Welcome aboard the Trains–Special Interest Tours 2024 Alaska by Rail expedition. Please join us as we travel on the Alaska Railroad for 9 days from Sept. 8 to 17, heading south from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska.
Today we start with breaking Alaskan wilderness news! There has been a Denali sighting. The morning in Talkeetna began with fog and clouds socking in our hotel. Even the few smaller peaks in front of Denali were obscured. The gray prevailed until about noon when a sliver of sunshine broke through the clouds and began to melt the fog. By 1 p.m. the viewing deck at our hotel, the Talkeetna Lodge, was buzzing with the news that Denali was out and the photo festival began. A few pesky clouds decided to hang around drawing several light gray stripes across the Great One’s face, but the mountain’s mass was clearly visible. This is the first time in nearly a week that Denali has been visible. Unfortunately, as quickly as the clouds cleared, they returned. Let’s call Denali a quasi-no-show. And now, back to our regular Alaska by Rail adventure.
Thus far we have experienced the Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star in the morning and mid-day. Today was a day to explore Talkeetna or rest at the mid-point in our adventure. The town is an interesting mix of tourist shops and galleries featuring legitimate local art. It is also the jumping-off point for Denali climbing expeditions. Climbers gather in Talkeetna, then fly to the Kahiltna Glacier base camp to begin their ascent.
We boarded the Star at 5:20 p.m., heading for an 8:00 p.m. arrival in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. Per 2020 U.S. Census data, 290,674 of the state’s 733,391 residents or approximately 40% call Anchorage home. Anchorage has all the trappings of a big city, only its more than 1,400 miles from the next big U.S. city — Seattle.
Anchorage is also the Alaska Railroad’s corporate home. To start, since the line was being built north from Seward, Alaska, railroad management worked there. As the line advanced and supply ships began sailing up the Cook Inlet an anchorage was established along Ship Creek, eventually becoming … Anchorage. In June 1915, the city was founded and the railroad moved its headquarters to town.
Throughout our Alaskan adventure, we have discovered many reasons to ride the Alaska Railroad. If not convinced already, here are two more: dinner and sunset.
The Denali Star dinner menu began with Alaskan smoked salmon chowder. All that needs to be said here is thick, rich, creamy, and smokey. As Guy Fieri, of Food Network Triple D fame, has said in describing culinary wonders: this was off the hook, shut the front door! Following the chowder, selections included pot roast and reindeer penne bolognese — a ragu of Alaskan reindeer and Italian sausage served over penne pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Not much to be said here, except: Yum. Dining on a train with fresh food, real silverware and china, cloth napkins, and prompt, friendly service is a treat to be savored.
As the Denali Star rolled toward Anchorage, the sun was slowly setting. The clouds thinned creating a colorful sky. Light danced through the trees, highlighting the yellows, greens, and reds of the southern Alaska autumn. The sun played off the mountain peaks in ways that made for great photographs. In reality even the best digital image cannot compare with standing on the upper open-air platform of the observation coach, the wind in your hair, and your eyes filled with the glory of an Alaskan sunset.
The end … for today.
Day 7 — Tomorrow is an early day as we are back on the railroad riding the Glacier Discovery Train to Whittier. See you on the glacier.
