Blogs from Talkeetna, Alaska, United States, North America

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 ... read more

Kinda drizzly today. So we went to Talkeetna to do some shopping. Stopped by the brewery to fill a couple of growlers and had the best appetizer - deep fried provolone cheese wedges with Marinara sauce. !! headed back to the cabin to do the wash.. Then did a little more exploring. Its so beautiful here.... read more

Nice scenery along the Park Hwy. Stopped at Denali State Park. Horrific head on car crash about 30 miles from destination . Was stranded on the highway for 2 1/2 hours. Heard they flew in 10 rescue vehicles. When we drove by the site the vehicles were unrecognizable. Sooo sad. Arrived in Talkeetna about 3. Checked into the Meandering moose Lodge. Staying in the Cozy moose cabin. Got settled into our 1st dry cabin then headed to the Denali Brewery. Nice selection. We loved 4 of the 10!. Ordered some appetizers and enjoyed our brews outside. Talkeetna is so quaint and beautiful. After all their Mayor is a CAT!!... read more

I had a day off from working with the Iditarod Race, so I rented a car. My goal today was to see Denali. 36 years ago I was here with Ed (my husband), and we never saw the peak. We had miserable weather while up here in June 1981, but we perservered through it and did as much sightseeing as we could. I remember reading the Alaska Milepost " and on your left you will see blah blah blah mountains . . ." We couldn't see crap - rain, clouds, wind. But now the weather is absolutely beautiful. My AirBnB host told me of a road I could take to see Denali. I rented a car with studded tires and drove up Arctic Valley Rd. I had to remember how to drive on black ice. I ... read more

Of the many tiny towns with great personality in Alaska, Talkeetna stands out as the artsy, bohemian mountaineering gateway to Denali. Recommended to us by our nephew Shannon, this busy flight center for those aspiring to conquer The Great One lies at the end of an 11 mile access road. To reach there from Valdez, we took the Glenn Highway across the southern belt of the interior through Palmer, Wasilla, the heart of the Matanuska Valley and started north on the George Parks Highway toward Denali. As we drove up the Talkeetna Spur road, the sky lit up with a spectacular sunset, with brilliant shafts of sunlight shooting through dramatic clouds. We hurried to a turnoff that our 1998 Milepost guide said offered an unstoppable view of Denali. When we arrived, tall trees had grown in ... read more