Wed. July 8
We’re awakened at 6 am this morning as a speeding train roars along the Alaska Railroad near our RV site. It’s a beautiful morning in Talkeetna, the air is cool and the sun is already hot. We head into town for breakfast at The Roadhouse, a charming historic restaurant, lodge and bakery known for its home-style cooking and frontier hospitality. We sit at an outside picnic table with a couple from Missouri. We enjoy chatting about Alaska and our travels over breakfast. Everyone is talking about the record-high temps and how uncommon this heat is here in Alaska (thank you John, you knew how much I loved the heat).
After breakfast, we head 60 miles south on the Parks Hwy. to the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla. The visitor’s center has historical displays, videos and dog sled rides . . . however the temps are too high today so the rides are cancelled. We do get to meet the sled dog team . . Winter,Blizzard, Turbo, Okie & Lansing and few pups. They are beautiful dogs.
From the Iditarod Headquarters we take Fishhook Rd. to Hatcher Pass. Hatcher Pass is a 49 mile twisting road that elevates 3,886 ft. into the mountains. This area is popular in summer for wildlife viewing, hiking, paragliding and gold panning.
We’re awakened at 6 am this morning as a speeding train roars along the Alaska Railroad near our RV site. It’s a beautiful morning in Talkeetna, the air is cool and the sun is already hot. We head into town for breakfast at The Roadhouse, a charming historic restaurant, lodge and bakery known for its home-style cooking and frontier hospitality. We sit at an outside picnic table with a couple from Missouri. We enjoy chatting about Alaska and our travels over breakfast. Everyone is talking about the record-high temps and how uncommon this heat is here in Alaska (thank you John, you knew how much I loved the heat).
After breakfast, we head 60 miles south on the Parks Hwy. to the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla. The visitor’s center has historical displays, videos and dog sled rides . . . however the temps are too high today so the rides are cancelled. We do get to meet the sled dog team . . Winter,Blizzard, Turbo, Okie & Lansing and few pups. They are beautiful dogs.
From the Iditarod Headquarters we take Fishhook Rd. to Hatcher Pass. Hatcher Pass is a 49 mile twisting road that elevates 3,886 ft. into the mountains. This area is popular in summer for wildlife viewing, hiking, paragliding and gold panning.
The landscape is dramatic with lush green valleys and raging streams flowing down from the mountains. Very different from other scenery we’ve seen here in Alaska. We stop at the historic Hatcher Pass Lodge which looks like a scene right out of Little House on the Prairie. It’s set high in a mountain meadow surrounded by alpine lakes. The scent of wildflowers fills the air. The lodge is hosting a wedding so we quickly look around and then continue on to the Independence Mine Historical Park.
The Independence Mine was one of the largest gold producers in Alaska from 1908-1951. It is now a historical site with several preserved buildings and old mining machinery. The mine is a popular picnic spot, so we make some sandwiches and join a couple from Germany for lunch. After touring the Mine, we head around the pass and down to Palmer, where the Alaska State Fair is held in August. We arrive back in Anchorage in the early evening for a BBQ and ice cream outing with Maria and the kids.
This will be our last blog entry. We will return our RV tomorrow and spend our last day enjoying precious family time. This has been an amazing trip for us, our only regret is that we didn't do it sooner. It's been too long since we've seen Maria and the kids, and had it not been for Vic & Joy's wedding, we may have never come (thank you Vic & Joy for bringing us to Alaska!). We only wish that our brother-in-law John could have been here with us . . . but we felt his spirit and now understand why he loved this place so much and how dear it was to his heart. We saw Alaska by land, air and sea. We learned first hand about the native cultures, glaciers, wildlife, sealife, sled dogs, historic towns, ecosystems . . . and a whole lot more. We were taken with Alaska's spectacular and diverse scenery, pristine wilderness and abundance of wildlife. Alaska truly is "America's last frontier" and we find it hard to say goodbye, but we know we will be back.
*Next week we'll post more pictures here of some "friends" we met along the way. Hope you enjoyed seeing Alaska through our eyes.
Temp: 84 degrees
RV Miles: 140
The Independence Mine was one of the largest gold producers in Alaska from 1908-1951. It is now a historical site with several preserved buildings and old mining machinery. The mine is a popular picnic spot, so we make some sandwiches and join a couple from Germany for lunch. After touring the Mine, we head around the pass and down to Palmer, where the Alaska State Fair is held in August. We arrive back in Anchorage in the early evening for a BBQ and ice cream outing with Maria and the kids.
This will be our last blog entry. We will return our RV tomorrow and spend our last day enjoying precious family time. This has been an amazing trip for us, our only regret is that we didn't do it sooner. It's been too long since we've seen Maria and the kids, and had it not been for Vic & Joy's wedding, we may have never come (thank you Vic & Joy for bringing us to Alaska!). We only wish that our brother-in-law John could have been here with us . . . but we felt his spirit and now understand why he loved this place so much and how dear it was to his heart. We saw Alaska by land, air and sea. We learned first hand about the native cultures, glaciers, wildlife, sealife, sled dogs, historic towns, ecosystems . . . and a whole lot more. We were taken with Alaska's spectacular and diverse scenery, pristine wilderness and abundance of wildlife. Alaska truly is "America's last frontier" and we find it hard to say goodbye, but we know we will be back.
*Next week we'll post more pictures here of some "friends" we met along the way. Hope you enjoyed seeing Alaska through our eyes.
Temp: 84 degrees
RV Miles: 140
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWell it sounds like you guys really had a good time...Please be safe coming home, G is so excited to see you 2, thats all she talks about is GiGi & Tanto oh...and Bouncer..lol..SHe's liking him now...lol...Be safe, let us know when your home...
ReplyDelete