Day 5 - Talkeetna

The famous Talkeetna sign, right in front of the Visitor's Center.

June 7, 2011 - The next morning we woke up in a nice, leisurely manner and took the shuttle back into Talkeetna.  Just a little word of advice, be a few minutes early for the shuttle. You’ll need to purchase your round-trip ticket at the tour desk right inside the lodge from the shuttle stop, and there can be a line. 

The Roadhouse - made famous on Man vs. Food

Once in Talkeetna, we made a bee-line for the Roadhouse and had one of our best meals of the trip. We ordered their standard breakfast (half) and a sourdough pancake (half order) and shared.  The homemade apple butter and raspberry jam are fantastic and the toast was from thick slices of home-made bread. We ordered the daily pancake special, with wildberries cooked in. They were amazing. The pancake overflowed the plate and was absolutely wonderful. The seating is family style around big tables.  We seated ourselves on the end of one table, away from everyone else; no fun! The next day we hit the Roadhouse during a rush and were lucky to find a seat at a large table, we had a blast talking with everyone and getting their stories.  Be brave, dive on and and sit with someone.  The Roadhouse is also a boarding house, and several of the climbers stay there before and after their summits. On our way out as we were paying our bill, we spoke with the owner who was featured on Man vs. Food and mentioned that we’d seen her on the show. She told us about the filming and had some great stories. Be brave, ask shop owners what brought them to Talkeetna, you'll be glad you did.

The grocery store is to the left - go on in and meet the mayor!
The West Rib Pub is to the right, it also was featured
on Man vs. Food.

We spent the rest of the afternoon slowly making our way through the shops on Main Street. I really enjoyed Talkeetna, it has a definite “cool” to it, as if it really doesn’t care what anyone thinks.  It is what it is. They call themselves a drinking town with a climbing problem.  All the climbers who attempt Denali use Talkeetna as their starting point, so there is a rather cosmopolitan feel to the place. It was fun to talk to the shop owners and get their stories.

One of the funky moose on display.

This one is called Forever Lost in Alaska

The Visitor's Center (left) and a couple of gift shops near
the shuttle stop.

Some people seem to consider their stay at McKinley Princess Lodge as out in the wilderness, or stuck in the middle of nowhere.  My husband and I decided that Talkeetna was our favorite stop on the entire cruisetour.  It was more authentic Alaska (at least how we pictured it) than any other stop. We liked the little town so much, that we came back early the next day to spend a couple of hours here before we took the train to Whittier.

We took the shuttle back to the Lodge in time to have dinner at the 20,320 Restaurant on the property. We split the appetizer (potato skins with blue cheese – fabulous) an entrée (fish and chips – very good) and dessert (wildberry pie – very small slice), which was perfect for us. This was our favorite meal at a Princess Lodge. Since our luggage had to be out by 6:00a the next morning, we made an early night of it.

Up next - The train to Whittier and embarkation.

Day 4b - Mt. McKinley Summit Flight

Our plane takes off from Talkeetna.
You can see all three rivers, Chulitna, Susitna & Talkeetna,
with the Alaska Range & Mt. McKinley in the background.

There are a only a few things in my life that have literally taken my breath away.  The sunrise over Mount Haleakala in Maui, a whale surfacing 20 feet away from me off the coast of San Francisco, and now our summit flight over Mt. McKinley.  We'd booked a flight in Ketchikan, so I intended to skip this expense, but my son was appalled.  He couldn't believe we would go all the way to Alaska, and not take a summit flight.  We booked one for the evening we arrived in Talkeetna.  That way if the weather was bad, we had the whole next day to reschedule.  Our evening was perfect, and the next day was overcast, so we got very lucky.  My son went on two flights to McKinley, and he said he'd never seen it as clear as we had it.  Last summer, only 5% of the people who came in June through August got to see the mountain.  They went 30 days in a row without seeing it in Talkeetna. We were incredibly lucky (or blessed).

Our pilot prepares for take off.  The person in front
of me moved to the co-pilot's seat, so I had an
unobstructed view out the wide window.

We had to really hurry from the train/shuttle drop off since the train was 45 minutes late, but we arrived right at 5:30. They weighed us and our gear, gave us glacier overboots, went through the emergency procedures and then we boarded. We flew in a De Havilland Otter and I believe it had room for 9 passengers. I took the third seat on the right, and it turned out to be a fabulous seat. TAT refits their planes with large convex picture windows, so the views are entirely different than looking out of a regular plane window.  You can stick your head out in the window and look straight down below, and since the windows are at least twice as wide as a regular window, it’s almost panoramic.  I quickly realized what a difference this made when we landed on the glacier and could see the windows on the other planes there. Some of them had wide windows without the convex shape, and some had the smaller windows with the convex shape. Ours was the only one with the large picture windows and the convex shape. Our pilot Will said they retrofit all of their planes that way for better viewing.

