Homecoming to Alaska

Base Camp Bistro is one of two restaurants located inside the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge. The Foraker Room is the other, more formal, higher end restaurant. Base Camp Bistro is more of a casual dining restaurant, although the food there is nothing short of gourmet.

We ate twice at Base Camp Bistro. Our first time was for breakfast. We wandered in at 7 AM, and there were only a few tables occupied. I think that guests at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge end up sleeping later and waking up later due to the fact the sun sets quite late here out in the summertime, and 10 PM feels like 5 PM anywhere else in the continental US. We were greeted at the door by friendly staff, who seated us at whatever table we wanted. We chose a table near the windows, which look past the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge’s outdoor viewing deck towards Mt. McKinley. You can see Mt. McKinley from most of the tables here. In the back of the room, furthest away from the windows, the dining area is elevated to offer guests in the back a view as well. The dining area is very spacious with high ceilings and lots of natural light from the windows. There are framed displays of various things, from dog sled race numbers, to old historic Alaskan photos. There are a few paintings of Mt. McKinley, and it’s interesting to view them and compare the paintings to the real thing, seen just out the windows.

The breakfast menu features basics such as toast, eggs, oatmeal, and bacon, but also unique combinations, each named after one of the major mountains on the Alaska Range, with the largest obviously named McKinley Steak and Eggs. My cousin ordered the Alaskan Range breakfast, and a side of oatmeal. I ordered the Hunter smoked salmon hash, named after Mt. Hunter at 14,573 feet tall, and a side of toast. In chatting with our server, he confirmed our thoughts, and said most hotel guests come to breakfast a few hours later.

Our entrees arrived quickly, since there weren’t that many other customers at that time. My cousin’s Alaskan Range breakfast consisted of two eggs, he chose sunny side up, toasted rye bread, herbed breakfast potatoes, and choice of three sausage links or bacon, and he chose sausage. It’s already a very hearty meal without the side of oatmeal. He liked his breakfast and gobbled it all up, including the oatmeal. My Hunter smoked salmon hash is flaked smoked salmon, a poached egg, and a hash cake, topped with fresh spinach and a creamy hollandaise sauce. It’s very rich, and has that nice smoky flavor from the salmon.

Breakfast at Base Camp Bistro wasn’t exactly cheap, it was $34 before tip. The prices aren’t much different than any other hotel restaurant prices, but the food was very good and a welcome change from conventional breakfasts.

We returned to Base Camp Bistro later in the day for dinner. We were greeted my friendly servers again who seated us in the rear of the dining area. This time, the dining room was nearly full. The dinner menu featured a lot of fresh, locally grown salads and vegetable appetizers, as well as seafood, steaks, and burgers. The produce in Alaska grows much larger than normal due to the abundance of sunlight, so a lot of dishes on the menu featured local produce. We saw a server bring a wedge salad to a nearby table. A wedge salad is a quarter of a head of iceberg lettuce with other vegetables and toppings and usually serves one. This wedge must have been cut from a head of lettuce about 12-15 inches in diameter and probably fed 2-3 people.

Our server brought out our drinks and took our orders. We decided against ordering salads with giant vegetables that would fill us up too early. We ordered crab cakes for an appetizer, and my cousin ordered the daily special, which was an aged and smoked ribeye steak. I ordered the beer braised short ribs.

Our appetizer was brought out first. The crab cake appetizer is a rectangular dish displaying three spherical crab and avocado cakes topped with sweet corn relish and smoked paprika oil. Although deep fried, you could tell the crab was fresh. The sweet corn relish and paprika oil could have made a salad in itself, as we found ourselves slowly eating the leftover corn relish as we awaited our entrees.

My cousin’s entrée was the chef’s special, the smoked ribeye. The server said that dish was actually a regular menu item in the Foraker Restaurant, the Base Camp Bistro’s higher end sister restaurant. We all chuckled at this revelation. The server said the ribeye was dry smoked, then aged for fifteen days before being grilled. My cousin said the ribeye was phenomenal. The fat on the steak had shrunk during the aging and slightly pulled away from the bone, the meat was more tender and the smoky mesquite flavor was excellent. It was served with mashed Yukon potatoes and asparagus shoots. My dish was the beer braised short ribs, which were two beef short ribs that were braised in a beer, whereas I’ve usually had them braised in red wine. I could tell the slight taste difference due to the beer, as the beef and accompanying sauce were a little more savory and slightly sweeter than if they were braised with wine. The beef was easy to tear off the short rib using the fork alone. The dish came with mashed Yukon potatoes, which are a bit more yellow than russet potatoes, and asparagus shoots.

We had no room for dessert, so we asked for our bill. The crab cakes were $13, and the beer braised short ribs were a reasonable $18. The smoked and aged ribeye was the most expensive item at $32. Although we splurged on dinner, it was very good. I wouldn’t do this during our entire stay at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, but I would do it again on my next visit. Base Camp Bistro has a good atmosphere, good service, and good food with local ingredients. During the summer it’s daylight almost all the time, so whichever meal you eat at Base Camp Bistro, you can always look our the window and see the spectacular view of Mt. McKinley.

The Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge is a luxury resort located in Talkeetna with great views of Mt. McKinley. Talkeetna is a small town with limited choices of housing, from several downtown historical hotels, smaller lodges or vacation rental homes, or two luxury resort-type hotels, of which the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge is one of them. Just for information, the other luxury hotel/lodge is the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, which is operated by the Princess Cruises line and is about 30-45 minutes north of Talkeetna.

