Talkeetna -Denali's launching point

The destination today is the tiny town of  Talkeetna where approximately 1000 mountaineers begin their arduous ( and dangerous ) journey up the steep slopes of Denali. (Only about 50% will make it to the peak ). It has an unpaved main street that contributes to it's Wild West feel.  It promises some interesting conversations with those that have a keen adventurous spirit. A must see.

 We woke to brilliant sunshine (not very different as when we went to bed) and I instantly thought – Denali!

 Denali (formally known as Mt. McKinley until recently) is the largest mountain in North America, and the crown jewel of Denali National Park.

Oh my gosh! Could one of these mountains be it? Denali? Hardly anyone gets to see it during their visits! 

   However because of the clouds that seem to take residence around the mountain, only a lucky 30 per cent of its visitors get to see any part of it. Only 7 % of the time is the mountain completely clear.  I didn’t really expect to be among the lucky, but to see it would be akin to seeing moose mating, or perhaps grizzly bears giving birth.  Lucky we were!

There were a few things we really needed, so we got up early and headed to the nearby Walmart. We literally ran around in there, hating to take a chance that the clouds would blossom around the mountain.

I had done a lot of research on this trip, and had written down exactly where the best viewpoints were to see this magnificent mountain.

Armed with two-way radios, we drove a few hundred miles toward Denali National Park, and then low-and-behold, there it was in front of us!  Around the first bend we thought this great mountain ahead must be it!  I took pictures, not totally sure, but if it was, I didn’t want to have regrets.  A few more miles down the road, and …. Oh my!  Look at that!  Without question, this was the great mountain… covered in snow, looking so utterly magnificent it took my breath away.  I was so excited- I jumped up and down like a child!  We hit the “scenic lottery”!

There was a camaraderie among the excited visitors who are here at the right place at the right time.  We talked, laughed, and took each other's pictures. 

 Granted it was far away, but to actually see it?  The chances were so slim!

We proceeded to stalk this Mountain View as we continued on, taking side roads to higher elevations (a little daring in the huge RV) and stopping at each turnout.  Sometimes a cloud would obscure the peak, so we would wait until it passed.  Then race off for another, hopefully even better – view.

After "stalking" this mountain for the better part of the day, I guess you could say I "cheated" a little with my zoom lens, but this was the most clear, and best location we got. It was somewhere prior to Mile Marker 99

When we finally came to the last viewpoint at Mile Marker 99, just south of Talkeetna, the clouds and haze had started to sneak in.  I imagined at this point it would look like the magazines, or perhaps the National Geographic photos.  Not so, but Norm and I were not giving up, and vowed to get up very early the next day and hope it might be better.

Our great site at Talkeetna RV Park and Boat Launch. 

We got to our campground, Talkeetna RV Park and Boat Launch, and discovered that it was basically "rough camping" ( no sewer, water or electricity ). Norm and I have not had the opportunity to RV camp in the wild, but we were certainly up for it!   We were told to just find a spot and take it, so we walked around and found a couple of suitable sites on the riverfront.  This campground was the most strategically situated so we could walk to town.  Now that we are without a car, this was important. Other than that I could not recommend it due to the very rutted roads and small and uneven sites.

Norm and I ( well, I ) wanted to go back up the hill to the Denali viewing spot and have lunch there and perhaps find the clouds had cleared.  The view was about the same, so after about an hour we went back to the campground, set up, then headed out to see what Talkeetna is all about.

It was really pretty sunny and hot, and the atmosphere was a throw-back to the 60's and 70's.  Plenty of tattoos were proudly displayed as people sat enjoying the rare sunshine, as others carrying huge backpacks strolled into town, looking for a place to stay and perhaps get a bite to eat. Add in a few bus loads of people from cruise ships, and that's Talkeetna on a busy, summer day.  I would venture a guess it is entirely different in the sub-zero winter.

 Norm struck up a conversation with a couple of guys playing guitar, and was quite surprised when he was offered some of their marijuana.  (He said no, of course.) Can you imagine?  I had no part of this past culture, so I was totally shocked.

This is basically downtown Talkeetna. The residents absolutely love it, and would live nowhere else in the world. 

It's after 9PM and the sun is still so strong and hot!  Unusual for Talkeetna  since Denali looms in the distance and tends to collect the clouds and rain.

We went back to the campsite for dinner, then returned to hear a singer we thought was going to play at the local inn.  Since we got the dates mixed up, we had ice cream instead.  By now it was past 9PM so we headed back again.

Jeez, 3 seconds to pick a flavor of ice cream? But it's a huge decision! They must have known I was coming, and how I tend to hold up the line.

Can you really tell if the train is coming this way?  I'm not hearing anything- I hope Norm will warn me if it is!  Had to cross these tracks to get in and out of town and back to our campsite.