train to Denali

After the busy summer, I took a week off the week before Labor Day. Monday I had to stop in at the office for a couple of hours. Following that I went to DMV to renew my driver's license (22 minutes in and out!). Tuesday I took my car to have a lube/oil/filter job. Wednesday I went back to work, again for a few hours. Thursday I took the dog to the vet for his annual wellness check. Friday I went grocery shopping. So much for a relaxing week off!

Last weekend my friend Mae and I climbed onto Car C of the Alaska Railroad for our trip to Denali National Park. Most of the rides we've taken have had plenty of space for us to take up two seats apiece, spread our bags out and completely relax. Not so this time. The railroad had removed some of the cars, including the dining car, and it was packed.

Passengers in our car included a few locals and a tour group. That group was having a great time laughing and taking photos. The other AK RR passenger car had a group of 57 people, most of them a class of 8-year-olds from North Pole Elementary School. The train personnel made an announcement that anyone under 12 years old had to be accompanied by adult. That was very nice as frequently kids will run up and down the aisles, opening and closing the car doors. It's distracting and not at all relaxing. These kids were very well behaved.

We had a brief view of Mt. McKinley from the train, it was a lovely day and a nice ride. Upon our arrival at Denali, we caught the bus to McKinley Chalet Resort, where our room was ready for us. We decided to have lunch at the Chalet, but were terribly disappointed. We both ordered the cup of soup (seafood chowder) and a half-sandwich. The soup was ok, but not great - probably from a boxed base. The sandwich was served on dry (very dry) white bread, with extremely small tomato slices, limp lettuce and lunch meat (turkey for me, ham for Mae) that probably came from Sam's Club or something similar. My side of mayo came in a packet, as did Mae's mustard. It was nowhere worth the almost $12 we paid for it.



Their summer flowers were still in full bloom and gorgeous. We stopped to look at these on the way to our room.

By the time we checked out the gift shop (very nice) and returned to the room, our baggage was inside the room. We stretched out to rest, read and watch tv.

We called for a shuttle to the Princess and had dinner there. They have renovated the dining room since our last trip down, and it is now called "fine dining." I had a chicken breast with a wonderful berry sauce and some potatoes, with ice cream for dessert. The waiter proudly told us the ice cream is called "Hot Licks." Hot Licks is a local place that is always packed. Although their ice cream is very good, their service is not. I have sworn not to go back there until I am assured the service is better. It's now been several years since I've been there. I will, however, eat their ice cream at other places where the servers have more class.



The flowers at the Princess were gorgeous.

On our return to the room, we stopped again at the gift shop at the Chalet. We were surprised to run into Mae's boss and his wife, who had stopped in on their way to Anchorage. It's funny - I think nearly every time we go down to the park we meet someone we know somewhere along the way.

Saturday we watched a little tv before starting off the day. The view from just outside our room was beautiful. I liked the mist rising off the mountains in the early dawn light. We could hear the river rushing by below us - very peaceful and calming.

After breakfast at the Princess, we took the shuttle to Savage River and were absolutely bowled over by the vivid colors. The reds and yellows were brilliant. It was a nice day, in the low 60s and relatively clear until we were coming back to park HQs, when the clouds started rolling in.. We were lucky enough to see about 6-8 moose (a couple of bulls) and Dall sheep, though none were close enough for great photos. I was disappointed that the mountain was obscured by clouds.



We had lunch at the park's cafe, then visited the bookstore and the HQs where I purchased a senior national parks pass.  I sat on a bench outside the HQs and watched as two gray jays squawked at each other.

Then it was time to go check in at the station. They have completely changed the depot at Denali. All the seating is now outside. We did find a box and sat there for the two hours while we waited for the train. It was windy and a little cool and neither of us wanted to sit in that.



Our trip back to Fairbanks was a lot more comfortable. There were just a few people in our car and it was very quiet and peaceful. I managed to get off a few shots of Healy Canyon and the Dall sheep on the side of the mountain across the river/road as well.