We booked our room online at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge’s website. They were running an online special for buy one night, get the next night free. A room for one night with a Mt. McKinley view was $409, but we would be getting the following night for free, so we opted for that. They have rooms which face away from Mt. McKinley, but the price difference is minimal.

The Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge is just south of Talkeetna Airport off Talkeetna Spur Road. While you’re on Talkeetna Spur Road, it’s hidden from view by the trees, but there is a monument sign on the road. The Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge consists of a main lodge with several smaller lodges off to the sides. Both the inside and outside of the lodge buildings are as you would imagine a traditional lodge to appear. The lodges have cedar plank siding, large windows, thick support columns of river rock, and nice stained and lacquered beams and logs supporting the high ceilings. The main lodge has a nice and cozy double sided river rock fireplace in the middle, reaching all the way up it’s cathedral ceilings about 3 stories up, supported by stained log column and wood beams. The main lodge has a check-in area, gift shop, a nice great room area with the river rock fireplace, and two restaurants, Base Camp Bistro, and the Foraker Room. There are also 3 different sized conference rooms off a hallway from the main lobby.

Our room was on the second floor of the main lodge and had a Mt. McKinley view. The lodge itself sits on a slight hill, so we have a view over the forest and a straight line of sight to Mt. McKinley. Our room was very nice and comfortable, it had a coffee maker, refrigerator, and other amenities found in modern nice hotels. The Mt. McKinley view was gorgeous. The view was totally unobstructed, except for some haze and clouds in the morning hours. The view is actually quite mesmerizing, with many different things to look at to keep us gazing at the mountain for quite a while. From our window, you can make out the southern layout of the Alaska Range, which Mt. McKinley is a part of.

The great room in the main lodge is a nice area to sit, order a nice cold beverage, or a hot chocolate, depending on the season, and sit by the crackling fireplace. There are sweeping views of Mt. McKinley through the 3 story tall windowed wall. A large viewing deck immediately outside faces Mt. McKinley, also with drink service, is a popular place to hang out and take in the sights and sounds. There are tables and lounge chairs on the deck, but they are taken up pretty quickly. One thing I especially like about the viewing deck is a display which helps identify the various peaks and mountain features on the Alaska Range. Much time was spent indentifying and debating on what the different peaks and geographical features were. There is a third floor sitting lobby where people can sit, enjoy a beverage or two, and take in views of Mt. McKinley, unobstructed by anybody on the lower viewing deck. The nights here are very quiet, but bright. In the summer, the sun doesn’t set until around 11 PM, and it stays bright until about midnight. With hardly any city lights around us, a lot of people stayed on the viewing deck, gazing straight up at the multitude of stars and constellations that are easily visible from the deck. Staff members were available to help us identify the various constellations.

On the grounds, there are several trails around the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge property that people can take a hike or jog on. The concierge desk has guided tours of the trails, where they will point out survival techniques, sights, and any wildlife. While the grounds of the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge are private property, it’s not unusual to see wild birds, or even a moose or two on or near the property. There is also a geocaching adventure where you can bring your portable GPS unit, or rent one from the lodge, and go on a little treasure hunt for hidden items on the property. I talked with a few people that have done the geocaching, and they said it was a lot of fun for the kids. There are items such as ammo boxes hidden in the forest with written hints and the next set of GPS coordinates.

The Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge is a very nice place to stay. If you like a nice hotel-like environment, as opposed to a vacation home or camp-like environment, then the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge is worth a few extra dollars, especially with any online specials. The rooms were very nice, the service was good, the views are excellent. This is not really a lodge per-se, but more like a 4 star hotel in any major city. Looking back at our experience at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, we probably could have booked a non-McKinley view, and saved some money, since we spent most of our time in the great room, or the viewing deck, or the third floor lobby, and got our fill of Mt. McKinley there.

One of the goals of my trip to Talkeetna is to get on Mt. McKinley. I’m not climbing it, at least not this time, so I figured I could fly there. We read good reviews about K-2 Aviation and booked a trip online from their website. They had an Alaska 50th statehood anniversary special going of $305 a person for a 1 hour 45 minute flight around Mt. McKinley and it’s surrounding mountains and glaciers, plus a glacier landing. There is a Denali National Park entrance fee imposed by the Park Service of $10 per person for glacier landing.

When we first arrived in Talkeetna, we went to the Talkeetna Airport to K-2 Aviation’s office to check in for our flight. The airport is quite small, so the office was easy to spot. The clerk at K-2 said that weather was good, and barring any bad weather rolling in, we would be able to make our 9 AM flight time tomorrow.

We returned to the Talkeetna Airport the next day about 30 minutes before our flight time. There were 4 others passengers at the office waiting for our flight too. As we were led out of the office and onto the tarmac, we saw several of K-2 Aviation’s planes. The clerk said these planes weren’t ours, and led us on a slight walk away from the airport to Fish Lake. Fish Lake serves as base for many floatplanes. We met our pilot as he was finishing up the pre-flight checks. Our plane was a propeller driven, 8-seat De Havilland Beaver. As we waited to board, we saw other aircraft all around the lake taking off and landing.

