Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna is a small, quirky town in between Anchorage and Denali National Park. It has a permanent population of around 300, and men outnumber women about 10 to 1. The word is that the odds are good, but the goods are odd. This town also inspired Northern Exposure. Talkeetna also serves as the base for climbers heading up to Denali. These days, most climbers fly from Talkeetna to a glacier on the mountain then begin the trek to the 20,320 foot summit. We arrived in Talkeetna around lunchtime, and the place was swarming with tourists. When we got off the train, a Princess guest services employee was waiting with a packet for our resort. It had our room number, keys, and information about the property. We decided to skip the shuttle that was leaving right away and wandered into town for a few hours.

Our main mission / first stop was Nagley’s General Store. Nagley’s is home to Stubbs, an orange tabby who is technically mayor of the town. He’s about 18 and is still recovering from a dog attack last year. He’s very friendly, even if the employees aren’t thrilled at tourists coming inside just to pet a cat. Heads up: the upstairs of Nagley’s has a bunch of Stubbs t-shirts (so obviously Mac bought one).

We walked down the main drag (I’m not exaggerating, it’s one road that’s about 5 blocks long) and stopped at Twister Creek at Denali Brewing Company for lunch. We shared amazing smoked provolone wedges for an appetizer. Mac had a southwest bacon burger and a root beer, while I had a cheeseburger. The food was solid, and we sat on the deck people watching in the heart of town. After lunch, we walked down to the Susitna River (it’s a few hundred yards past where the main paving ends) for a few photos. We then turned back up the street and went into the various gift shops and stores. We also came across a candy shop for sale (now accepting donations as it’s listed at $365,000) that we’ve decided to buy once we win the lottery. It’s a cute little village, and you can find lots of quirky gifts.

We didn’t have tons of time in town, so we weren’t able to do any excursions. But a lot of companies offer ATV trips, jet boat trips on the rivers, fishing, flight-seeing, and hiking. We stopped at Shirley’s ice cream where Mac tried more fireweed ice cream and I had a polar bear cone (it was coconut, vomitvomitvomit). When we got to the parking lot for the shuttle, we saw another Hokie! The shuttle is an hour long drive to the resort.