Train from Fairbanfs to Talkeetna

Railroad from Fairbanks to Talkeetna

We had to get up pretty early this morning to catch a 7:00 shuttle to the train station. Today, we took an 8 hour train ride from Fairbanks to Talkeetna on the Alaska railroad. We paid the extra for the Gold Star Service, so we got to sit in a rally spectacular domed car with high, domed glass windows. On the way, we did see a couple of moose!

We ate lunch in the dining car - Grant, Bobby and I had the wild game stew - so I have now officially eaten reindeer and buffalo. Mom got pot roast.

Sitting in the Gold Star section we also got free beverages and these cute snack packs with pretzels and honey mustard and jam and chocolate covered blue berries.

The train was pretty late coming in - all of the rains caused severe flooding and the trains had been closed for the past few days, so in many places they were still working hard at clearing the side by side tracks. We saw many parts of the hills that had mudslide damage, and the water levels were really high.

We got in to Talkeetna at around 7:00, which was about 3 hours late. Gary met us and drove us to the lodge in his rental car. The train station took care of our luggage and brought it to the lodge for us.

We met up with Donna after checking in. Our rooms are in building 17 - 1711 for Grant and I, 1714 for Gary and Donna, and 1712 for Mom and Bobby. We had dinner at Twenty-three-twenty, which is one if the restaurants here, named for the altitude of Mount McKinley. Grant and Bobby had Salmon, Mom and Donna had a shrimp and crab salad on a croissant, Gary had the Buffalo stew, and I had crab cake sliders. Yummy!

After dinner we chatted about which excursion we wanted to do and then headed off to bed!