Great Alaskan Road Trip: Day 6

This morning we left Fairbanks under a quadruple rainbow and headed south to Talkeetna, detouring back into Denali one last time to stretch our legs. There were other people at the Mountain Vista trail this time, so we were able to go for a short walk. The mountain was again hiding all of itself but a sliver, but we did see another bull moose on the way out. The whole drive took us about 7 hours, but we took our time and made several stops.

Talkeetna is our new favorite getaway spot. Main Street is lined with shops and restaurants, and biking, walking, and riding ATVs are all acceptable ways to get around town. We checked into the Talkeetna Roadhouse and are staying at their Trapper John's cabin about a quarter of a mile off the main drag (and on the same property as the roadhouse owner's home). A true trapper's cabin, it comes complete with pelts on the walls and a kitchen with all vintage appliances.

We walked down to the community-built playground (which was further than we thought), designed by the same company that just did ours in Homer. It was similar yet very different, and felt much more Alaskan-themed than Homer's, but I don't think I could choose one over the other.

We headed to Mountain High Pizza Pie for dinner and intentionally ordered too much so we have leftovers for tomorrow. Then it was back to the cabin for jackets to help keep the killer mosquitoes at bay before heading on a short walk.

The roadhouse proprietor told us to head down the street from the cabin and around the end of the village airstrip to pick up a trail through the woods by the river. I felt like I was back in Kodiak, where we would cut between the airstrip and the float plane lake to get to the diner. As soon as we got to the end of the airstrip, a plane started taxiing for takeoff. To say the kids were surprised as it flew right over our heads is an understatement.

Our hike through the beautiful birch forest was short lived thanks to the mosquitoes. We are all tired anyway, so the kids are tucked in bed while the Alaskan summer sun streams in the cabin's kitchen window and the resident roosters crow at 8:30pm.

Tomorrow it's breakfast at the roadhouse and then back to Anchorage with stops for groceries and running shoes, and then on home to our much-missed Dad, dog, and beds. Adventure Girl says she wants to keep traveling around, and Little Man wants to play in his own room with his own toys.

Photos: quadruple rainbow leaving Fairbanks, one last glimpse of hidden Denali, Talkeetna, playground in Talkeetna, Mountain High Pizza Pie, Trapper John's Cabin

Great Alaskan Road Trip: Day 1

Today we started at the beginning of the road (which most others refer to as the end!) and took our time driving to Anchorage. In just two months since we last made that drive, the scenery has gone from snowy with ice falls and avalanche warnings to mostly fresh spring green. We even saw newly-blooming lupine along the side of the road and a mama moose with two babies in the marsh.

We don't particularly enjoy Anchorage, mostly because it is a whole lot of city compared to our 1-stop-light town, but stopping over is a necessary evil for shopping and to avoid an extra long day of driving. We are staying in military lodging at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson for the first time. What a bargain! $41.50 for two bedrooms and a living room. Before settling in for the night, we ran off some energy at the indoor playground on base and then visited the commissary. We learned last summer to stock up on fruit, breakfast items, bread and pb&j, and snack food, along with a 2.5 gallon jug of drinking water to refill our water bottles to save money and restaurant hassle along the way.

Tomorrow it's off to Denali!! Pics below are Tern Lake at the intersection of the Sterling and Seward Highways, a view entering Turnagin Arm, and the Arctic Oasis playground. On the iPhone, so I can't caption them.

On the road again...

Wow.  A year ago right now, we were in the middle of our journey from Connecticut to Alaska.  The past year has flown by, and we feel completely at home in Homer.  So much so that I do believe we will be back for good once our Coast Guard ride is over.  Sorry, Mom(s).  But I think you knew this already.  

The past month has been a whirlwind, with the end-of-school activities, playground build, and lots of crazy ship logistics.  Today was our first regular weekend day in longer than we can remember.  The highlight of the past few months for me has definitely been the playground build.  Now we not only have a fantastic new place for the kids to play and spend time with their friends, but we also have lots of new friends of our own, met alongside table saws and paint brushes.  

It started as a forest of posts, 18 of which I helped set myself!

Last day of work

Complete, huge, and awesome.

We are finally greening up around town, with new baby moose wandering around and dandelions everywhere.  Two sets of moose twins were born in our neighborhood.  And after spending a winter's day at minus 26 degrees, 55 is t-shirt weather for sure.

Monday the kids and I are headed north for what we are calling our Great Alaskan Road Trip.  The LT (soon-to-be LTCDR-select!) can't get away from work, so we are going it alone.  We will be spending time in Denali National Park, Fairbanks, and Talkeetna along the way.  We haven't been further north than Anchorage, other than our drive in from Tok, so we are really excited to explore new-to-us parts of the state.  I downloaded the Blogger mobile app, so I should be able to give daily trip highlights along the way, just like we did last year with our drive from CT to here.  If you have been through or to any of the places we are headed, please leave us suggestions of your favorite pit-stops and attractions!