More clouds and rain today as we made our way from Denali to Talkeetna. We were hoping to finally catch a glimpse of Denali but the clouds had different plans. Either way, it was a nice drive and we appreciated the pretty roadside Fireweed and other non-cloud obscured scenery.
Along our drive, we stopped for a quick peak of Igloo City. According to my trusty book, “The Milepost”, back in 1973 Igloo City was going to open and offer a hotel, restaurant, gift shop, and gas/service station. It didn’t happen, but eventually the building next to it did open as a gas station/convivence store. It closed in 2005. It’s all closed to the public and from what I understand, privately owned. Vandals have made their marks on this property unfortunately. Although we were only able to view it from the road – and I don’t know if it was the gloomy weather and remote location, but it did have a strange vibe to it. That being said, if it ever is made into a hotel, you bet I would want to stay there.
We stopped for lunch at Denali Brewing Co. The beers were good and the food was fantastic. You get a little punch card to make sure you don’t get served more than the maximum two drink limit – I question the effectiveness of this card. They are also home to Denali Spirits and we got a couple bottles of Spruce Tip Gin to bring home.
Although we didn’t have a reservation, we were hoping to get an RV site at Talkeetna Camper Park. When we arrived, I popped into the office and spoke to Dave who was super nice. He said they were full, but there was a spot that wasn’t technically a spot right next to the office where we could stay for our two nights in Talkeetna. The spot looked a bit tight with bushes and the eves of the building. He said some people can get into it, some people can’t. He suggested we give it a try, and if we fit, we could use the power and water from the building and also get a drastically reduced price ($25 a night) since it wasn’t a “real” spot. We were feeling bold (and didn’t really have anywhere else to go), so we gave it a try and fit like a glove! It turned out to be, in our opinion, the best spot in the RV park. All of the people we spoke to who work at the Talkeetna Camper Park were super friendly and helpful.
After getting settled, we took the short walk to Downtown Talkeetna… in the rain. There we attempted to follow the self-guided walking tour but kept getting distracted by all the cute shops, restaurants, and street entertainers. Talkeetna was a mining center during the Alaskan Gold Rush and does a great job maintaining it’s historical charm. Now it’s a hub for mountain climbers, tourists, and free spirits which are showcased in the many artisan shops.
We passed by the Fairview Inn which was a place to stop between Seward and Fairbanks after the the Alaskan Railroad was built. Now it’s a bar and there are a few rooms available for lodging. Another historic location we passed by on Main St. was Nagley’s Store. This store has a little bit of everything. After roaming around in the rain a bit more, we headed back to the Airstream for a light dinner of leftovers since we weren’t super hungry after the delicious big lunch we had at Denali Brewing Co.
We have an early morning tomorrow and I am really excited for our day tomorrow. We have a bush plane adventure planned to fly over Denali for an hour long tour from the air, and then we get dropped off at Caribou Lodge for a half day hike and lunch.