Alaska trip – Mount McKinley and Talkeetna

This is a continuation of our Alaska trip (see my post on Anchorage, June 26, 2009). We spent our first night at the Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. It is located south of Denali State Park on the banks of the Chulitna River - about a 3 hour drive from Anchorage. It is supposed to have great views of Mt McKinley, but unfortunately the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds when we were there (as it is a high percentage of the time.) Click on photos to enlarge them,


On the deck of the lodge there is a picture that shows what the view would look like from there on a clear day.


Next morning, we took the lodge shuttle to the small town of Talkeetna (pop. 800). Talkeetna is a base for domestic and international climbers challenging Denali (Mt McKinley.)


This historic village was originally an Athabascan Indian camp, then in the early 1900’s it became a supply hub for pioneers and trappers. When we arrived in town we wandered around and made friend with a local dog.


Talkeetnat is located on the confluence of three rivers, the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna Rivers. We strolled through town to the river’s edge. There was no one around; the vista was immense with epic views of the rivers. We really felt like we had arrived in Alaska.


Lunch was at the old Roadhouse – a restaurant and lodge established circa 1917 - the oldest business on Main Street. It is a popular place with locals and climbers. A very sun-tanned climber from East Europe was eating close to us and recounting his climb on Mt McKinley.


The food is homemade, home style and hearty. I had chili with their famous muffins and a piece of berry pie, complimented with some local Alaska ale.


To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alaskan statehood this year Talkeetna had a “most handsome moose” contest. Here are a few contestants –


As an alternative to taking the motor coach back, we took the Three Rivers boat tour and leisurely cruised back to the lodge. This was the end of May and there were still large pieces of ice remaining on the banks from “breakup”.


The rivers looks silvery gray because they carry large volumes of fine glacial silt – which is fine sediment produced by the glaciers as they continue to grind down the mountains.


We stopped along the river and walked to an authentic trapper’s cabin. The interior floor of the cabin was about one foot below ground.


Several animal hides were displayed as examples of what the trappers commonly caught in this area.


Along the way we saw some wildlife including a bald eagle perched on a log.


Then we disembarked under the bridge leading to the lodge and climbed back to the main road.










































Here is a vintage postcard showing the flag of Alaska


and the poem inscribed on it reads :

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue —
Alaska's flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear" — the "Dipper" — and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
Over land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska's flag — to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.

-Marie Drake