We boarded the aircraft, which had 2 seats in each row, meaning everybody had a window seat. One lucky passenger sat up front with the pilot. It was somewhat cramped on the plane, but then again, this isn’t a wide body jet. The pilot started the engine and instructed us to put on the headphones for communication, had us buckle up, and pointed out the barf bags in our seat pockets. The clerk removed the tether from the pier, and we started on our takeoff run. Our takeoff speed is rather low, as compared to a modern commercial jet airliner. It’s quite a change from riding in a commercial airliner, speeding up to hundreds of miles per hour taking off, and a private single engine plane barely doing one hundred miles per hour.

Our pilot turned our aircraft towards Mt. McKinley and started narrating our tour. It was a brief 10 minute flight to the base of the Alaska Range, which Mt. McKinley is part of. Mt. McKinley and it’s surrounding cast of mountains spawns around 10 huge glaciers. We followed the path of the largest glacier, the Ruth Glacier, which heads down the southeast side of Mt. McKinley. The end of the glacier is quite thin and dirty, resembling a dirty patch of snow quickly melting away in the summer heat. As we flew further up the glacier, there are lines of dirt and silt running up the glacier, due to the North Fork Glacier merging with the Ruth Glacier near the top of the range. There were deep crevasses and rich blue lakes in the glacier itself. The pilot mentioned that near the top of the glacier, the thickness of the Ruth Glacier is almost 2000 feet.

The pilot pointed out so many geographic features, it’s hard to remember them all. As we flew up the Ruth Glacier, we passed by several smaller mountains and rock formations. We flew up to the Great Gorge, where large sheets of show are being dragged down by gravity, eventually merging into the Ruth Glacier. We saw the Moose’s Tooth, a popular, yet very difficult mountain climb, due to it’s steep drops. We saw the Don Sheldon Amphitheater, a relatively flat gorge around the 6,000 foot mark. The pilot said it was a popular landing site in the winter, but since the snow is much less dense in the summer, we will not be landing here.

We rounded Mt. Silverthorne and passed the north side of Mt. McKinley. It’s very steep on the north side, and has several peaks, including a north peak at 19,470 feet, and it’s south peak is the tallest at 20,320. The pilot said although Mt. McKinley is about 9,000 feet lower than Mt. Everest, the higher latitude of McKinley makes it an equally hard climb due to lack of oxygen and air pressure near the top. In addition, the wide base of Mt. McKinley and the multitude of glaciers make it the most isolated mountains in the world.

We’re impressed by the sheer magnitude of things. Everywhere we look sideways and below, we see jagged rocky peaks, steep cliffs, ice fields, and massive glaciers. The terrain looked so hostile to human life, and alien to what we are used to, yet it’s beautiful in many different ways. We started down the mountain and saw more peaks and glaciers, so many that I forgot what the pilot named them. We looked for a spot to land, but the glaciers were too jagged, so we opted for a glacial lake a few thousand feet lower. I think we landed at a lake around 8,000 feet high. The elevation was low enough that there was vegetation on the surrounding mountains. While we weren’t on Mt. McKinley itself, we did land at it’s base. We walked around a little bit, and took in the sights, took a few photos, and took off again back to Talkeetna.

A few moments later, we spotted a sparkling blue lake near the bottom of the base, it looked almost out of place amongst the green trees surrounding it. We flew back towards Talkeetna, crossing the Susitna River. We had an excellent view of the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, where we were staying. We finally landed back on Fish Lake and tied up at the pier.

As we disembarked the plane, we chatted with the other passengers, and they remarked about how beautiful it was, and how it was an experience of a lifetime. I was very glad we went on this adventure, although we didn’t land on an actual glacier, we can claim that we were up there with Mt. McKinley. The trip wasn’t very turbulent, and nobody even came close to getting airsick. The trip was pricey, at $315 per person, but how many times do you get to fly alongside and land next to North America’s tallest peak? Due to it’s cost, I probably won’t do this again anytime soon, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

When one thinks of Alaska, one usually associates it with dog sled racing. We saw a few dog sled teams carting tourists around Talkeetna and decided to ask about that. We found out that a few professional dog sled teams offer rides and demonstrations during the offseason. Locals said the Talkeetna Sundog Kennel was around the corner. We found the office on Main Street in Talkeetna. We went into the office and inquired about the dog sleds. We were told that they offer a kennel tour as well as a 15-20 minute dog sled ride for $50. We bought a ticket and hung around the office/gift shop for a few minutes until the next scheduled kennel tour.

When the next kennel tour started, we were joined by a group of about 10 other tourists. Our guide introduced herself as a professional dog sled musher. (I honestly don’t remember her name unfortunately.) She gave us a quick tour of the kennel and the dogs.

She said the dogs here at the kennel are Siberian Huskies, the most popular breeds used in sled dog racing. She mentioned that Alaskan Malamutes are used to haul heavier sleds, due to their greater strength, but are slower than Siberian Huskies, and not used much for racing. The Huskies usually have a thicker double fur coat, but they shed in the spring, and are also are trimmed in the summertime due to the heat. She said the adult dogs can often weigh as much as 60-70 pounds. There are several pens in the kennel, some of which have huge running wheels, not unlike an oversized hamster wheel. One of them had a Husky running on it. She explained that the Huskies are bred to run, and they are quite hyperactive. Some interesting facts are that the Siberian Husky is one of the oldest breed of dog, and possibly the first sled dog. The Huskies probably came over to America from Siberia on the Bering land bridge thousands of years ago when Alaska and Siberia were actually joined together. She also mentioned that Huskies howl more than they bark, mainly due to their close ancestry to the wolf. As if on cue, a few of the Huskies started howling, about 10 seconds later, they all seemed to be howling as a reaction to the other Huskies’ howling.

