We took a three hour domed train ride (Wilderness Express) from Anchorage to Talkeetna, Alaska!
Our Adventure Specialist for the land portion of our trip is ZAM, and he is truly special!
We enjoyed breakfast down in the train’s dining area! And the menu included some amazing items!
Reindeer sausage was on the menu! Don’t let her fool you, it was a thumbs down for Bev!
The scenery was amazing—although it looked like it was snowing, it was actually cotton from the cottonwood trees flying around!
Also on the menu was a Big Grizzly. Don’t let them fool you….it was a BIG thumbs up for Judy and Debbie! 🤣 And, no, it WAS NOT a milkshake!
Once we arrived, we ventured into the eclectic town of Talkeetna! Please disregard the antics of my Peeps!!! 😳
The little town was delightful and Schoey was the adventurous one that tried a fireweed (a flower that grows in meadows and woods in Alaska) ice cream cone! She gave it a thumbs up and said it tasted like vanilla ice cream dyed pink! Needless to say, she paid a premium for it!
We got to meet the Mayor of Talkeetna! Seriously! This cat (name is unknown) is the MAYOR OF TALKEETNA!!!! And she/he (who knows) is not one bit friendly!
This is a fireweed, the beautiful hot pink flower that grows everywhere in Alaska! The blooming of the topmost flower indicates to Alaskans that another summer is coming to an end and that winter is approaching! We are thrilled, to say the least, that it has a long way to go!
We meandered down the Main Street of Talkeetna, browsed some of the cute shops, then migrated toward the water! It was a site to see!
Back at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, we enjoyed the delightful scenery on the patio while we waited to check in!
Then we were off to on a Mahay’s Jet Boat Adventure!
We passed a stream where Salmon return to spawn.
We saw small holes on the river banks where Tree Swallows swooped in and out! They are great little mosquito eaters!
We docked (it was unbelievable how fast the current was—we certainly would NOT want to kayak here) and went ashore to learn about how the indigenous people lived by visiting a trapper’s camp.
Our guide carried a gun—just in case we saw a bear or a moose. No worries; we didn’t!!!
When the tour was over (it was fascinating) we stopped for a nice group photo and were photobombed by the driver and other members of the tour! 🤣🤣🤣. (People are crazy in Talkeetna!)
Back to town we went to grab a quick dinner in town at a Pizza Pie diner!
When we arrived back at the lodge, we were ecstatic to join the 30% Club (only 30% of people visiting Alaska actually get to see Mount Denali.) The clouds had lifted and for the very first time, Mount Denali showed herself in all her glory! Needless to say, it was the PERFECT ENDING to a wonderful day!!
Comments
Post a Comment