The Bright Spot

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Day 3

166 miles

Well, it didn’t look good this morning with rain from the get go. So, we took our time at the chalet before leaving in hopes it would clear, but no … It just kept drizzling and was forecasted to get worse. Finally, we set off. As expected, rain and more rain. For one brief moment the low-lying clouds midway on the tall, tall mountains gave us a glimmer of some pretty sights, but then the clouds enshrouded us and we drove south in the foggy rain. A good way down the road, Susan and Pam needed to make a pit stop and so we pulled into an Alaska state rest area ( rustic National Park like). They were in and out in nothing flat and both had sour faces. P…HEW that stunk so bad it almost made Pam barf and they both could still taste the smell. YUCK!!

Shortly thereafter our one big attraction was to stop in the rain to see a 550ft long bridge over a deep gulch (260 ft deep). One more step on the narrow ledge and we would have been in the gulch. We continued south in the rain and hoped it would clear to see Denali. We stopped at the Denali View North – nope, pouring and foggy – Denali was hiding from us. Later we stopped at Denali View South – again; it was still pouring the rain and foggy. Why is Denali being so shy?

Through the pouring rain we drove on to Talkeetna. Since our room wasn’t ready yet, we decided to visit the museum. There, we could get out of the rain in a place with just a few people. Afterwards, we checked into our very rustic room and picnicked inside. Later, equipped with masks and rain gear, we braved the rain and walked around the shops in the small town of Talkeetna. We struggled to find a place for good take-out food and, unfortunately, the seafood takeout that we chose tonight wasn’t our usual quality. After eating it in our room, our room smelled fishy. P-hew! The one bright side was that, while we were eating, the rain stopped and the skies began to clear. So, as soon as we finished eating, we went out by the fast-moving river (with dangerous currents) to give Denali one more attempt to show her face. But, alas, Denali denied us again. Still, we enjoyed the rest of the evening taking a long walk around the entire town with the sun shining on us. A bright spot on a rainy day for sure…

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Photos

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We thought the day might turn out okay, but we were wrong

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An Alaska rest stop

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A highlight. A bridge over gulch

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The bridge

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Pam taking a picture. Susan trying to keep from falling into the gulch

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We stop at one of the stops and Pam spots Denali.

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Another Denali sighting

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No snow, just rain

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Another Denali sighting

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We make it to Talkeetna. But it's still raining

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Susan and Pam go dog sleding

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Then Pam takes off in a vintage snow mobile

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Is the weather turning, where is Denali. All I see are clouds.

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Then blue sky. Except, of course, where Denali is located. That is cloudy, dark cloudy

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The river by our lodge. The current is crazy fast

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They wanted me in a picture but of course it was into the sun and I was squinting too much