Jerry, a professional dog sled musher, came out and continued with the rest of the tour. He told us about the history of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, held every March from the town of Willow to Nome. The Iditarod commemorates a dog sled run back in 1925, when a diphtheria epidemic hit the northern Alaskan town of Nome. A sled dog team raced as fast as possible, carrying serum from Anchorage to Nome, thus saving the population from the disease.

Jerry said most racers, including himself, are from Alaska, although the Iditarod often has teams from other places such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, Massachusetts, California, Montana, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, and Iceland. He does the kennel tours in the offseason to help raise money and awareness of the Iditarod, much like NASCAR drivers doing promotional activities for their sponsors. Jerry said sometimes the sport of dog sledding is misunderstood, as some view it as animal cruelty. But the dogs were bred to run, and they love running, they don’t view it as a form of punishment. It’s similar to racing horses or other pack animals.

They took out the Huskies a few at a time and started hooking them up to two different wheeled carts. The sleds aren’t used due to lack of snow in the summertime. Both explained how the dogs are hooked up to the sleds in teams of 16. There is a lead dog that is able to heed the musher’s commands and guide the rest of the dogs. The lead dog is usually of higher intellect and more experienced at dog sledding than the rest of the team.

Once the dogs were hooked up, we boarded the carts and the dogs pulled us out of the kennels and onto the street. The mushers actually jogged next to the dogs, with one hand on a leash to guide the lead dog. This is because there are no musher’s reins on the carts. Normally, in a sled, the mushers would steer and command the dogs from the back of the sled. We exited Talkeetna and went around a few gravel roads just outside of town. The dogs led us into a stream, where they took a break and laid down in the cool waters. Jerry explained that the summer times are especially harsh on the dogs, as they were bred to run in temperatures as cold as -75 degrees. After a little while, we ended up back at the kennel. After unhooking the dogs, we had a chance to pet and play with the Huskies a little. The Huskies are very much a companion dog and get along well with humans and themselves.

I enjoyed the experience. While we didn’t race at high speeds nor did anything particularly wow us, it was a very good educational experience, especially for dog lovers. The Huskies didn’t seem to be tired or beat down after pulling a sled, but quite happy the entire time. I think this would be a good activity for kids as well as adults.

My cousin and I saw a few inflatable boats and canoes on some of the lakes around Talkeetna, so we asked around town and found a company that rents canoes. Talkeetna Camp and Canoe is located on Main Street. It was $35 to rent a canoe for a day. They also rent out cabins by Christensen Lake, fishing gear, and sold fishing licenses.

Talkeetna Camp and Canoe staff rented us a canoe, flotation jackets, floatation seats, and paddles. The staff went through the required safety speeches and how to use the canoe safely. They said we could take the canoe anywhere, as long as we bring everything back by the end of the day. Some recommended areas are Christiansen Lake, about a mile away, and X and Z Lakes, just south of Christiansen Lake.

We grabbed the gear and both of us shouldered the canoe and started walking towards Christiansen Lake. The canoe wasn’t particularly heavy, since it was fiberglass and plastic, with light aluminum reinforcement, it was a bit bulky though, and got harder to handle the further we walked. My only reservation is that we didn’t have a car or truck to transport the canoe and store our gear.

At Christiansen Lake, we saw a few other people in canoes. We found the canoe launch site, with plastic sheets and steel grates for extra traction. We set the canoe in the water, loaded our gear, put on our flotation jackets, and pushed off. In order to do this, my cousin paddled backwards while I pushed off from shore and jumped onboard.

The water is very serene here. You can see the reflection of the trees on the opposite shore, the clouds, and Mt. McKinley off the water, much like a mirror, with few ripples. As we paddled around, with no particular destination in mind, we saw birds, a moose, and what was probably a beaver. It’s often hard to take photos, since animals are hard to spot this close, unless they are moving, and usually quickly fleeing before I can focus. We didn’t see any bears, although I might not want to encounter a bear this close up. Christiansen Lake has rainbow trout, but this wasn’t trout season, so we didn’t see any. However, closer to shore, we did see little tiny fish darting in the water, presumably little trout hatchlings.

We paddled around to the far end of Christiansen Lake to take a look around. There is a small dock on the far side of Lake Chrisiansen. We moored at the dock and exited the canoe to stretch our legs a bit. A lot of the lake is basically lined with trees. The lake offers a good view of Mt. McKinley, and made for a good photo op. After a few hours of paddling around we didn’t encounter much other wildlife, except a cloud of mosquitoes by the far shore.

We returned to the launch point and started back towards the Talkeetna Camp and Canoe office. We ran into a staff member by the lake where the rental cabins are. He said we could leave the canoes, flotation equipment, and paddles inside one of the cabins and signed off our rental return receipt. We were glad since that meant not walking the canoe back into Talkeetna.

We really enjoyed our time in the canoe. Although we didn’t see much wildlife, the time away from other tourists, and time spent alone in appreciation of nature was good enough. Although paddling wasn’t hard, due to the physical nature of this activity, I don’t recommend this unless you’re somewhat fit.

We had recommendations from friends that a Talkeetna riverboat tour is a good wildlife and scenic sightseeing tour as well as a nature and history lesson. I booked tour on Mahay’s Riverboat Service’s website. I purchased the two hour Denali tour for $65 per person.