Our Talkeetna Air Taxi plane

The K2 plane

The Fly Denali plane

But enough about the plane.  The flight was fantastic.  Everything was so clear up there, we could see all three summits; Denali, Hunter and Foraker. We circled each summit, and went just above Denali.  We could see a group of climbers making their way down the mountain after summiting; they were all hooked up together in a line. It was so amazing to see all the glaciers from the air, to see the avalanches left in the snow, to see the crevasses and small glacier melt pools on the glaciers. 

The Three Summits - Hunter, Foraker & Mt. McKinley
with Kahiltna Glacier in the foreground

Looking over the Alaska Range from Mt. McKinley

Those aren't ants on the ridgeline, they're climbers.

Mt. McKinley - close up

Moose's Tooth, as we approach Sheldon's Amphitheater
and our landing spot.

It was pretty unbelievable.  And then we landed on a glacier – it was so incredible. The sky was so blue, the mountains so black and the snow so white. We could see Denali poking up above our little amphitheatre. We lost track of time, and were up there for quite a while. 

Us, with our plane in the background

Behind us is the runway, there is a little drop off
where the tracks end.

When I realized it was 7:45, the time we were supposed to be back in Talkeetna, I asked one of the employees who went up with us how long it would take to get back, since the last shuttle leaves for the lodge at 9:00. I didn’t really want to spend the night in Talkeetna when I’d already paid for a room at McKinley Princess. We quickly rounded everyone up and took off from the glacier.  In no time we were back in Talkeetna, and met our shuttle driver.  We had a few minutes to spare, so we quickly walked up and down the main street to get a feel for the layout of the town. We planned to come back the next day and have breakfast at the Roadhouse, the restaurant featured in Man vs. Food.

The drive from Talkeetna to the lodge is about 55 minutes, with the shuttle driver pointing out wildlife along the way (when there is some). It would be a lot shorter if the Talkeetnans would allow a bridge to be built between their town and Trapper Creek, cutting off about 17 miles each way, but you have to go all the way down to the bridge and circle back, making a huge u-turn.

The terrain around Mt. McKinley

At 15,000 feet we donned our oxygen masks.

Another side of Mt. McKinley

We arrived at the Lodge around 10:00p and went to the Grizzly Bar for dinner. Not much of a choice there for dinner, but at least it was something. The Lodge is entirely built around viewing Denali, and the sun was just setting as we had dinner. Everyone was out on deck watching the sunset. The percentage of people who actually get to see Denali is less than 30%, so we all took advantage of it for as long as we could.

Sunset over Mt. McKinley

Up next - a leisurely day in Talkeetna.

Day 4a - The Train to Talkeetna

Our train arrives

We had to have our luggage out by 8:00a the next morning for the train ride to Talkeetna. So we headed across the street for another meal at the Salmon Bake.  Their breakfast was fabulous, once again.  We had the standard eggs, bacon, potatoes and the sourdough pancakes.  I grew up with sourdough pancakes as a special treat, but Terrell had never had them. They are fantastic. After breakfast we hit a few last shops and then went back to the hotel to wait for the train. The lobby was packed with everyone waiting for their tours, coaches to Fairbanks and the transfer to the train. If you’re not there early, you’ll be standing in the lobby for a while.

Terrell waits for the train in front of our shelter.
Shelters are assigned by railcar.

The train ride was fantastic. There were a number of Holland America cars and just one Princess car at the end of the train. When you arrive at the Denali depot, there are large covered shelters with the names of the train cars on them. You just wait in your shelter for the train to arrive, for the stewards to clean the cars and then you get on. Terrell wanted to get on the train right away; while our table was assigned, the seats were not and he wanted to be facing forward. So we waited out by the gates for the train. It turns out he didn’t need to worry, our tablemates were sick and didn’t make the train.

Our car was the only Princess car on the train.

Our table, with our missing tablemates.

The train car was very nice, with the nicest lavatory I’ve seen on a boat, plane or train. It was decorated with little glass tiles and a backsplash of river rock. The lavatory, dining car and observation deck were on the lower deck, and the tables with passengers were on the upper domed deck. 

View from the train

Hint: the train windows are polarized,
so unless you want this bizarre effect,
remove your polarizing lens from your camera.

