After breakfast in Seward, we packed up and took a short cab ride to the airport and our awaiting Maules. Soon we were airborne and flying north toward Anchorage and beyond to our destination for the next couple days, Talkeetna. We decided on a slightly different route than our ingress to Seward to see some new territory. But the scenery was just as beautiful and dramatic as we flew over Six Mile Creek and Hope Alaska before heading toward Anchorage.
We talked to Anchorage ATC, but they scarcely paid us any attention as we flew up against the mountains at low altitude and stayed east of their busy airline and military airspace. Once clear of the Anchorage area we turned our steady steads NNW toward Talkeetna. But we passed near Willow AK, and decided to land and look it over. It’s the largest of many typical airstrips with associated lakes or float plane bases in the area. There was also a pilot there we’d visited by phone who flew a Maule in his back country bush flying business. We’d hoped to meet him, but he took off as we were taxing to park. :) Oh well, we decided to dismount anyway and look the place over, which was worthwhile and interesting.
Then it was north to Talkeetna. We flew over the town and area before landing at the newer state owned strip, but took note of the grass Village Airstrip Don Sheldon and others used in the past. We took a taxi to our nearby hotel which was easy walking distance to both the airport and, via a path thru the woods to Talkeetna. Once settled in we walked to the airport to arrange a glacier landing and Denali flight seeing flight the next day.:):):) Then we walked into town via the wooded path to explore and have dinner.
Talkeetna is charming, colorful, small, and vintage Alaska. Besides browsing the shops and looking over the restaurant possibilities, we visited the National Park Headquarters a few minutes before it closed. Then we wandered back to the Village Airstrip to look it over from the ground, planning to land our Maules on it the following day. It was something we both wanted to do to connect more with the rich aviation history that was birthed and lived out in Talkeetna, sort of a bush pilot right of passage.:) It looked fine to us, and we decided it would be our first stop the next day.
Then we enjoyed a nice dinner with beverages made locally by the Alaska Brewing Company, before walking back through the woods to our hotel and the evening card game. :) But we had a nice surprise en route — a nice view of an Alaskan Railroad train. At the edge of town where we joined our wooded trail, we crossed the tracks of the famous train from Anchorage to Fairbanks which stops in Talkeetna. We were lucky enough on this day to see, photograph, and experience it. :)
With our nightly card games in the history books, we nodded off to sleep reflecting on the wonderful trip, the wonderful weather, and wonderful times we had experienced to this juncture. And with keen anticipation, we reflected on what our next day in Talkeetna might hold, with it’s Denali discovery flight and a glacier landing on the mountain! Also landing on the Village Airstrip and flying our own airplanes around Mt. Denali and the area?
Who might we meet? What else would we see? North … in Alaska?
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| Seems with tires in AK, it's go big or go home! :) |
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