We found Mahay’s office off the east side of Talkeetna Spur Rd. We checked into the office for the early morning 8:45 AM tour. We walked a few minutes over to the bank of the Susitna River where Mahay’s has four of their jetboats moored on a small docking area adjacent to the railroad bridge. After waiting awhile, only a handful of other passengers arrived at the docking area. The riverboat pilot said the bulk of the passengers usually arrive for the later launch times.

The jetboats appear to be pretty basic aluminum hull boats with covered cabins. There were two smaller jetboats with seating capacities of around 15-20, and two larger ones with seating capacities of around 50. Our riverboat pilot had us board one of the larger jetboats, the Susitna Queen.

After all 14 of the passengers boarded and seated themselves, our pilot went through the required safety speech, and told us our course for the day. We would jet about 10 miles up the river to an old Dena’ina Indian campsite. From there, we would explore the campsite and also hike a little bit to a recreation of an old trapper campsite and see how the Indians and trappers lived and worked back in the 1800’s. We proceeded up the Susitna River, eventually revving up to a moderate speed, probably around 25 mph. We never really go much faster, as that would make it harder to spot wildlife and make photography harder.

Our pilot also served as our river guide and pointed out interesting historical facts about the Susitna River and surrounding area. He also pointed out any wildlife for us to view. We learned that the Susitna River is Dena’ina Indian for "Sandy River," as evidenced by the sandy and rocky flats throughout the river. The Susitna River is fed by the Susitna Glacier and exits out to Cook Inlet, just west of Anchorage. The Susitna River water isn’t very clear, as it carries a lot of sand and silt material from the glacier and down the river.

We see a bald eagle perched in a tree along the river. Further upstream, we see another bald eagle in a nest at the top of a birch tree. We see a moose, but it quickly ran off before we could whip out our cameras to take photos. We also see Mt. McKinley in the distance. It looks quite ghostly, bathed in white snowcaps, against the green trees along the riverbank. We didn’t see all that much other wildlife on the river. It’s possible that it’s too early in the day, or maybe the riverboat’s engine noise scared the animals away.

About 20-25 minutes later, we slow down and dock at a makeshift docking area built out of large rocks. Another guide was waiting for us onshore to help us dock. After departing the riverboat, we walked down a gravel path to the Dena’ina Indian campground. The new guide gave us a tour of the campground and explained how the Dena’ina Indians lived and worked in the encampment. The Dena’ina Indians used to trap animals for sustenance and their fur pelts. They would then trade the pelts to the Russian fur traders from the 1700’s to the 1800’s. The campground consisted of a wooden lean-to, firepit, some tools, and a log and stump used as working surfaces.

We wandered over to a huge log trap. There was a sign under the suspended 350 pound log warning us to stay away. Good advice. The guide explained that the Dena’ina Indians used this huge log trap was used to trap larger animals. We also viewed a pit trap where the false top of the trap was made of branches covering the pit. These were also quite common among natives.

As we hiked over to the fur trapper’s site recreation, our guide pointed out different wild berries that Alaska has to offer, and which ones to eat and which ones to avoid. We saw some wild blueberries, ligonberries, and highbush cranberries, which is not actually a cranberry. We even tasted a few right off the bush. We found some baneberries, from the buttercup flower family. Baneberries appear similar to the highbush cranberries, but are poisonous. The guides said baneberry juice is often used by the Dena’ina Indians to poison arrows, if that gives any clue to how poisonous they are.

We arrived at the trapper’s site, which differed from the Dena’ina Indian encampment in that there was a more modern, yet squat wooden cabin, a small cabin on stilts, used as a hunting perch, and more modern traps and tools. We found it amusing that grass and other vegetation was growing on the roof of the small cabin on the ground.

After a brief history lesson on trapping and the significance to the early Alaskan economy, we hiked back to the landing area and reboarded the riverboat and headed back downstream to Talkeetna. After a smooth 20 minute ride back, we docked and disembarked.

Being a former Alaskan, we were taught Alaskan history in elementary school, including the part about the Russian fur trappers. All these history lessons came back into memory when the guide was telling us about the trappers and Dena’ina Indians. I enjoyed the riverboat trip and history lesson. The hike isn’t that strenuous, and probably only a half mile total. Boarding and disembarking the riverboats might be somewhat taxing for those with less mobility though. However I do think that if your goal is to view wildlife, or if 1700’s to 1800’s Alaskan history isn’t your thing, then this particular riverboat tour might not be the best use of your time in Alaska.

My cousin and I wanted to explore Denali and the Alaska Railroad (ARR) is the best way to go about doing it. We had planned to take the ARR from Anchorage to Talkeetna, which is closer to Mt. Mckinley than the Denali stop. We are taking the Denali Star line, which goes from Anchorage to Fairbanks and back, with stops in Wasilla, Talkeetna and Denali.

We ordered our tickets online from Alaska Rail Tours and secured seats on the Holland America sightseeing cars (which are added to the end of ARR trains.) Alaska Rail Tours sells the unsold seats that Holland America doesn’t fill. The tickets were $82 per person one way from Anchorage to Talkeetna, and $82 back. The tickets are regularly $155 each way with ARR’s Goldstar Service, which are tickets on ARR’s Goldstar double decker sightseeing cars, which are identical to Holland America’s double decker sightseeing cars.

