Alaska #9: South of Denali and Talkeetna

Denali Highway; Photo: Scott Stevens

Now, it was time to head south to prepare for our trip to Utqiaġvik (Barrow) in two days. Because we weren’t sure what time we would get back from the Backcountry Lodge, we didn’t want to drive all the way to Anchorage the same day. So, we decided to drive half way and stay in Talkeetna, 2 ½ hours south.

Scott communing with nature

On the way, we went back to the Denali Highway near Cantwell and drove a bit on the gravel road that goes to Paxson. 

This was where we had seen the Northern Hawk Owl two days earlier, so we were looking for wildlife.

The road is fairly well graded without a lot of potholes. 

And, it was a great chance to see and photograph the scenery and animals without being confined by a bus.

We didn’t see any more Owls, but we did see some more White-Crowned Sparrows …

An adult and a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow

… and White-Winged Scoters …

 White-winged Scoters

More importantly, we saw a lot of was gorgeous scenery …

Denali Highway

It was a sunny day (Alaska weather changes frequently) and there was no wind, so we got some extraordinary reflections.

Denali Highway

It was nice to explore a new area, especially one that turned out to be so pretty. And, we noticed as we looked toward the Denali National Park and Preserve that the mountain was "out." Take a close look at the one below. At first, it looks like a mountain with clouds over it. But, look above the clouds. That’s MORE mountain. After all, Denali is 20,232 feet high, of which 18,000 rises from the base. Spectacular.

View from the Denali Highway

So, we hurried on to our next stop -- the North Denali Viewpoint. You will recall that we stopped at the South Viewpoint when we first arrived. That day, the mountain was not to be seen. But, this day, ooh la la – more great views of Denali. Our last ones of the trip, except when we saw the top from the air.

Denali from the North Viewpoint

The North Viewpoint is a popular stop, but it appeared that few people take the time to stroll through the adjacent nature path. It was a treasure trove of mushrooms …

Mushrooms

… lichen, fungi, plants …

Berries and lichen

… and a few birds here and there, including this cute little Black-capped Chickadee ...

Black-capped Chickadee, North Denali Viewpoint

The path had a very neglected feel about it – but, in a good way. It just looked like nature was taking it back over.

Nature path, North Denali Viewpoint

Then, we headed south, through a big construction zone, without stopping much, except to photograph a couple of Trumpeter Swans.

Trumpeter Swans

Talkeetna is a strange little town. Located  at the confluence of three rivers, the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna, Talkeetna is a center for flightseeing, rafting, mountain biking, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and preparing for the arduous climb to the summit of Denali. 

Talkeetna floatplane dock

Talkeetna Roadhouse

Talkeetna is a 2½-hour drive from Anchorage. The core downtown area is on the register of National Historic Places, with buildings dating from the early 1900s including Nagley's General Store, the Fairview Inn and the Talkeetna Roadhouse. We stayed in Room 5 of the Talkeetna Roadhouse.

The town was founded in 1916 when the area was chosen as a district headquarters for the Alaska Railroad. 

The new town had a post office, sawmill, trading post, cigar store, donkey store and rental cabins. I am sure a donkey store is important to gold miners.

The town definitely has an artist-colony, outdoorsy, hippie vibe. It looks simultaneously rundown and quaint. There are a fair amount of tourist shops, some restaurants and, of course, a lot of adventure tourism purveyors.

Talkeetna Air Service building

From 1997 to 2017, the “mayor” was a cat named Stubbs. Talkeetna has no real mayor because it is only a "historical district.” Stubbs died last year at the age of 20.

Mayor Stubbs; photo: Smithsonian Magazine

Talkeetna is served by the Alaska Railroad and the Talkeetna Airport, which is home to several air taxi companies that provide flightseeing trips and support for mountain climbers. Many of the air taxis were started to ferry climbers from Talkeetna to Denali, because Talkeetna has the easiest access to the south side of the mountain where the main base camp is located.

Denali basecamp, 2013

The town of Cicely from the television series Northern Exposure is said to be patterned after Talkeetna. I loved that show. Of course, it was filmed in Roslyn, Washington, rather than Alaska. We even visited Roslyn back when the show was on. 

Left: Northern Exposure cast; right photo: Caty, Becca and Scott in Roslyn, Washington, 1993

Honestly, we encountered several people on this trip who could have been in the cast of Northern Exposure.

We walked around a little and tried to find some riverside beach to photograph. But, the water was exceptionally high and many of the beaches were either closed or just plain underwater.

The Talkeetna Roadhouse is pretty historic. 

Me in the room; Photo: Scott Stevens

We had a room without a bath up a steep flight of stairs in the Dining Room. 

The floorboards look authentic, with quarter inch gaps between them. Don’t drop an earring! 

There was a bathroom upstairs, but Scott couldn’t turn on the shower (he washed with a ewer). So, I got up early and took my shower in a more modern bathroom downstairs. 

I wanted to get in and out before they opened for breakfast.

Talkeetna Roadhouse; Photo: Scott Stevens

Speaking of breakfast, the Talkeetna Roadhouse is famous for it. Apparently, they have huge meals. But, we left town too early for that.  

Fortunately, they have a gorgeous bakery that serves all kinds of wonderful stuff. 

Talkeetna Roadhouse bakery

A feature is a Rudy-in-Parka (like a pig-in-a-blanket, but with reindeer sausage, known locally as a Rudy). 

We opted instead to get two pasties – a rhubarb and a potato, cheese and onion. Heavenly. 

Much better than the ones we had in the UP of Michigan, which claims pasties as their local specialty. 

If you go to Talkeetna, go to the bakery. Get a pastie. Enjoy. 

That was our afternoon after the trip out of Denali. The next day we would be in Anchorage.

Trip date: August 17-September 4, 2018