Mae and I decided to take our annual train trip to Denali National Park May 15-16. Since Alaska Railroad did not offer their usual 1/2-price + hotel room, we opted to go with Princess Tours (who did offer a special fare and hotel). The railroad depot was locked up tight when we got there, and the train consisted of an engine and two Holland America cars. We were certainly not crowded as we frequently are.
The cars were very nice. The comfortable seats were on the 2nd tier of a double-decker car, with dining on the first level. Huge windows were on both sides of the car. I'm not sure there were other Alaskans on the car on the ride down, aside from the tour guide from Anchorage. She did not know her facts, and made a number of factual errors while telling the tour group "all about Alaska." At one point, I had to speak up and correct one of them. I don't like doing that, but she was clearly turned around - had us going backwards. It would have been better if she had simply read the book she is supplied by the company. The food was better than the typical food we eat on the train, but still not great.
Most of the people on the train were staying at the McKinley Chalet. Mae and I stayed at the Princess, where we were greeted by the lobby staff and told we were the first guests of the season. I did see more people arriving later that day, so we were not the only ones.
The weather at Denali was really not good. It was cool - 40s and 50s in the afternoon - with a brisk wind. There was still a good bit of snow on the ground. To make things more interesting, I had a flare-up of an abdominal condition that plagues me every few years and was in considerable pain. So in view of the weather and my problem, we spent a lot of time in our room, reading our Nooks and watching television.
We did a little shopping and I picked up some pashmina shawls that I liked. The food at the Princess King Salmon Restaurant did not disappointment. I enjoyed a chicken breast with a berry sauce that was delicious. I've got to come up with a similar sauce here at home.
We didn't even go into the park this trip because we discovered the park buses were not even running and we didn't want to spend a lot of money on the tours offered at the hotel. We've done those tours before, so it was nothing new for us.
We did, however, see a lot of wildlife from the train - several moose, one with a calf; swans; sandhill cranes; Dall sheep; ducks and geese, as well as magnificent scenery. Waterfalls on the side of the hills were still frozen and the Nenana River below us had only a small channel open.
Mt. McKinley was out on a clear blue sky (no clouds at all) and visible for a good while on the ride to the park. So we got to see the mountain - always a delight and always awesome.
We enjoyed the trip, relaxed and talked with some nice visitors from the Lower 48. All in all, it was a good trip.
Every Memorial Day weekend I go to the dog show with Mae and our friend Cindy. Another friend from Anchorage, Nancy, breeds and shows golden retrievers. She usually makes the trip to Fairbanks and this year was no exception. She brought a female who just came along for the ride, and Logan, a male who needed just one more win for his championship. Here are a few photos of Logan and Nancy in the ring. Logan is the one in front here.
There were a number of breeds, but not as many as in the past. But I love watching them. Logan got his win so they went home happy.
Mae and I usually enjoy Mother's Day dinner at the Alaska Salmon Bake with our friend Cindy. This year, however, the Salmon Bake wasn't open because the water lines were still freezing at night and they couldn't turn on the water. We finally got there May 26. They've switched from halibut to cod (because the cost of halibut skyrocketed a couple of years ago), so it wasn't quite as good as we'd like, but the cod was good, and the company was great.
After dinner, we headed over to the greenhouse to buy plants for the year. I didn't even plant last year because I was sick on Memorial Day weekend and the next week was in Arizona with my sisters. All I had was one lonely marigold my granddaughter Maddy brought down to plant. So this year I got zucchini, summer squash, parsley, chives, asters, dahlias and chrysanthemums. They are all in the dirt now and I'm hopeful for a bumper crop.
I'd say we've got a good start to the summer season. Looking forward to enjoying my porch (without mosquitos) and watching the birds at the feeders. Already the new ones are coming around and are voracious. I had dark-eyed juncos and redpolls here while I was planting late yesterday afternoon. I can hear them chirping now, so I think I'll close and go enjoy them.
Have a safe and happy summer.