We were lucky that Denali decided to show off for us. Approaching from the north, she kind of teases you with little glimpses here and there, and you’re not really sure if you’re seeing her or not. As you get closer, she gets more and more obvious. We had a great view of her looking back as we crossed over Hurricane Gulch.

Our first glimpse of Denali -
it's those two white peaks over the ridge.

The view of Denali (circled) from Hurricane Gulch.
Since we were the last car, we had the best view
from the back platform.

This was our closest view of the mountain,
we were 40 miles away.

Our guide on board would share stories and information along the way; she was very good.  I was really impressed with all the Princess employees. They seem genuinely proud of their state and excited to tell you all about it.

Terrell climbing the stairs from the
dining  level to the viewing level.

One thing I learned on this trip, is that Alaskans do not worry about sticking to a schedule.  Our train was late leaving, and late getting in to Talkeetna, which worried me a little since we had booked a summit flight over Denali with a glacier landing, and we had to be at the airport at 5:30. We got into Talkeetna at a little after 5:00 and they shuttled us over to the shuttle stop by Mahay’s parking lot. Those who wanted to see the town could grab a later shuttle. We hightailed it several blocks to Talkeetna Air Taxi, where we arrived right at 5:30.

The view from the platform at the back of our car.

Next up - our Summit Flight and Glacier Landing

 

Day 3 - Denali Park & TWT

Teklanika River Overlook

Warning - Risk of Photo Overload! (I took advantage of my 32Gb of memory card space)
The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast in the King Salmon restaurant on the property. It was probably the best meal we’d had at one of the lodges. Our Tundra Wilderness Tour didn’t start until 2:00p, so we headed over to the shops across the street for some more shopping and to get sandwiches for lunch and dinner, since we wouldn’t be back until late in the evening. We opted for the afternoon tour mainly because we are not morning people, but also because the morning tours have to be back in time for guests who are leaving on the afternoon train. We didn’t want to have to worry about deadlines. The hotel lobby was very busy with motor coaches leaving and the Natural History Tours and TWT leaving all at about the same time. Our tour was called and we headed out to the park with an almost full bus.  We picked up 5 more passengers at the Wilderness Access Center in the park.

Denali Park - I believe we went as far as the Toklat River

I’m glad we chose the TWT over the NHT or the shuttle buses. It was the right decision for us. The NHT didn’t go as far into the park, and some of the other guests that we got to know said that it was okay, but they would like to have gone further into the park. I don’t know if the shuttle buses have a naturalist on board, but our guide Tom was fantastic. He kept up a running commentary from the time we left at 2:00 until we returned to the lodge at 10:45. He was interesting and funny. 

Teklanika River - a braided river which changes paths often

We saw some Dall sheep several times high up on the mountain sides; he called them Dall dots. At our stop at Polychrome mountain, we realized there was a Dall sheep right there on the hillside below our bus.  We all had to take photos, but the moment we were all back onboard, about a dozen rams started heading up the steep hillside to check us out. They walked right alongside the bus. Tom said that was pretty unusual and that we were lucky to see sheep down as low as we were.

These are Dall Dots - those tiny white dots on the ridge are Dall Sheep!

These guys came right up to the road and decided to walk alongside the bus.

Denali was interesting for its vastness and the wildlife, but the scenery cannot compare to a Yosemite or some of the other national parks; that's not why you come here. You come to be overwhelmed by the space, the huge mountains and to spot wildlife. Permafrost prevents the trees from growing very tall, and for quite a bit of the time we were above the timberline. We were able to spot some caribou way off in the distance. At one point, a red fox ran alongside the road with an Arctic Ground Squirrel in its jaws; he disappeared under the highway and reappeared on the other side.  He/she disappeared behind some bushes then reappeared without the squirrel; we figured she left it in her den for her babies.

Can you spot the caribou?

It was this hard to spot them on the tour...

Mama Fox looks pretty intense after dropping off dinner in the den.

Rainbow near Polychrome Pass

We made it to our turnaround spot without seeing a bear, a moose or a wolf, and we were feeling pretty defeated. We were about halfway back when Tom spotted a grizzly up on the hillside, about 200 yards away.  We backed up the bus, since she appeared to be heading opposite the direction we were headed.  Sure enough, she came out of the underbrush with a yearling cub and we got to watch the two of them for about 15 minutes. We were almost back to the paved road when we spotted a moose off in the distance.  He was a big one with a huge rack.  Yeah, we got to see most of the big five! 

Mama Grizzly with year old cub

There's a Moose in the Meadow!

