July 6, 2010
The Talkeetna Gift Shop, probably my favorite store to browse around in. Don't forget to check out the basement and upstairs areas.
July 5, 2010
When the tourists flock into Talkeetna, everyone wants a photo of the world-famous "Welcome to Talkeetna" sign. In case you never make it here, here's a photo of the sign, which as you can see, sits right next to the town's stop sign. (I'm just kidding, the town has several stop signs.
July 5, 2010
A photo of the Fairview Inn, in Talkeetna, Alaska. I've had a few beers at the Fairview, and my former landlord is/was the manager, though I've still never met him, lol.
July 5, 2010
If you love old trucks, you'll love the Fairview Inn truck in Talkeetna, Alaska. The truck can be found between the Fairview Inn and the Denali Brewing Company.
July 5, 2010
A dog driving a car in Talkeetna -- not an uncommon site at all. people in Alaska love their dogs, and they're great at parallel parking. :)
July 5, 2010
Most people that visit Alaska will never see Denali, but these lucky people were able to see some of it. On a clear day, Denali towers over Talkeetna, and you can see why all the climbers use Talkeetna as their base camp.
July 5, 2010
Hmph, I've never been to the Denali Brewing Company in Talkeetna, but I hear it's nice. They've really expanded since I was last here.
July 5, 2010
A view of the Talkeetna Chocolate Corner. I may have been there once or twice ... I'm not saying. :)
July 5, 2010
No trip to Talkeetna, Alaska is complete without a short walk to the Talkeetna cemetery, which is near the Talkeetna airport. Here's the entrance sign to the cemetery.
July 5, 2010
If anyone ever tells you there's a beach in Talkeetna, first you'll be amazed. Then when you walk there, you'll come upon this entrance to the Talkeetna beach.
July 5, 2010
A view of the Talkeetna Alaskan crafts store.
July 5, 2010
A close up view of the dreaded cottonwood plant in Talkeetna, Alaska. If you've ever been to Talkeetna, or Alaska in general, during June, you've probably seen cottonwood flying through the air like snow.
July 5, 2010
Here's a view of the wildflowers at the Talkeetna airport. I walked past this area almost every day during the summer of 2007.
July 5, 2010
The Talkeetna Air Taxi ... I've never flown out of here, but I've tried. Flights are canceled fairly often due to bad weather, and the two times I tried to take their flights over Denali they were both canceled. The cabin I lived in was just down the road from this entrance.
July 5, 2010
A photo of the outside of the West Rib Pub and Grill in Talkeetna, Alaska. As you can see from the banner, they were recently featured on the Food Channel. I've been there a few times, and I have to say, their burgers are pretty good.
July 5, 2010
A photo of the world-famous Nagley's grocery store in Talkeetna, Alaska. When I lived in Talkeetna in 2007 I actually bought a few groceries here, though I usually made the long trek to Wasilla for my big grocery runs. I've also spent many hours sitting in front of Nagleys, watching people mill around town.
July 5, 2010
The Talkeetna hostel, as seen from the street (I Street).
July 5, 2010
One of my funnier adventures in Alaska happened back in 2007. This was before anyone (including me) had any idea who Sarah Palin was, and every time I drove into Wasilla, I wondered how you pronounced the name of the town. Was it WAH-si-la, was-SIL-uh, wa-sil-UH, or something else?
So as luck would have it, one day I ended up in the ER of the hospital that's here on the outskirts of town after a biking accident. Thinking this would be a good time to ask someone how to pronounce "Wasilla", I asked one of the nurses how to pronounce the name of the town.
July 5, 2010
Wow, outside of being up in the mountains, or being in the Turnagain Arm area, today is the windiest day I've ever experienced in Alaska. The sky is mostly sunny, which is a nice break from the overcast skies and rain we've had for the last few days. But the wind ... it may only be 25-30 mph, but when you're not in the mountains here, one of the noticeable things about Alaska is the lack of wind and storms.