Early morning, my other cousin dropped us off at the Alaska Railroad Depot in Anchorage on 411 West 1st Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501. As we arrived at the Depot, we crossed over the Ship Creek bridge, where there were about 70-80 people fishing. The ARR Depot is a very interesting white colored 3-story concrete building reminiscent of a 1930’s train station with ARR’s first locomotive located on a display in front of the building. We checked in at the front desk and gave the porter our luggage, then headed out to the platform, which is on ground level.

Our train was composed of two engines fitted with small plows, and ten cars, consisting of what appeared to be a baggage/mail car, several single story coach cars, a few double decker Goldstar sightseeing cars, two double decker sightseeing cars branded with the Holland America Line and two Princess Cruises branded double decker sightseeing cars.

We boarded the Holland America car. We have assigned seating, but there are no bad seats upstairs in the observation deck. The windows extend almost to the top of the car, much like a T-top on a car, for our maximum viewing pleasure. The seating is 2 per side, and the seats are not all that different from bus seats, but more padded and comfortable. On the observation deck is a small manned bar area where passengers can purchase drinks. The lower section is the dining area with a full menu. There is a tour guide for each car that provides narration of interesting points, geographic features, and helps to spot wildlife.

We pulled out of the yard at 8:15 AM and the ride out of Anchorage was very comfortable, much like the train ride out of anywhere else. We passed by the Anchorage Railroad Corporate Headquarters, a beautiful newer postmodern design brick building. As we continued out of Anchorage, we passed by Elmendorf Air Force Base, nicknamed the "Top Cover For America," since it was the major air base protecting the United States from any Soviet incursion back in the Cold War. Elmendorf is home to 2 active F-22 Raptor squadrons in the US, as well as several F-15 squadrons. It also regularly hosts the Arctic Thunder, a two day airshow, held in the summer of even numbered years. I do plan on coming back in 2010 to attend the Arctic Thunder.

As we left Anchorage, the scenery changed as we passed Knik Arm, the body of water just north of Anchorage. We saw plenty of trees and beautiful landscapes. Outside of Anchorage, the tracks become a single track, and we did stop a few times on a siding to let freight trains pass. The ride is bumpier and not as fast as rail travel in the Continental US due to track conditions. The conductor explained that most of the tracks in the wild are not accessible by road, and must be repaired by a repair train. Plus, the harsh weather conditions in Alaska, such as constant freezing and thawing, floods, landslides, lead to uneven tracks, and the train travels slower as a result. I don’t think we ever exceeded 50-55 mph on the tracks, and I think we slowed to 25-30 mph on some turns.

The train stopped for 15 minutes in Wasilla to board passengers. We were not permitted to leave the train unless Wasilla was our destination. Wasilla is a very small inland town of about 10,000 people and sits on the northern outskirts of the Anchorage area. After our quick stop, we continued north to Denali.

Most of the scenery consisted of forest, and lots and lots of trees. Every now and then, we would see moose. During one of our quick 5-10 minute stops on a siding while another train passed, I spotted a bald eagle with it’s nest atop a power pole. When the conductor pointed it out, all the tourists went crazy with their cameras. As we arrived closer and closer to Talkeetna, we could see a mountain range in the distance. As we drew closer, we could start to make out a large mountain sticking out of the range. The sheer size of this mountain left us only one conclusion, it was Mount McKinley. A few moments later at 11:20 AM, the train reached Talkeetna, which is only about 55 miles southeast of Mt. McKinley.

The ARR is much superior to buses or renting a car and driving yourself. There is the comfort factor of being able to move around the cars, have fresh, gourmet meals while on the train. There’s also the factor about not worrying about navigation, vehicle breakdowns on the road, nor hitting animals. The train tracks run right up to the wilderness, unlike on a roadway, lest the animals dart in front of your car. If I were to go to Denali/Mt. McKinley again, I’d take the Alaska Railroad.

My family owns a cabin in an area of the Kenai River known as the Kenai Keys. It's situated off Highway 1, about 5-6 miles east of the town of Sterling, and about 3-4 miles south on Felding Road. Their cabin is on a riverfront lot up against the Kenai River. The Kenai River is world famous for it's salmon fishing.

The fishing season varies on the Kenai River. From mid-May to the end of June and a second run from early to late July are the King Salmon runs. Dolly Varden, trout, and the prized red salmon (sockeye) have their first run from June to early July. The red salmon hava a larger second run from mid-July to early August. The trout and Dollys have their second run from early August to mid-October. The silver salmon (coho) run all throughout August to September. The salmon can be found all throughout the Kenai River, however, the trout and Dolly Varden are more plentiful further downstream closer to the ocean.

From my family's cabin, we simply put on waders and carefully walk out to about groin depth and start fishing. The water is quite cold, as we are downstream from Skilak Lake, which has a small glacier on the far side. The current is swift, but not all that strong near the banks of the river, but always be careful. The water is not clear, and you can't see the bottom of the river due to the silt and nutrients in the water that come off the glaciers. The best way to move around is to take shallow steps, or shuffle your feet along the riverbed.

We fly fished, since that was the regulation for the red salmon runs. You must read the regulations carefully and figure out what specific types of lures or bait can be used in what season, but good thing most store clerks where they sell fishing licenses know the rules.

