DAY 39 - 40 (6/11 - 6/12): Girdwood/Whittier via Talkeetna

 Moose sighting on the way to Talkeetna, another real one!

Talkeetna is another recommendation from Uncle Brad - so glad we went (THANKS BRAD!)!  Are all the scenery photos starting to look the same?  Here are some from this drive...

Talkeetna is an old Alaskan town that now thrives on tourism.  It appears the cruise ships and trains bus folks in for a spin.  We found good eats at a place called Homestead Kitchen - Southern meets Alaskan!

On our way back to the main highway we stopped at another few places.

Our destination for the next two nights is an Airbnb in Girdwood where we can have real showers and do laundry!  Also, there is an amazing hike my friend Nicole told me about that we must do tomorrow!

Nicole's recommendation (Portage Pass) did not disappoint - THANKS NICOLE!  At first I thought we may not be able to do it based on the comments on AllTrails that there was still snow on the ground, but we brought our poles which was a huge help!  We made it to the pass and then "passed" on the additional 2 mile RT to go to the lake and glacier base.

I forgot to mention how we got to the hike.  It is in Whittier, AK - a town of less than 250 people, and only accessible by boat, train, or if you have a vehicle, you can pay a toll and take the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.  It is the longest highway tunnel in North America (2.5 mi), and is shared by both train and cars - but you gotta take turns!  The cars go at the half hour and the trains go at the top of the hour.

Back to Girdwood for some good eats, followed by good beer & seltzer!

GOOD NIGHT!

Miles driven: 309 (Denali to Girdwood), 63 (Girdwood to Whittier)