AK Day 4

Written by Lindsay Korst
gngoat@gngoat.org

Alaska by Rail 2025
Special Interest Tours - Trains Magazine

Sunday, September 7th
Day Four
Denali Park to Talkeetna

View from our room looking south, then north (Denali Park Village with ARR train approaching the depot).

Bags outside by 10am are the sweetest words we love to hear. That means finally sleeping in a bit, then off to a gutty breakfast buffet -- with Rudolf sausage AND smoked salmon. 

We don't have to depart until 11:30, so B and I utilize the free shuttle to ride over and visit the Denali Visitor Center and MOST importantly, the GIFT SHOP. Baolu honed her gift-shopping skills to a fine edge on THIS journey.

The train was 30 minutes late arriving, but I got my all-important head-end shots. And it turns out it is the SAME TWO LOCOMOTIVES (ARR 4319/4323) we had out of Fairbanks!  That's our hotel on the ridge to the left.

Lunch was second seating, backwards of course, but the good chewings made up for that.

Our SB Denali Star met the NB Denali Star at "BROA" siding and swapped crews (so each would return to their home terminal.  This was the train hype moment of the day.



And now, an observation:  Look at all that white hair.  I spent a lot of time staring at the back of their heads.  Little, round, globes popping up like mushrooms.  Who appeared in far too many of my interior train pictures (since deleted).

They look JUST like Din Tai Fung (Chinese Soup Dumplings - a Shanghai delicacy). Now I'm all hungry. Luckily, you can buy them (frozen) at the Coeur d'Alene Costco.  Hey Baolu, let's steam some up for din-din tonight!

We arrived in Talkeetna in a good, old-fashioned, Seattle drizzle. Ben bussed us over to the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, Rachel handed us our keys, and there was just time enough to "freshen up" before heading off to supper in the Caribou Room.

We quickly realized our room's window screen was ajar and mosquitoes were everywhere inside the window! Quickly, I LEAPED into action. Whipping out my roll of Gorilla Tape (never travel without it), I quickly sealed the screen to the window and vanquished any remaining skeeters with my thumb.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, dinner in a private room -- and they even bought us a round of drinks at dinner! How about an Old Fashioned? Wine afterwards and then off to bed.  Life is good.