Most of the time, Kenai River fishing is very fun, especially since the fishing is plentiful. For me, fishing on the Kenai does three different things. 1) It's relaxing and helps to relieve stress. It's not too phyiscally demanding. Although you have to post yourself in the river and keep from falling over, unless you're fighting a fish on the hook, it's a nice, relaxing time. In fact, the water seems to help keep you bouyant, almost like a load off your feet. 2) It's visually stimulating. There are many things to look at, and pique your interest, as it's very beautiful on the Kenai River. 3) It's spiritual. It's not a religious thing, but it does serve to connect you with nature and your surroundings and help you to appreciate things more. When I was standing in the river fishing, I couldn't help but to appreciate the beauty of things around me, realize the need to keep things beautiful, and understand there are things bigger than ourselvses. There is a lot of wildlife present in the area. We saw a bald eagle land in front of our cabin, clutching a salmon it had fished out of the river. It started ripping away and eating the salmon, tearing out chunks with it's powerful beak, leaving when the seagulls came closer. We saw ducks, seagulls, and all sorts of other birds. We kept seeing bald eagles, although we suspect it was the same bald eagle, as they are territorial.

My family has a boat, but the motor hasn't been used in years and is probably rusted solid. People can rent boats from various boat rental shops on the river. You can also book riverboat fishing trips where everything is provided, from equiptment to food and guides and licenses. They even have fly-in-fishing. There are many of these services where they will fly you into the Kenai River via floatplane and you can fish off a boat or from shore. The most simple way to fish is to find a public fishing area off Alaska Highway 1, whch mostly parallels the Kenai River, and find a public parking area and hike a few yards to the river and wade in and start fishing. Just make sure it is public land and not somebody's private property. There are just so many ways and places to fish along the Kenai that it's very easy to do.

Kenai Fjords Tours is a wildlife and glacier cruise company operating out of Seward, Alaska. It runs tours to Kenai Fjords National Park and surrounding attractions, with the main emphasis on the glaciers in the national park, especially Aialik and Holgate glaciers. We took the 8.5 hour cruise, which departs at 10 AM from their base at Seward. Tickets are normally $159 for adults, but we purchased them at Costco for $129. The tickets include the cruise, onboard light lunch, and visit to Fox Island with an all-you-can eat buffet which includes prime rib and salmon.
On the day of our cruise, we parked at a $5 all day parking lot across the street from the Kenai Fjords Tours office. We checked in the front desk with our names, and were issued boarding passes. We boarded the Tanana, one of Kenai Fjord Tours' fleet of sightseeing vessels. The Tanana is a 95 foot long vessel, I believe they said it was around 1000 tons. The Tanana has 2 levels, a lower level with a galley where you can buy snacks, and an interior upper deck with it’s own complimentary coffee station and upper outside seating near the rear of the vessel. Since the weather was rainy and cold, nobody sat in the upper outside seating area, most opted to stay inside with the coffee machine nearby.

Problem was the weather. It was already windy and raining when we boarded, and our departure was delayed as we awaited a break in the weather. Unfortunately the captain said the weather report was worsening to the point they were offering refunds or free rebooking for passengers that wanted to exit the craft now. We should have taken that as a sign. I downed some Dramamine and hoped for the best. Although the temperature in Seward was in the mid 50’s, it was supposed to get much colder and rougher as we headed out to sea.

We cast off from Seward and headed out to Resurrection Bay. Our course was south out of the protected waters of Resurrection Way, then we would brave the open ocean waters of the Gulf of Alaska for about 45 minutes, then east to Aialik Bay and north to the end of the bay where Aialik Glacier sits. During most of the cruise, the captain provided narration for us of various things to take note of.

One of the interesting things the captain noted on our way out of Seward is Seward itself. Seward is the northernmost major US port that is ice-free all year. Because of this, Seward is the terminus of the Alaska Railroad. Plus, there is an ominously huge structure in Seward Harbor which loads coal brought in from the Alaska Railroad to coal ships bound for South Korea.

As we left Seward, we encountered a otter floating on it’s back, busy trying to crack open something, presumably a clam it had plucked from the sea. The captain was very good about throttling down the engines and doing a complete circle around the otter for photo opportunities. As we continued outbound, we saw a set of wooden pylons sticking out of the water. The captain explained those were remnants of the old Seward boardwalk before it was destroyed by the tsunami created by the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, which registered 9.2 on the Richter scale. Nowadays, there is to be no residential dwellings on the shore in Seward.

Although it’s foggy, rainy, and windy, it’s still very easy to see that it’s absolutely beautiful here in Resurrection Bay. It’s very thick with fir trees, beautiful cliffs of granite that juts up out of the water, plenty of small waterfalls draining into Resurrection Bay. In the same respect, it’s also easy to see how rugged and harsh the landscape is as far as humans go. There is plenty of wildlife to be seen too, from otters, to sea lions, and all sorts of sea birds. There is an odd, yet beautiful feeling observing the gorgeous, untouched scenery. Not only is the land mostly untouched by humans, but the stinging cold against my face reminds me that it’s too harsh for us here, and the land isn’t ours.

We made a mad dash at around 24 knots out on the Gulf of Alaska to Aialik Bay. The Gulf was quite bad, with lots of heavy turbulence due to heavy waves and heavy 25-30 mph winds. During this time, the crew brought out a brown bag lunch of chicken ranch salad wraps, chips, and a granola bar.

