibut sandwich, and all of us have overlooked that in the pre-ordering we should have said "no cheese"...when we leave after 1pm there is a huge crowd waiting to get in.

Name this mountain peak; demerits if you use its former name, Mt Mckinley (changed in 2015)

The deck from our hotel, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, with views of Denali and the sightseeing planes taking off regularly from the airport next door

Our group splits in two and head off for hikes. Our leader is Mo (yes, that's her real name...though possibly misspelled). She is in her mid to late 20s and terrific. Knows every plant in the forest, and is great at herding us along the trail.

Activity for the afternoon is a 1.5 mile walk near a local lake

Primrose?

Loon, possibly

Tart, THB takes the dare and tries one. These are last year's berries and even the birds and bears didn't eat them

Mo on the left with the purple hair, L on the right with a mosquito net hairdo

Mo demonstrating that little water with start photosynthesis

THB spots these wild Alaskan boarder-birds; Mo cannot explain their terrain and mating habits

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge; this is the front of the hotel. Our room is in the building to the right (no pic). Two queen size beds, extra ledges, a window that opens to provide a breeze. Very nice