But it got even better. We had dropped off our non-Princess passengers at the WAC and were headed down by Riley Creek on the way out of the park when a mother moose and her calf suddenly appeared on the side of the road.  The baby was the cutest thing; he kept peeking out from under his mama at us. We stayed there a little while and then continued on.  We saw four more moose along the road.  I guess they wait until the park guests are gone and then they use the roads for themselves; we were really late so we got lucky.

Mama Moose and Curious Baby.

The view from Sable Pass - huge, vast, you name it.

Where's Denali?

Our only disappointment was not seeing the Big One - Denali. But we would have another opportunity the next day when we boarded the train for Talkeetna. And what an opportunity it was!

2011 Alaska Cruise - Arrival and Day One

Dave Momsen's Sled Dog Kennels

My husband has had a long standing goal to visit each of the fifty states. Fortunately, he checked off most of them before we were married eight years ago, but every once in a while he'll try to sneak another one in. We have four left: North and South Dakota, West Virginia and Alaska. This summer, we hit Alaska!

We chose Princess Cruisetour T1AIB6, better known as 13 Nights Denali Explorer. We started with two nights in Fairbanks, two nights in Denali, two at McKinley and finished with a 7-night Voyage of the Glaciers on the Island Princess. I have to say I was very impressed with the service level of the Princess staff, both on land and on board. They were always friendly and accommodating. I'm a Celebrity fan, so it's nice to know there's a great alternative.

Princess was very efficient at the airport. They had someone greeting all arrivals at the baggage area and directed us to the Princess kiosk. They presented us with our packet, which contained our itinerary while in Fairbanks and our room keys. One of our bags didn’t make it on our flight from Anchorage, but they arrived on another Alaska Air flight about 20 minutes later.

The Princess porters took our bags, and we made our way to the coaches for the ride to the Princess Riverside Lodge. The Lodge was okay, just a step above a motel. Our first room was on the Terrace level which would have meant a basement room in Utah. Our room was a handicapped room, and the window wouldn’t close all the way, so we asked for another room. Lucky us, we were given Room 1313 overlooking the parking lot.

We ate that evening in the casual dining room. The food was just okay. Terrell had the cod with a fruit salsa and I had a pulled pork sandwich. Our total came to $58 with tax & tip. The next morning we both had the breakfast buffet in the upscale dining room ($14.99 each). The omelet station was excellent, and the chef was a character. The hot chocolate there was really good. Rumors of the high cost of living in Alaska are, unfortunately, true.

I was a little surprised with Fairbanks; I was expecting huge mountains and gorgeous rivers. Instead we got rolling hills, rolling rivers and calm meadows. My purple mountains majesty would have to wait.

Our first excursion was to the El Dorado Gold Mine. On the way, our driver Dane stopped off at the Alaska Pipeline to show us a little about that history of the state.

Alaska Pipeline

I thought the gold mine would be kind of cheesy, but it was actually a lot of fun. The train ride is kind of juvenile, but I got the impression they did this tour for elementary schools as well. The best part was getting down to panning our “plug” of dirt for gold. You really did get the sense that you were the one that would end up with the remedial pan of gold, but sure enough, once all the sand and dirt are washed out, there are little flakes of gold at the bottom of the pan. I ended up with a baby nugget (rare), and my haul came to about $12 worth of gold. The least amount in our group was $7 and the most was over $70.

Terrell pans for gold

Of course they have a huge gift store where you can have your gold made into jewelry. They put it between two pieces of glass lenses, and you can decide on a pendant or earrings. I barely had enough for a pendant. I opted for white gold, which was a bit more expensive than the gold filled pieces. Depending on the style, you could get a necklace for as little as $29.99. My simple white gold pendant came with the chain and cost $69.99, the fancier edging would have cost $109.99.

From the gold mine, we headed back toward the hotel and stopped at Steamboat Discovery for our next tour. We had lunch in their huge cafeteria; it consisted of a beef stew (fatty and nasty), biscuits and a blueberry coffee cake for dessert.

Heading out from Steamboat Discovery

They had a huge gift shop, so I figured this would be a tourist trap. It turned out to be very informative, and the visit to the native Athabascan village was fascinating. We were led to three different "lecture" stations, with amphitheater-style seating. The lectures by the guides were interesting and funny, and you could see their evident pride in their cultural heritage.

We also went by Dave Momsen’s sled dog kennels, where we got a little introduction to sled dogs and the Iditarod. His wife, Susan Butcher, won 4 Iditarod races before she died of leukemia. Her book, Granite, is available for sale at the village, and Dave was there to autograph it.

Our beautiful guide models Athabascan dress

That evening we dined in the Edgewater restaurant on property. Again, the food was good, not fabulous. And expensive.