Toklat, Denali National Park

Dave, Kelly, Wendy and I are fortunate to have friends working at Toklat for the Park Service. So we drove out to visit them.  A mini-McMurdo reunion of sorts, as many of us have worked a season or more in Antarctica.  A great trip and lots of fun catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

The sun and shadows on Mt Fellows.

Dave & Kelly admiring the views.

Igloo mountain and Igloo creek, a favorite of mine.

If you look very carefully you may see a speck of white, a Dall sheep.

Sable Pass, a popular area for grizzly bears.

Amazing views at every turn. This is looking back east from Sable Pass.

The road over Polychrome pass.

Colorful rock formations gave this pass its name.

Sometimes called Poison pass, as one drop will kill you.

Scary, 'cause it's a long way down.

But beautiful, just the same.

Kelly, Dave, Monica and Wendy at Toklat.

Dave, Monica and Wendy

 checking out the bus schedule.

The Toklat river.

Divide Mountain.

Stacey and Bobby checking out the truck.

Dave, Kelly, Marty, Wendy and Anna in the kitchen.

Dave, Kelly, Monica, Marty, Wendy, Georg and Anna.

Georg and Anna are from Austria and awesome folks. 

The rest of us are Antarctica alumni.

Monica and Wendy at Stony Hill.

Luxury accommodations at Toklat.

By that I mean real beds and running water.

The hill to the west of Toklat.

Fireweed along the Park road.

Igloo mountain.

Lunch at Igloo.

Igloo creek.

The trail to Igloo mountain.

The Sanctuary River.

Eielson Visitor's Center, part II

I joined friends, Wendy, Dave & Kelly on a bus trip from Toklat to Eielson last Tuesday.  The mountain was partially out with the north peak most visible. The taller south peak was behind clouds.
We saw a fox on the road, bears eating berries on the hillsides, Dall dots (Dall sheep on the upper slopes of the mountains) and lots of caribou.  A great day and a lot of fun.

The grandeur of Denali from Stony Hill.

A fox on the run.

A grizzly at Eielson, so close they closed the trails.

Denali from Eielson Visitors Center.

Awesome, even in the clouds.

The North Peak is mostly visible but the taller South peak

(to the left) is covered in clouds.

A bus on the way to Wonder Lake.

Dall Sheep on the hillside.

I love the view of Denali from Stony Hill.

Hurricane Turn

The Alaska Railroad's best kept secret is the Hurricane Turn. One of the most interesting train rides in the world. (Trust me, I've ridden trains on six continents.) As a railfan and train buff, I seek out the special, unique and unusual train rides.  This one qualifies on all counts.  One of the last Flag stop services in the country, this train travels through some amazing scenery and will stop for anyone, anywhere.  Just flag it down and get dropped off or hop aboard for an incredible adventure.  This is also a lifeline for the locals that live along the rails in this roadless wilderness of Alaska.

Alaska Railroad GP40-2 #3009 powers the train today.

Today's Hurricane train.

Indian River Bridge.

Baggage Car #100 is used on the Hurricane Turn.

Beautiful Sherman City Hall, Alaska.

I think I'm in love.  Amanda, the granddaughter of the

Mayor and owner, enjoys her summer visits here.

The track near Hurricane section house.

Our first Flagstop. Dropping off locals.

Conductor Warren helps unload.

The comfortable seating inside coach 209.

Conductor Warren in the back sharing information.

Local author and artist Shannon Cartwright on board.

The baggage car, where stuff and people hang out.

After a long weekend camping, it's time to

pack up and go home, by train. Awesome!

Honolulu creek bridge, southbound.

Honolulu creek bridge, northbound.

Watching the action in the bag car.

Approaching the Hurricane Bridge.

The view to the west from Hurricane Bridge.

The view down 297' from Hurricane Bridge.

Fireweed along the tracks.

The Indian River, a great fishing spot.

The baggage car gets full as we head back to Talkeetna.

Back in Talkeetna, time to unload and go home. 

The end.