2019, Our Year Traveling by Ship, Train, Plane, Car and Barge: Off to Denali Princess by Bus & Train, August 6, 2018

Can’t tell a player without a score card, so we got the train book with a map...

The train assigns you seats and since you are up on top (except if you eat lunch,) there are no bad seats!!! You can get up and walk around very carefully!

The Tin man competing in the Slush Cup.

The train line actually starts at 0 and goes to Fairbanks over 450 miles away. In our case this train starts around 227 mile marker and goes into Denali Park at Mile Marker 348. We travel at about 35 miles an hour and go by three rivers.

Lot of Homesteaders up here thanks to President Abraham Lincoln’s Homestead Act. It was in effect until 1986. A very primitive existence, no water, electricity, phones and other technology.

(If you know anyone who would like to work during the summer up here in Alaska, go to: Www.coolworks.com

They have employee housing and they feed you!!!)

“Hey, Rex, you could drive a big diesel bus up here.”

The sun has broken out once again, so we are doing a lot of praying that Denali will emerge from the clouds. “Rain, rain go away...” I can’t imagine, but they only average about 37 sunny days a year. I definitely couldn’t live with that many overcast days. (Another reason we left OH in the winter. UGH.)

Safety lecture on board the train and our introduction to our bartender and wait staff.

They have lots of Alaskan birch. Its other name is Paper birch because their bark peels so easily They make syrup from the birch sap. It has a thinner texture than maple but is just as tasty.

Hurricane Gulch Bridge is one of the signature viewpoints. In the 1920’s, the Alaskan RR company called a Minnesota bridge building company & they were able to complete this trestle bridge in a few months in 1921. Despite, it's significant height above Hurricane Creek. They worked from both sides at once and joined the two sides in the middle. I was very happy when we got across!

As we learned later, some of these marsh lands are created by beavers and their dams

Talking about busy beavers!!! WOW!

Indian River we could see salmon.

We saw lots of old telegraph poles ready to fall down but still with those cool, glass transformers on top

This town is 115 miles North of Anchorage.

Downtown Talkeetna, AK MP 226.7

The Susitna River

We are now in the Alaskan Mountain range where Denali is located

Denali National Forest

One of the nice benefits of the Princess Alaskan Land Tour besides not having to schlep our luggage is a Princess representative hands you, an envelope with your itinerary & tickets, room assignment & disembarkation info before you leave your bus or train; so you don’t even have to check in at the main desk.

Broad Pass is meadows carved out by glaciers with loads of wild blueberry bushes.

Cute fishing site

Love these reflections. They served some yummy drinks and food aboard. Mike got to try the Spruce Tip Gin flavor with tonic and a lime. I’m not a gin fan, but this one was really refreshing!!!

The federal government owns about 60% of Alaska, the state owns about 20%, Native Americans own app 13% and the rest is owned by the residents. Many of the names up here were named by the Athabaskan natives.

Devil Claws are really painful to walk through bc of all their spikes.

“Journey to a Dream” a book by Mary Lovel who lived up here with her kids. Her book is based on her journals and diaries. Clyde, her husband of 63 years worked for the RR company. They are still alive, he is 91 & she is 83 and they still live out in the wilderness in the summers.

Freight business makes up 65% of the railroad revenue since it runs all winter in incredibly challenging conditions.

We have lost our sunshine but even overcast; it’s still beautiful and relaxing!

Mike’s cold is waning and now, I’m sniffing and coughing. UGH! Despite, lots of hand washing and probiotics, so many are coughing and sneezing. I think it’s all the climate changes too.

An old antique train just left by the ole abandoned town of Curry.

We see lone cabins here and there thanks to the George Parks Hwy which is right beside the railroad. Even with that you will need some type of four wheel drive to get back to your place or a bush plane. Some colorful town names up here; Aloha, Hurricane, Chicken, Curry. At times we had to move over to let other trains pass. It’s controlled by the train dispatcher in Anchorage. Our engineer has to jump off and pull the switch. Once the other train passes, our conductor jumps off again to switch us back to the mainline. Old school!