Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller Expedition Date: July 3, 2018
Our G Adventures group drove 375 miles north from Seward past beautiful mountain and glacial scenery (Photo#1) to the town of Talkeetna (population 800). Before we hit town we pulled over and saw Mt. Denali in the distance for the first time (Photo#3). Talkeetna is the last stopping point for mountain climbers wanting to climb Mt. Denali. The five street town had restaurants, shops and a National Park Office. Rosie & I hiked one mile on the flooded Talkeetna River Trail (Photo#5) with Mt. Denali lurking in the distance. We stayed the night at the Swiss-Alaska Inn.
At the edge of town I explored the Talkeetna Cemetery Photos#6-#8). In lieu of regular headstones it had the most unique, creative memorials I have ever seen such as a house with a cat on the roof, a propeller for a former pilot & part of a backhoe for a heavy equipment operator. There was also a memorial to climbers who died trying to scale Mt. Denali.
Every July at the Talkeetna Moose Dropping Festival they hold a contest where participants compete to see who can throw a moose poop nugget the farthest distance.
For dinner at the Denali Beer Pub and Brew Garden, I enjoyed for the first time reindeer meatloaf (Photo#9) with mashed potatoes, gravy and an Alaskan agave gold beer. For breakfast the next morning I ate a delicious Swiss concoction called roesti (Photo#10) consisting of three pounds of eggs, potatoes & reindeer sausage mixed together.
