Talkeetna

On Tuesday, July 30th we rode on the luxurious McKinley Explorer train from Denali to Talkeetna to stay at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.  We were seated in the observation dome level of the train car.  What magnificent views and spacious seating! At one point, we could look down into a crystal clear stream and saw salmon resting in the pool, getting ready for the next section of rapids.

We had booked an optional excursion to fly with K2 Aviation to the summit of Mt Denali but the flight was cancelled due to the cloudy weather.  Instead we took a 1 1/2 hr sightseeing flight over the valleys and glaciers.  So impressive when you see it from the air!

the trip we took was a modified version of the blue line which was called the "Denali Experience"

getting ready to board the Turbo Otter for our flight

our pilot

Talkeetna airport

none of the rivers were deep or fast flowing and changed their paths almost daily

Glacier carving through a valley

looking down on the glacier you didn't realize it was 2 1/2 miles wide!

sister plane flying nearby

Walking through town we were able to watch people catching salmon along the river.

This inspired us to book a fishing excursion for our time in Kenai.

While walking in town our tour guide contacted us to inform us that the top of  Mt Denali was peeking out of the clouds.  When we returned to the lodge we caught a view of it -- an unusual occurrence as we were told we were part of the 30% club that are actually able to see the mountain!

Mt Denali, previously known as Mt McKinley