Wednesday, September 9
Today began way too early for our liking with us having to be at our departure point from the ship at 6.30 am - ugh! We had made arrangements with Tony & Angie to ring us at 5.30 am if they woke first or we would ring them if we woke first. We needn't have bothered as sleep wasn't on the cards because all unloading of passenger suitcases from the ship was carried out right throughout the night and right below our two cabins. We at least made an effort to sleep but the Fosters gave up and decided to sit up and watch the proceedings.
Way too early for the Fosters!
Inside our glass-domed carriage on the McKinley Express
Needless to say, once we were herded onto the McKinley Express at 6.45 am we were ready for a snooze. This also was not on the cards as our Carriage Guide, Alex, liked the sound of his own voice and literally only stopped to draw breath. We decided to make ourselves comfortable and watch more of Alaska's amazing scenery unfold before us through the glass domed windows of our carriage. As Johnny, one of our restaurant waiters would have said, "excellent choice"! Sadly it was raining again so we viewed the scenery through raindrops on the carriage window and mist beyond. That was not enough to stop us seeing the grandeur of the huge mountains, icy lakes, and watching out for moose and bear along the way.
Views along the way
As we journeyed onwards to Talkeetna, the skies began to clear and brighten. We also noticed quite a lot of the trees had changed colours - absolutely beautiful!
The changing colours of Autumn/Fall
We arrived in Talkeetna around 12.45pm and decided to stay in the town for a look around and lunch. There were lots of handicraft shops and it was interesting to see the local artisan's work. After lunch at the West Rib Pub we browsed through the town then made our way to the coach stop to be taken on an hour's journey to the Mt McKinley Princess Lodge. The scenery was beautiful, as usual, and we were very happy with our accommodation when we arrived. After a quick look around and a freshen up, we made our way to one of the restaurants where we met up with friends, Jenny & Brian for a very enjoyable meal. All of us were tired after our early start and day's travelling, so it was an early night all round.
At the Lodge
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