The Elusive Denali and The Quirky Town of Talkeetna

When we left Denali National Park after spending four nights there without seeing "THE Mountain," we made a pact that we wouldn't leave the area until we finally saw the elusive Denali. We were ultimately heading for Anchorage, so we drove south down the Parks Highway a few miles and stopped for the night in Cantwell at the Cantwell RV Park. The campground was at the junction of the western end of the Denali Highway and the Parks Highway.

We had read that there was a spot about a mile into this end of the Denali Highway where the mountain was visible (weather permitting). We woke up the next morning to a blue sky, so we didn't waste a minute. We grabbed our coffee and tea and hopped in the car to find the viewing spot. We didn't know exactly where it was, but when we saw a car parked in a dirt pull-off, we slowed down to take a look. And, at last, there it was in all its glory!

It is so much higher than the rest of the Alaska Range that it really stands out. The more rounded south peak is the highest at 20,320'. The pointed north peak is a mere 19,470'.












For the rest of the day, as we drove south, we were treated to a continuous view of Denali. We got much more than we bargained for! As you can see, the clouds are starting to move in.

Our next stop on our way to Anchorage was the little funky town of Talkeetna. We camped in Talkeetna Camper Park, the only RV campground in town. It was an easy 10 minute walk to Main St.

That evening, we walked down to the river that runs just beyond town. To our surprise, we got one last look at Denali!











To celebrate our success, we headed for the Denali Brewing Co. for some Alaskan beer.












We were joined by two new friends we met down at the river. They're sisters from Minnesota. One just moved to Alaska.











You can walk through the whole town in about 10 minutes, but it has lots of character and plenty of beer!

This budding street musician was playing for passersby. He wasn't half bad!

We went to Mountain High Pizza Pie on our second night in town and had their special, "Popeye and Olive Oyl get married." (spinach, feta, garlic, and smoked salmon on a white pizza) It was delicious!

These moose were seen all around the town in front of shops. Just another example of this town's personality.

 

Another reason people come to Talkeetna is to take flight-seeing tours. Lee signed up for one which included landing on a glacier. I'll let him tell you about it himself in another post.

Next stop Anchorage!