Talkeetna started as a railroad stop, as it remains today! In fact – the last whistle-stop train in the US goes through Talkeetna. In case you don’t know – a whistle-stop train is one that is stopped, literally, with a whistle from one standing along the tracks. Much of the area around Talkeetna is only accessible by boat or the train. So – it stops where it is flagged down;-) Fortunately, we could get to Talkeetna in Magic and into a nice little spot for a couple of days.
Magic’s aspen lined spot in the Talkeetna Camper Park – –
– – Next to the railroad tracks, as everything in Talkeetna is next to the tracks!
Today, Talkeetna is the major staging area for mountain climbers headed to Denali. It is where climbers from around the world “jump off” to start their climbs. The historic town of Talkeetna was built by miners, prospectors, adventurers and the Railroad. It is still laid-back with authentic historic cabins and museums lining the pretty much walking only Main Street.
Downtown! Just a few minutes walk from the campground.
The Fairview Inn, since 1923.’
Nagley’s General Store.
How long have these have been here??
G contemplating a ‘High Expedition’ – a recent addition to the offerings on Main Street.
Talkeetna also sits at the junction of three rivers – the Talkeetna, Susitna and Chulitna. In fact, Talkeetna means “where the rivers join” in the local Athabaskan (native) language. A stay here would not really be complete without a river trip. So, we were all off on the McKinley Queen (perhaps needs to be renamed to the Denali Queen now??) and two wonderful, knowledgeable guides all provided by Mahay’s.
And – we are off!
The rivers are shallow (sometimes only 2′ deep) and very fast moving.
A brief stop took us to a trappers cabin, complete with food cache and fur drying shed, and to a native fish camp.
Good thing G was not a trapper. He would never get in these old trapper cabins.
Get that food in the cache out of reach of the bears.
An Athabaskan fish camp including work shed, ‘freezer hole’ and smoking pit.
Then we got to G’s favorite! A very shallow part of the river where the eagles could easily fish. And we had eagles. The final count was somewhere around 40!!
This juvenile bald eagle hasn’t started to grow its white head feathers. It’s colors are a work in progress.
A proud, awesome bird.
Salmon working their way upriver to their spawning grounds – if they survive the eagles.
One more day in Talkeetna and a hike around X, Y and Z Lakes seemed appropriate. So, we were off on a perfect hiking day to get our 4 miles in amongst some beautiful scenery. It seemed that all the animals took a break today – but we saw the most interesting array of mushrooms – and in large numbers!!
Our last day in town we took a hike around Lake X to admire the beauty one more time.
Here are only a few of the many varieties of fungi spotted along the trail.
A farewell dinner this evening at Talkeetna Alaska Lodge and we will all be on our way. The Stinson’s are going on their way to spend a week with the kids and grandkids before we meet up again for another week and a long awaited experience (you will have to stay tuned for that one!!!!!). E & G will head to Palmer for a little golf and hiking.
E & G saying good-bye to Talkeetna and the Stinson’s (for now) and hello to Palmer;-)
Elizabeth & Gary's Magic Bus Tour 