We reserved a full-hookup campsite at the Talkeetna Camper Park.
Then Doug took me to the local library, where I spent a half-hour on a computer, checking and sending e-mail. Afterward, we toured the town, which took about five minutes. Not much to it but charters and shops.
We were a little taken aback at the sight of this gravel-and-grass runway in "downtown" Talkeetna.
We stopped at Talkeetna Aero Services and booked a day trip to Denali on Friday. We were more than a little relieved to see a paved runway.
Then we booked a river cruise for Thursday at Mahay's Riverboat Service.
It was cloudy and cool on Thursday morning, August 30, Day 23. I walked down to the library about 9:30 a.m., only to learn that it didn't open for another hour and a half. So I rejoined Doug in Harvey, and we read for awhile. When 11:00 a.m. rolled around, I returned to the library and spent my allotted half-hour on the computer.
Later, Doug and I walked around Talkeetna. We stopped at the Mahay Riverboat Service to ask some questions about our scheduled tour that afternoon, and they told us that that trip had been cancelled due to low water in one of the three rivers the tour covers. So we signed up for a shorter and less expensive cruise that evening.
We continued our walk around town and had lunch at the Talkeetna Roadhouse. Our sandwiches were delicious, and the portions were more than generous.
Our Jetboat Safari that night was fun. We saw two families of black bears, one with two cubs and one with three. We think we saw the one with two cubs again on our return trip. We also visited a replica of an old Indian camp and another of an old trapper's cabin.
The Jetboat on which we took our river safari
Black Bears
Replica of old trapper's cabin. The elevated structure in the background was for food storage.
Inside the trapper's cabin
Inside the trapper's cabin
When we got back from the cruise, we walked into Talkeetna for ice cream cones before going back to the campground.
Sounds like a great adventure.
ReplyDeleteLol. I love their downtown sign! Love the bears too, that would be surreal!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great trip! Love the bears and the trappers cabin - I never even thought about having to keep food stores out of reach of wild critters.
ReplyDeleteAnd that paved runway? Maybe so, but it looks none too safe to me!
The sign to stayoff the rnway was funny. I have taken off and landed on grass and it is a bit bumpy for those with weak stomachs.
ReplyDeleteIt was, Ruth. It was.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth - There were several more bears, but this was about the best photo I could get, considering the distance from shore and the low light. It was a treat to see all of them.
Ethelmae - The paved runway did have some issues, but it was a vast improvement of the grass-and-gravel one.
Steve - I've never had the privilege of using a non-paved runway and really don't care if I never do. I, too, liked the sign.