Train to Denali

Well it's Day 2 and we've traveled some 120 miles south on the Alaska Railroad. We started out the day taking a shuttle to the railroad depot in Fairbanks. We had to check our bags and get boarding passes, just like at an airport! Unlike the airport though, we had to wear a special Goldstar pin. This showed the people who worked on the train that we were allowed in 'first class' - the luxury dome car. That folks, is the way to go! This is a double decker train car with a glass dome roof. The first floor was the dining car, and the second level the seating. Complementary drinks, LOADS of leg room, two seats on each side of the car.We also were in the only train car with an outside viewing deck!

The trip took 4 hours. We were not the speed demons by any means but the ride was so smooth and quiet.Once we got out of Fairbanks, there was mostly trees - black spruce (found growing on the permafrost), poplar, aspen...Actually the leaves are peaking in Denali for fall colors so we started seeing a lot of bright yellow aspen. Also the lower growth shrubs that grew on the swampy areas - such as high bush cranberry, wild blueberries, etc... were turning a deep red color. There were not many people to be found, or roads, or buildings, or anything but nature.

 

Well, having problems with this blog today so we'll just have to wing it. We did pass a few nice old bridges,

both for cars and for the trains. There is the one tripod the people of the town put on the ice in the middle of the river in the winter. Attached to the tripod in a cable/line that runs to shore and is connected to a clock and a horn. When the ice melts in the spring, the tripod falls in, trips the clock and starts the horn blaring in town. That is the official beginning of spring! There are bets taken every year as to when that tripod will fall in...

 

Close to the entrance to the park, we got to see a cow moose. She was running alongside the train for a few feet (not my side of the train, drat!) then veered off, swam through some water and out the other side. I frantically tried to get a picture (running over Jacky in the meantime), but everything happened too fast. So I do have a couple a pictures, and in one you can actually tell it's a moose (if you squint real hard). I won't waste your time putting THAT picture up. We also saw a group of Dall Sheep high, high, high on a mountain. Okay, I could tell they were sheep with my naked eyes, but the camera saw little tiny white pin heads and NO ONE can tell what they are on the photo. So, again, I won't waste your time. There were beautiful canyon views after that, everyone was clicking away on their cameras, when the train guy, Andrew, said to sit back down, we were coming into Denali. So, finally, when the view starts looking up, we have to disembark! But don't worry, we'll be back on the train Tuesday to complete the trip down to Anchorage.

  

We spent the afternoon at the visitor center, and the shopping/restaurant area outside the park. We decided to splurge on supper. I could not resist the fresh from the Bering Sea King Crab Legs. Thanks Mom!! They were the absolute largest crab legs I have ever seen. And no, that isn't because I had the Alaska Beer Sampler at the same time....

  

  

Tomorrow is an up before the sun day. Breakfast at 5:30, leave by 6:15. We are taking a BackCountry Tour. It's 95 miles one way into Denali National Park. This is a restricted road. The public can only drive 15 miles in! I'm loaded up with batteries for my camera as well as a new memory card just in case. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get a better shot of a moose and Dall sheep. Maybe a grizzly! Stay tuned...