ALASKA - Part 2
After adding over 1,000 miles to the car rental, I was more than ready to sit on a train and see Alaska in comfort.
When the train left Anchorage, it was overcast and quite cloudy. After the first ½ hour of the trip, the sky opened, and the sun remained with us for the entire day. Even the train staff were pleasantly surprised especially since this month of August brought them more rain then noted in previous years.
The train ride from Anchorage to Denali National Park is 8 hours long. Our train made one short stop at Talkeetna, Alaska. The scenery throughout the trip was breathtaking. Denali was absolutely beautiful!
Hard to believe that this picture was taken with my phone!
Everyone on the train was snapping pictures, including the train staff. The staff were amazed at how beautiful the mountain was since they hadn’t seen her in over six weeks. And now, here she was in beautiful glory!
When I first started planning this trip, I was looking for a quality lodge near Seward to explore the Kenai peninsula. As I was making the reservations for the Princess Wilderness Lodge, the representative informed me of the Denali National Park properties owned by Princess Cruises and Holland America.
Since Denali National Park was one of my destinations, I bought the train and hotel package that included Anchorage, Denali National Park, and Fairbanks. What a GREAT adventure!
The McKinley Chalet Resort was an amazing property with shuttle service to the Denali National Park along with a variety of other excursions to choose from.
The Denali National Park includes six million acres. There is a 92-mile road into the park, however, cars are allowed to travel only the first 15 miles. Buses take visitors beyond the 15-mile mark. However, due to the August 2021 landslide, this route has been curtailed to the 42-mile mark.
On my first day at this resort, I signed up for a three-hour walking tour in the National Park. The walk was beautiful with fall colors EVERYWHERE!
As I was waiting in the lobby for the walking tour shuttle, I saw a video announcing shuttle service to a dog sled demonstration in the National Park. After my three-hour walk, I took the shuttle to the Visitors Center and then boarded a separate bus to see the dog sled demonstration.
Denali National Park has had sled dogs since 1922. The first superintendent of the National Park purchased the first seven sled dogs for patrolling park boundaries. The park has maintained working dog teams ever since. The Denali sled dogs are the only sled dogs in the United States that help protect a national park. It was so much fun to be around these dogs. Dog sledding is one of those activities on my bucket list. However, I’m not sure I want to do this in below freezing weather. Here is a short video on the dog sled traditions of Denali National Park.
After all the beautiful wildlife I saw on the Kenai peninsula, I was anxious to see bear and moose. I thought for sure I’d see these creatures on the Denali bus excursion. However, I realized shortly after boarding this shuttle that I had booked the wrong tour. The name of the bus tour I booked was the “Natural History Tour.” I didn’t realize that there was more than one type of bus tour excursion. On the train to Fairbanks, I sat next to a woman who was on a different bus excursion, and she told of multiple bear sightings. I was disappointed; however, I did learn a lot about the history of Denali and was able to visit one of the original log cabins. We were then taken further into Denali and the scenery was breathtaking.
After two nights in Denali National Park, I was ready to board the Alaska Railroad for Fairbanks. One of the women I met in the lobby of the resort encouraged me to get a seat on the right side of the train. She said the scenery was the best on the right side of the train going towards Fairbanks.
Because seats were assigned when I arrived at the Denali Train Depot, I didn’t know until I got on the train where my seat was located. Luckily, I was on the right side of the train and the scenery did not disappoint. Wow!
This was truly an amazing trip!
As I headed into the airport at midnight for a 2am flight, there was the bear I was looking for as I was checking in for my flight.
At the gate, while waiting for the plane to arrive, there was the moose.
I had a wonderful time exploring Alaska and I am grateful to share it with all of you. If Alaska is on your bucket list, I hope my experience inspires you to start planning. I also hope that my experience offers you ideas on how to enjoy this beautiful state. Make no doubt about it - AMERICA is BEAUTIFUL!
God Bless and Remember - Sharing is Caring!
