We woke up to 46 degrees and rain. Bags had to be in the hall at 6:00 this morning. Ouch. Three of us grazed on snacks we bought at a grocery store yesterday, and Barb, Cyd, Dan, Walter, and I strolled to The Pantry Café a couple blocks from the hotel for a quick breakfast.

We were all pumped for the train experience, so we needed no coaxing to jump onboard the Wilderness Express, a glass-domed railcar, at 8:30. The train moved slowly along the single track with all noses glued to the windows searching unsuccessfully for bear and moose but settling for bald eagles, ducks, and trumpeter swans.

First stop: Talkeetna, 115 miles north. Gold brought miners here in 1896. By 1910 Talkeetna, situated at the confluence of three rivers, was a bustling riverboat steamer station supplying miners and trappers. The town’s population peaked at more than 1,000 during World War I and then declined after the Alaska Railroad was completed in 1923. This historic little village is nestled at the base of North America’s tallest peak, Denali. Talkeetna has been revived as the main staging area for ascents of high peaks nearby and now the population hovers back around 1,000.

Our search for large mammals ended when we got off the train and went in search of lunch. As a devoted watcher of the TV series Northern Exposure, I’d say this tiny, funky hamlet is straight out of my mental picture of life in tiny-town Alaska. Main Street has two blocks of historic buildings, shops, art galleries, restaurants, and a brewery. Nagley’s Store dates back to 1921 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Other historic buildings include the Fairview Inn, dating back to 1923, and the Talkeetna Roadhouse, originally built in 1917. At the end of Main Street is Talkeetna Riverfront Park, offering views of the Susitna River and, on clear days, Denali. Today was not a clear day.

After grabbing a quick lunch and browsing the cute shops Dan and I broke off to meet our pilot and fellow passengers for our flight between and over the mountains. The plan was to see Denali and its impressive neighbors in all their glory, but poor visibility called for a plan B which turned out to be flying over one impressive glacier after the next. It snowed last night, so there was a fresh blanket of white in all the high places. The sun flirted with us the whole hour and a half we were in the air which made for spectacular views. We no sooner landed and it started to rain.

We met our buddies in the dining room at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge for dinner before getting organized for our one-night stay here. Just ahead of sunset the clouds slowly parted near Denali and we had a clear view from our window. Lady Luck just keeps smiling on us. Let’s see if she produces the northern lights known in more sophisticated circles as the aurora borealis.

… Fun to Know …

Denali used to be known as Mount McKinley.

President Harding, his wife, and his mistress stayed at Talkeetna’s Fairview Inn
when he came North to drive in the last spike of the railroad.
He died two weeks after his visit.

Today’s Alaska Railway runs year round from Seward to Fairbanks.
The Wilderness Express refers to two-story tourist cars that are added
to the end of the train from May to September.