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