Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

(Read part one here)

(Read part two here)

TALKEETNA

Our last morning in Seward began under slightly overcast skies. I thought for sure that the rain was going to come back, but by the time we had the camper packed up and were on our way to Talkeetna, the sun was shining brightly and quickly warming the air.

I didn’t take many photos on the way to Talkeetna. The only brief stops we made between Seward and Talkeetna were at Tern Lake (photo at left) and at Bird Creek to top off the gas tank and the gas cans.

However, we also stopped to meet up with a friend - Mike in Eagle River. We met him at PizzaMan Pizza, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and great conversation.  I met Mike online in the Alaska Living Group. He moved to AK from Miami back in 2005, I believe.  It was good seeing him.

Traffic was slow in places, but fortunately there are quite a few passing lanes so Steve was able to get to the front of the line without causing me to have a heart attack.

Talkeetna is a railroad town. Most of the town is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s full of cabins and railroad buildings. According to the Bearfoot Magazine for the Parks Hwy :

…Talkeetna is McKinley’s mountain town. The best professional climbers from every country in the world come to Talkeetna to use it as their jumping off point. Their influence is everywhere, on the streets, and in the National Park visitor center. Talkeetna is both surprisingly international and down-home. You’ll see Tibetan prayer flags, as well as Korean banners, grizzled trappers, and Alaska huskies, all in one place.

Talkeetna is a railroad town that was isolated from the road system for many years. It has served for decades as a staging area for Denali climbers. The town has an active social life, and a strong sense of fun and community. People here love to celebrate the Alaskan lifestyle. They say the TV town of Cicely, Alaska on Northern Exposure was based on Talkeetna.

After setting up the camper, Steve and I took a nice walk through town. The 5th annual Moose on Parade is currently going on. This event was inspired by the spirit of Wild Salmon on Parade (Anchorage) and Cows on Parade (Chicago). (The moose will participate in the July 4th parade and then be auctioned off to benefit the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce, the Talkeetna Artists’ Guild, and the Talkeetna Historical Society.) I just had to grab some photos of some of the unique moose on display. They were everywhere!

Here are some of the buildings in Talkeetna. The first photo is of Nagley’s General Store (which also has the Visitors Center attached). You can read the history of Nagley’s here. The second photo is of the Historical Society and Museum and the third photo is of the Talkeetna Roadhouse.

The town was bustling with visitors from all over the world. We heard several languages besides English being spoken as we wandered through town.

While in Talkeetna, we picked up brochures for a flight-seeing trip over Denali, with a possible glacier landing too. The tours are on the pricey side ($250/pp and UP) but I’ve read good reviews. I think they offer a buy one/get one offer in the Alaska Toursaver book (which we don’t have), so we decided against it for now. Maybe next year.  The mountain was obscured by clouds, so it wouldn’t have been a good night for flight-seeing anyway.

More photos taken in Talkeetna:

There is a barn in Talkeetna that always catches my eye and the focus of my camera. I love the color. I love the old wood. I love the contrast of green foliage against it. The sun was low on the horizon, and it was slightly overcast, which made the lighting just about perfect for photographing the structure.

I took a few photos of the barn in it’s entirety, but I wasn’t happy with the images. There is too much going on around the barn (other homes, power lines, a porta-potty). So instead, I zoomed in on the doors and windows. I much prefer the close up images, as you can more easily see the texture and colors.

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HOMEWARD BOUND

Steve and I slept in on our last day traveling. With campground checkout at 11am, we had a lazy morning enjoying coffee and some internet time on our laptops. We were back on the highway at 10:30am en route to Fairbanks.

There were big puffy clouds in the sky - fairly low - so we figured our chance of seeing Denali on the way home was just about zero to none.  Suddenly, the mountain appeared on the horizon. I quickly took a photo from the truck and we planned to stop at the scenic overlook several miles up the road.  By the time we got to the overlook, the mountain was covered with clouds. Now you see her, now you don’t.

The drive was rather unexciting. It sounds terrible to say, but after driving the Parks Hwy many, many times, I tend to find myself a little bored on that final stretch home. I’m sure the anticipation of actually getting home has a lot to do with it too.  I think I may have cat napped a few times.

Just south of Nenana, we saw smoke on the horizon. With all the wildfires we’ve had burning in the interior, this did not make either of us very happy. We couldn’t tell where the fire was until we approached Ester (just south of Fairbanks). There’s an overlook and a monument on the Parks Hwy. On a clear day, you can see the Alaska Range and Denali from that viewpoint. But on Wednesday, the view was one of heavy smoke and even the orange tint of fire. Scary!

I took these photos from the moving truck:

I hope you enjoyed traveling with us to Seward. As always, it’s good to be home. Fortunately, the smoke is blowing away from Fairbanks, so we’re having warm, sunny days here in the interior. I love summer in Alaska!

Until next time…