Day 38: Denali National Park to Talkeetna

The 140-mile drive south along the Parks Highway should have afforded us the opportunity for several good views of Mt. McKinley, but today was rainy, with clouds hanging low over all the mountains. At several points, it was obvious that there were very large, snow-covered peaks to one side of the road or the other, but nothing we could actually look at.   The campground owner here in Talkeetna says that on a clear day one can see the big mountain from the end of Main Street in town. If it ever clears up, we’ll test that out.

Meanwhile, we are in Talkeetna for the next three nights.  The RV park has electricity (hurray!) and water, so we are no longer roughing it.  The sites are very small, however, and ours backs up on the local train station where (strangely enough) there was a large crowd of people waiting to catch the train when we first pulled in.  Who would guess that so many would be traveling from the depot in such a small town?

Talkeetna is supposed to be the town that was the model for the TV show “Northern Exposure”, and it does appear to be a quirky little place.  Despite the rain, Ranger was feeling antsy so we took him for a walk up to the “historic district”, a row of log homes that have been turned into shops.  There are a number of art galleries, gift shops, and coffee shops along the narrow Main Street, and there were plenty of tourists.  Dan did some inquiring about fishing guides, but without luck.

Returning to the RV, we read and napped while the rain pattered on the roof.  It was definitely too wet to grill dinner, and this campground did not provide a table (strange!), and we felt like eating out.  The campground owner had mentioned that the restaurant next door, Latitude 62, was where the locals go, so we gave it a try.  It reminded me of a Wisconsin bar, and indeed it did appear that was where the locals gathered, with many greeted by those at the bar as they entered.  There were animal skins, skulls, and old guns hanging on the wall, signs advertising various types of beer, and posters for a local festival.  We noticed the predominance of women there, and they ranged from one who looked like she could easily handle a sled-dog team in winter to one dressed in gauzy, hippie-like clothing with long frizzy grey hair.  The food was quite good and the people-watching better. 

Upon our return, the two sites on either side of us had become occupied, so we are hemmed in by RV’s within a few yards on either side, but the people are friendly and quiet, so all is well.