Talkeetna

Traveling south on the Parks Highway from Denali we passed several small lakes. We saw a pair of swans, but the photo was blurry.

This lake had a Red-necked Loon....a new one for me.

Here's Birdie crossing the bridge over Hurricane Gulch.

And looking back over our shoulders, Mount McKinley was beautiful.

We stayed 2 nights in Talkeetna to do some sightseeing and excursions. 

The town is decorated with colorful painted moose. We didn't see any real ones.

We ate dinner at the Roadhouse. I had a salmon pasty.

One of many vendors on the main street.

Out front was a pile of gold "nuggets."

Talkeetna is the jumping off point for climbers hoping to scale Mt. McKinley. Perhaps a few lessons in mountaineering is advisable.

Without them you might end up on the list of climbers who didn't make it. This is the Talkeetna Cemetery which has a memorial for climbers.

Ice axes trim this climber's grave.

Here lies an aviator.

Spirit House over one of the graves.

Many beautiful flowers grow amongst the memorials.

Back in town, this painted moose commemorates the first climbers to reach the North Summit.

Our excursion was a rafting trip down the Talkeetna River. First we had to don our rain suits.

Birdie is all ready.

I don't know whose cruel joke it was to give me an XXL size. The crotch was at my knees and made me walk like a duck.

Our guide grew up near here, living "off the grid". He rode an ATV or snowmobile to school as there was no road to his house. He was very knowledgeable about the river.

This eagle is the only wildlife we saw.

It was perched above the nest.

Up a side creek we came to this beaver dam. You can see the level of the water behind the dam is about 3 feet higher than we were.

The Talkeetna River on a cold, cloudy day.

We tied up beside the river and were entertained by this banjo-playing singer. He spends his summer in a tent along the river. He sang, "North to Alaska," and another song.

This shows you how swiftly the water was flowing, but our float was gentle.

Under the bridge and almost back to town.

Our landing beach.

And then we had to walk back to Main Street! Tina had by far the best excursion...check out her blog for her beautiful pictures of her flight over Denali. And the sun was actually shining for her!

Back to the Roadhouse for their famous Sourdough Pancakes in the morning. One was enough....larger than the plate.

A quiet Main Street early in the morning. 

Talkeetna's fire engine. 

 Heading south toward Anchorage we had some more great views of the big one.

Denali 

 This Osprey was fishing here.

 Poised to dive.

 The weather turned blustery as we came to Turnagain Arm south of Anchorage. Jennifer and Ashley braved the wind and rain to get a picture.