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Published: September 6th 2016
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27 Aug 2016: It was an easy drive to Anchorage from Seward, about 125 miles. The part I liked the best was probably the section along Turnagain Inlet, where the road threads its way locked between the inlet on one side and the mountains on the other. When the tide is out, it appears as an expansive mud flat. When the tide is in, it is covered in water. Beluga Whales come in with the tide to feed on fish, crustaceans and worms.
I wanted to replace the two front tires while we were here. One had been replaced on our way in to Soldotna with a tire that was used and the other front tire was six years old, which is why the other went flat two weeks before. I had looked for where Michelin tires were sold and found one was Worthington Ford in Anchorage. Well, the coach chassis was a Ford and a Ford dealer should be reliable so I had called them when we got to Soldotna and they would order a pair and have them waiting for us when we got there. We located the dealership and pulled up to the service bay,
which was too low for us to enter. I explained the purpose of the visit and was asked to disconnect the Jeep and park the coach along the side of the building. After a little while they told me they couldn't replace the tires because the vehicle was too tall to get into the shop and they didn't have any jacks to work on it outside. !!!! I was a little miffed, having called ahead and expecting to get the tires replaced. Additionally, when I asked to speak to someone about the misinformation I had gotten I was told there was nobody in any position of authority to handle my complaint. Nobody is in charge. So, after concluding it would be a waste of time to pursue the matter further I went to get the Jeep to reconnect it. They had parked the courtesy vehicle in front of it, boxing it in. Back again. You need to move your courtesy vehicle so I can get out. Long delay. Service agent explains they are looking for the key. More delay. Service agent returns to tell me the courtesy driver is at lunch and took the only key to the vehicle with
him. Further, they are unable to contact him because his cell phone is turned off. It has now become a comedy of sorts. Maybe they will give me a loaner. Finally, a customer moves his vehicle and I am free at last. I reconnected the Jeep and drove out of the lot and headed to our RV park.
We weren't quite sure what we would do in Anchorage. There were several museums we could visit and I thought it would be nice to ride the Alaska Railroad. We found that we could take the train up to Talkeetna in the morning and return the same day so we bought two tickets, leaving at 0815 on the 29th. It was a three hour ride up to Talkeetna and the Alaskan countryside was very scenic. There was a guide on board and the engineer slowed down whenever we passed a noteworthy feature on the route. There were Osprey nests and Trumpter Swans but the most awsome sight was Mt Denali. It was a beautiful clear day, unlike when we had been in the National Park and had to charter a plane to see the mountain. The South Face of
the mountain and its surrounding peaks shown like jewels against a clear blue sky and fronted by the log-filled gravel bars of the Talkeetna River, where it flows into the Chulitna and Susitna Rivers. To be able to view the Mountain free of clouds is a gift only about one in three travelers receive. This was a real bonus.
Once we disembarked, we had to walk a half mile or so into town. We stopped about half way there to have lunch at a combination restaurant, bar, and dog musher training facility that was up for sale. Continuing on we found that Talkeetna was a destination for travel companies and was filled with tourists (including us) walking up and down the street filled with gift, art, souvenier shops, a brewery and other retail establishments. I was expecting a quaint little town and was surprised at the number of visitors on a Monday afternoon. We walked through the town, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, for several hours before deciding to return to the Depot for the train back to Anchorage. By this time we were both pretty sore from the walking (me) and scootering (Jeanne)
and just wanted to sit down. We learned the Southbound train would be about 45 minutes late but it didn't matter as long as we were sitting down. The ride back was equally enjoyable. We sat on the same side as on the ride up so we saw the countryside on the opposite side of the tracks. My knees really hurt the next day.
Still looking for a business to replace the front tires, I located a business not far from our park and drove the coach over there the next day. They replaced the tires but fount that the decorative caps were "frozen" to the wheels and had to be knocked off. This made it impossible to replace once the tires were mounted.
The following day was our last day in Anchorage. We drove to the Anchorage LDS Temple, which has limited hours and was closed when we got there. We shopped for supplies for our next move and after putting the groceries away decided to drive out to the turnaround Inlet to see if we could see any Beluga Whales. The tide was out so after consulting the tide tables and learning
it would be coming in around 1900 decided to visit Potter's Marsh. This was a marsh formed when the Alaska Railroad was being constructed. The rail bed closed off access of three little streams to the inlet and the water backed up forming a marsh. It is a refuge for a variety of wildlife, including many species of water birds, muskrats, Moose and even an occasional bear. Excellent views are afforded by a long raised boardwalk about 20 feet off the ground that borders two sides of the marsh. We did see a Moose nonchalantly browsing on leaves while we were there. It was pretty close to our vantage point on the boardwalk but didn't seem to mind us a bit. Salmon, which travel up the little streams to spawn were not present. We read the well-placed signs explaining the ecology of the area and how plants, animals and fish all benefit from this feature.
Returning to the Turnagain Inlet, we pulled off the road at Beluga Point to look at the Belugas coming in with the tide to feed on fish, crustaceans and worms. You can't see too much of these smaller whales but we did
see the little puff of spray when they exhaled and could discern their smooth backs that contrasted with the little waves in the water. It was fun to watch for them and to shout out out when either of us spotted one. This inlet is also subject to tidal bores as high as seven feet and moving at 12 mph. A tidal bore is a wave that results when the flood tide (never the ebb tide) moves against the current of a river's flow. We were there at about the right time but did not witness this event, which is attentuated or diminished by tidal forces (moon) and the river's flow. If we ever return we will definitely try to witness this phenomenon.
The next morning we vacated our RV park and headed to our next stop after first getting air filter replaced the oil changed in our coach.
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