A town of about 1000 people, its population increases dramatically with tourists in the summer.  Its mayor is a cat named “Denali”.  At the beginning of Spring, the snow is still deep, requiring waist-high trenches to reach the decks of our cabins.  The highlight of our time in Talkeetna was a visit to a sled dog training center, the endeavor of the locally famous musher and Iditarod winner, Dallas Seavey.  There were 130 dogs under the supervision of 6 to 8 trainers.  In addition to their wrangling, feeding and scooping chores, the trainers host tourists, setting them up to ride a dogsled on one of their training courses.  This actually provides a training service for the dogs—giving them practice at maintaining a target speed and keeping a fixed pace.

Tourists are also used to socialize the dogs, starting with puppies.  We were encouraged to pet them and play with them; see the photos below.

We travelled by van to Talkeetna, the gateway of Denali National Park, passing through spectacular mountain vistas.  By accident, I learned that there were vacancies on a sight-seeing small-plane tour into the park, and on a last-minute realization that the skies were clear and I would not likely be here again any time soon, I booked the flight!  It was an amazing experience.  Here are a few photos and a video sample.

Two hours northeast of Fairbanks is a feature that is the focal point of a rustic resort, Chena Hot Springs.  The resort has been augmented by a geothermal power plant, greenhouses, and tourist attractions including the “Ice Museum”.  We spent an afternoon visiting, ending with a soak in an outdoor pool fed by the springs.

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