From Talkeekna to Fairbanks

We only stayed two nights in Talkeetna. It is a tiny little town - some say it is the inspiration for the town of Cicely, Alaska from the TV show Northern Exposure. That may have been the case 30 years ago, but I don't see it now. 

But it is a beautiful place on the Susitna River. (as a political aside, there is talk of damming the Susitna. Go here to learn more. But I don't think that should happen)

 While on our last hike in town, we came across these Fly Agaric mushrooms:

Beautiful, but poisonous.

We went back to the beaver felled trees. There was one very nice seat, as if it was put together for Doreen:

I had a more precarious perch:

On the road, we stopped in at the Denali State Park headquarters.

Mainly to see the sled dogs

and the sleds

 Good looking dogs:

 But they seemed lonely

During the hike, Doreen was very happy that she had a hat:

and was surprised when I took mine off. She had to slick down my hairL

 Much better now!

 Nice views

These are the plane right outside of Fairbanks. That is the Tanana river in the background. Rhymes with Canada.

Flying to a glacier

Because the weather is so unpredictable around Denali (as we were told over and over again, Denali is only clear 30% of the time) we did not arrange a "flightseeing" (ugh. Neologisms) trip until we arrived in Talkeetna. We were able to get a flight with the sister company of Rust Aviation (the company we used to get to Katmai and see the brown bears) named K2. Weather forecasting is just as bad in Alaska as it is in Texas, so when the prediction was a 50% chance of rain at 11:00 AM, we were not too worried.

But small planes are still small planes. We were on an Otter.

 Denali in the morning

Our Otter

I was given a seat in the back (leg room) and Doreen was given the co-pilot's seat.

Unlike when I was in the co-pilot's seat on the Cessna, the Otter had all the controls in Doreen's seat. So she could have brought us home if she had to.

It was a spectacular flight. Here are some photos of the outbound side:

As we took off from Talkeetna, we could see the lone road that heads north to Fairbanks (AK 3) and lots of forest and scrub. In areas where there are trees, the permafrost either doesn't exist or is very deep. The grassy parts have shallow permafrost.

As we were getting into the mountains, I can tell you it was rather scary. First of all, the pilot was very laconic. At times I thought he might fall asleep. And then we were flying through mountain passes, where the MOUNTAIN WAS ABOVE THE PLANE! I felt as if I could reach out and touch the rock. I was worried that a breeze was going to slam the plane into the mountain. Good thing we got our wills done before we left! Doreen, up front, said it was no less nerve-wracking. The pilot kept talking and talking all the while heading straight into the mountain, so we could all "get a better view". She said she wished he would just be quiet and fly. I was hoping he was not depressed, or had had a fight with his wife that morning.

Looking up at rocks:

 Fantastic blue glacier melt water:

People climb these mountains:

Fantastic:

 I am sure everyone recognizes all the glaciers:

These sheer rocks are really popular with climbers:

A panoramic once we landed on the glacier:

It was not nearly as cold as I thought it might have been. Probably in the high 40s

We weren't there long enough. So I had to do a Glacier Dance.

our shadow as we took off:

Wonderful views:

The Susitna:

 The Susitna again.

a fantastic day. Even if we were ready to get back down on terra-firma.

Seward to Talkeetna

It's about a 240 mile drive from Seward to Talkeetna:

and it took us right past the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center - a great organization that takes wounded or injured animals, rehabilitates them if they can, and releases them, or lets them live their lives out in peace if they cannot be released.

The have Brown Bears:

Elk:

 American Bison: 

Moose:

Musk Ox:

as well as Lynx, Porcupines, Eagles, Owls, and more. It is a good organization with a good purpose.

We also stopped at a little lake overlook for an SP:

and then we got up to where we could see Denali (Mt McKinley for those of you from Ohio)

Very nice.

The room had a great view of the mountain, and we were told that it is visible only 30% of the time. We saw it the whole time we were in Talkeetna.

And a great view it was:

We took a short walk to the Susitna River, and saw a lot of evidence of beavers:

 They were very busy.

It is a beautiful river:

It was a nice day.