Riley Creek Trestle

Along the Alaska Railroad at milepost 347.8 just south of the Denali Park Depot and train station is the Riley Creek Trestle.  The steel viaduct was completed in March, 1922. It is 570' long and 98' high, and the second highest bridge on the Alaska Railroad.

Riley Creek, looking east.

The trestle, looking north.

View from the river, looking east.

The northbound passenger train.

The blue and yellow Alaska Railroad cars.

One of the older ARR dome cars.

McKinley Explorer dome cars,

Close up of McKinley full length dome car.

Trestle looking south.

Looking up from below.

Amazing construction.

The concrete base.

Rust.

A lone telegraph pole still stands.

Alaska, last week...

Random shots from Alaska...

Mt Fellows.

A beaver dam and pond.

The coal train.

Aramark box truck at Odom.

Polychrome Pass, Park Road, Denali National Park, AK.

Nenana River canyon.

Sun worshipper at Toklat River.

A moose on the Horseshoe Lake trail.

Eielson Visitors Center

In Denali National Park, Alaska, at milepost 66 on the Park Road sits a beautiful new interpretive center.  I rode the VTS (Visitors Transportation System) bus out for a look on a amazing trip with Denali strutting her stuff on a clear blue sky day, awesome!  The bus ride was long and dusty, and it was hot (for Alaska) but the views are outstanding and the wildlife viewing fantastic.

Denali from the Savage River area, 80 miles away.

Brown hills and blue sky.

Green and rocky.

Janet contemplating the sun and water at Toklat.

Denali from Stoney Point.

The new Eielson Visitors center is built into the hillside.

The front side plaza overlooking the valley.

Grand views of Denali from every window.

Looking toward Denali.

Janet in the foreground with Denali on the horizon.

The parking lot, full of buses.

A view from the roof deck.

Certified green LEED Platinum.

The road over Polychrome Pass, or Poison Hill.

The driver said, "One drop and it will kill you"

"Keep Exploring"

Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad, near and dear to my heart. Some random railroad shots.

 

Southbound weekend passenger train, early May.

Northbound passenger train arriving in Denali Park.

Northbound coal train in Healy.

 

Three ARR SD70MAC's.

Alaska RR coal hopper number 16803.

 

NB passenger train racing through Healy

on its way to Fairbanks.

ARR Baggage car 102.

A work train through a broken window.

The passenger and Conductor.

Locomotive Crane LC-111 at rest.

 

Denali Park, Alaska

Here's a look at the Denali area through some photos I've taken this week. Have fun.

Denali from Fairbanks, just a white spot on the horizon.

Denali from Anderson, a bit bigger and glowing in twilight.

The Denali National Park entrance sign.

Two months ago when I posted a photo of this sign it was in snow.

Horseshoe Lake.

A moose on the path to Horseshoe Lake.

Sugarloaf Mountain.

Dora Peak and Otto Lake.

The Nenana River canyon at the Chalets.

Otto Lake and Mt Healy.

Sunset at 1:30 am.