If there’s a good thing about the time zone difference and body clock issues associated with being in Alaska, it’s this: when you’re up at 4 or 5am, you can get a lot of work done and still have much of the day to enjoy Alaska.
That’s how it went for me. I’d get up very early, do the usual morning routine, and work at my computer for a while. I took the afternoon and evening off on Thursday, and drove to the town of Talkeetna. Supposedly, Talkeetna was the inspiration for the town in the old TV show “Northern Exposure”. From Anchorage, it was a drive of roughly two hours.
Talkeetna has what can be best described as a smattering of businesses. There are a few restaurants, a number of souvenir shops, a couple of small grocery stores, a couple of eco-tour operations, and rooms to rent. It’s apparently home base for people looking to fish and hunt. Town was a good place to grab lunch (salmon quesadilla) and walk around while deciding whether to do an eco-tour.
The decision was more like which among the several to choose. You can’t go that distance and not venture into the woods. I did a jet boat tour (no propellers), where I accomplished one goal: I saw a bald eagle in the wild. On land, the tour took us to recreations of a Native American encampment and a trapper’s lodge. It was weird (as a city guy) to see the tour guide, a woman of about 20, toting a shotgun through the woods. It seems that the bears aren’t really tame.
Wildlife on this trip was scarce. We saw the eagle, and a few river otters. I still had live salmon on my checklist, but that would have to wait. After the tour, it was back to Anchorage for dinner and a little more work before it was time to call it a night.
That’s how it went for me. I’d get up very early, do the usual morning routine, and work at my computer for a while. I took the afternoon and evening off on Thursday, and drove to the town of Talkeetna. Supposedly, Talkeetna was the inspiration for the town in the old TV show “Northern Exposure”. From Anchorage, it was a drive of roughly two hours.
Talkeetna has what can be best described as a smattering of businesses. There are a few restaurants, a number of souvenir shops, a couple of small grocery stores, a couple of eco-tour operations, and rooms to rent. It’s apparently home base for people looking to fish and hunt. Town was a good place to grab lunch (salmon quesadilla) and walk around while deciding whether to do an eco-tour.
The decision was more like which among the several to choose. You can’t go that distance and not venture into the woods. I did a jet boat tour (no propellers), where I accomplished one goal: I saw a bald eagle in the wild. On land, the tour took us to recreations of a Native American encampment and a trapper’s lodge. It was weird (as a city guy) to see the tour guide, a woman of about 20, toting a shotgun through the woods. It seems that the bears aren’t really tame.
Wildlife on this trip was scarce. We saw the eagle, and a few river otters. I still had live salmon on my checklist, but that would have to wait. After the tour, it was back to Anchorage for dinner and a little more work before it was time to call it a night.
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