Talkeetna

Monday,june 29th

We are here about 15 miles from Wasilla.From Denali we went to Talkeetna,where most of the scenic flight companies are located.Talkeetna is a very pretty little town,lots of stores with handmade alaskan crafts,bakery with homemade breads and a pub,etc.The talkeetna camper park we selected was booked out.They told us there is a boat-launch campground with some spaces avalable.So we drove there,it was pretty in the woods,but dry camping.We liked it so much ,we stayed another day. Since we wanted to do a scenic flight of Mt.Mc.Kinley.We checked all the flight service companies out and booked with Talkeetna Airo service.There flight would be 90 min and over 20.000 feet.We had found an advertisement in the milepost with a note for $ 20.- off per person for direct booking.We cut it out and got $ 40.- off not bad,since the prices are high.The plane was a Piper Chieftain with 8 seats,nice big windows.We had headsets on,so we could listen and talk to the pilot,his name was Dave.I cannot explain the beauty of that flight,it was so magnificent.At about 10.000 feet we had to put on our oxigen masks and he circelt around the mountain.Mt.Mc.Kinley is 20320 feet high.We climed up to over 21400 feet and went over the top.While slowly going around the mountain and down again,the pilot experienced some minor problem.So Dave told us it's nothing to worry about,but he will go back to talkeetna and cut the flight a little short,to have somebody check it out.So we went down faster then normal.We had one hour flight as we landed. After 30 min.Dave ask us if we wanted to complete the flight.This time we went up the Tokositna glacier and back down the whole Ruth glacier,what a sight,sometimes you think the wings would touch the mountains.Dave pointed out a plane,which was at a glacier,that plane and the people around it looked like ants.It was the base camp for the climbers.An incredable feeling.When we landed,we had been flying one hour again.So,it was actually a good deal,even with the little scare for a while.

Yesterday we left Talkeetna and visited on the way the Dream of Dream Dog Farm of

Vern Halter,a veteran Iditarod multible winner.He is raising and training the dogs for the yearly Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome.He is also training people for the run.The dogs are so lovable,want to be hugged and patted all the time,especially the young once.We took a walk with three puppies in the woods. Then we went on a 2 mile run in an ATV with 12 of the dogs pulling it ,what fun.In summer they cannot run too long ,it's too warm,they are sled dogs,as colder it is,as better they run.We had a wonderful 3 hours there. We are going to stay here at the hutson riverside campground an extra day to take care of the shopping, since there are a safeway,a fred meyers and a walmart supercenter in Wasilla. I hope, we still get this on the blog, then we finally are up to date. For the next week or more, we will travel the Kenai peninsula and we may not have any WIFI in our campgrounds. So bear with us, we will continue when ever we can