Once we reached the calmer waters of Aialik Bay, we eagerly steamed north towards Aialik Glacier. After about 45 minutes, there it was…the glacier. The Aialik Glacier is quite awesome to take in. It’s big, cold, and quite blue. There are lawyers of silt and other materials, resumably from volcanic eruptions in the area hundreds of years ago. The water in front of the glacier is very calm and quite reflective, and very blue. The captain explained the bluish water is from the silt and other nutrients carried by the glacier. The glacier’s color is blue to the fact that it glacier isn’t ice, but compacted snow which keeps the refractive quality of the individual snowflakes. The captain turned off the engine and we drifted closer and closer to the glacier. It was dead quiet, punctuated every minute or two by loud cracks, heaving, and moaning of the glacier as it slowly slides its way down the mountain towards Aialik Bay. The noises were quite loud, some of the glacier’s cracking could be compared to an artillery volley going off nearby. About every 5 to 8 minutes, a section of the glacier calved (break off and fall into the water,) creating a thunderous roar and splash. It's a very interesting effect with the fog in the way, not too much that we can't see, but enough to add some mystique and awe to the scene.

After hanging around the area for about 45 minutes, we headed outbound towards the Gulf of Alaska again. We spotted some humpback whales, but I was unable to capture them on my camera. It was hard to tell where they would come up for air next and they were only on the surface for a few seconds. We also saw some sea lions nesting on a rock, and they are as loud as you’d imagine. We saw seagulls, puffins, and eagles.

We docked on Fox Island, formerly an island with a fox farm on the southern edge of Resurrection Bay. We went to the lodge for a historical lecture given by a US National Park Ranger about Fox Island and Resurrection Bay, and our prime rib dinner.

After a filling meal with some educational facts thrown in, we reboarded our vessel and headed back to Seward. Not much else occurred during the trip, the calm waters, and post meal, semi-vegetative, state of the passengers made for a quiet return. After we docked, I looked around at the different passengers on the boat and realized that despite the biting cold, and heavy, vomit-inducing turbulence in the Gulf of Alaska, it showed on everybody’s face that the glacier cruise was well worth the visit. The rough journey was almost a rite of passage, with a very handsome reward to experience at the end.

The Sourdough Mining Company is located on the southeast corner of International Airport Road and Old Seward Highway, on Juneau Street. It's a gold-rush era themed restaurant housed in a replica of a wooden mill house. The interior also echoes the same common theme as well, with lots of wood planks on the walls and floors, staff dressed in gold-rush era clothing. The theme is a salute back to the Alaska Gold Rush of the late 1890's and 1900's.

We were seated quickly at a comfy table. Our menu featured such favorites as barbequed chicken and ribs, fresh Alaskan seafood, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and Korn fritters. We ordered beer battered Alaskan cod for an appetizer, my friends ordered an Alaska chowder, a beef brisket plate, a State Fair reindeer sub sandwich, and I ordered a half-slab of barbequed baby back ribs.
As we waited for our meals, the gold-rush theme of the restaurant helped start interesting conversation, and it was visually stimulating as we scanned the room and the various mining tools and artifacts hanging from the walls.

Our server brought over warm sourdough rolls and lots of butter. The warm sourdough rolls were nice and dense, the way I like my sourdough. The only thing I would have preferred is part of a sourdough loaf, as they have less crust and more bread. I don't prefer the hard crust of the smaller rolls all that much.

Our beer battered Alaskan cod appetizer arrived a few minutes later. Besides being extremely hot, served with lemon and tartar sauce, they were very good. The Alaskan cod was very fresh, as they get their fish from local sources. The beer batter was not too thick and didn't detract from the taste of the cod. I actually found myself eating most of the cod sticks.

The entrees arrived a little later. My friend had the beef brisket platter, which was served with 3 korn fritters and honey butter, a sourdough roll, and horseradish. The beef brisket was available with other sides, but my friend chose all The Sourdough Mining Company claims their korn fritters to be some of the best around. The korn fritters are quite good, a bit on the doughy side, as it's a yeasty bread, rather than using chemical rising agents. The honey butter makes them irresistible. My friend liked his brisket, it was very tender and tasty, and easy to tear apart with a fork, it was a slight bit dry though. My other friend had the Alaskan seafood chowder. It's a creamy, New England-type white cream based seafood chowder with pieces of halibut, scallops, and shrimp, as well as veggies. The chowder is baked with a fluffy bread topping sprinkled with cheese. I took a few spoonfulls of my friend's chowder and really liked it, it wasn't fishy, but the halibut and scallops were a really nice variation from traditional clam chowders I usually eat. My friend's State Fair reindeer sub sandwich is a grilled reindeer sausage with grilled onions and bell peppers on a roll, also with several korn fritters and honey butter, as well as some cole slaw. Reindeer sausage is temendously popular in Alaska, it's leaner, and generally healthier overall than beef, and in plentiful supply in Alaska, and it is a slight bit gamey, but it's still quite tasty. I had some of the reindeer sausage sub, and it tasted like a slightly gamey bratwurst sandwich. It wasn't too gamey, although you are aware you're eating something other than beef or pork in the sausage. It's quite good. My baby back ribs were quite tender and slathered in a tangy, yet sweet BBQ sauce. Although I liked the ribs, they didn't stand out among ribs served at other restaurants.

We didn't have room for dessert, so we asked for our bill, which came out to $83 before tip. This is a nice moderate priced restaurant to visit, the food is quite good, the staff is very attentive and friendly, I'd definately go there again.