Talkeetna

 

  Shortly after Jan and I moved to Wasilla, my daughter Autumn suggested we take a small road trip north to Talkeetna. Actually I think she wanted to go much further north, but as enticing as it sounded, I find that I get tired after a few hours of driving, also I frequently have to pee, so a two hour trip can stretch out to three or more hours by the time I've made multiple stops, so we opted to go to Talkeetna. It's off the Parks Highway, which if you stay on it will eventually take you to Fairbanks. Anyway, we went as far as Talkeetna. It's definitely a tourist town  with a lot of character. When we were there the tourist season was over, not that there was much of one this year. If the government doesn't knock off all the oppressive regulations, there won't be a small business left in America, which may be part of the plan, I don't know for sure. Anyway, we were there at what would normally be the end of the tourist season, so most of the shops were shut down. There was the usual assortment of art stores and at least one museum and a few other shops as well as Nagley's  Store, which I assume must sell groceries. I saw on the back side of the  store there was a pub, so I guess it has all a town would need to make it through a winter. A few coffee shops and restaurants were downtown, and at least a few of them were open, although I don't know how much business they were doing. It runs in my mind that three different rivers converge there in Talkeetna and they have been having a problem with the river changing course and eating away the bank on the town side of the river. One of the owners of a river boat rental place spoke to us and said that she was trying to get boulders lined up to prevent the loss of the bank, but it sounded like she was fighting the state for some reason. They have an airport there and I'm sure you can charter a plane for a day trip up to Denali or just around the area, perhaps to fish somewhere. Of course I'm sure there is ample opportunity to shop for unique gifts during the season. It is a unique place, but I don't think I 'd want to live there. Even though we haven't been in Wasilla for long, I'm already getting spoiled with the fact that there is  a Lowes and a Home Depot, as well as Fred Meyers, Three Bears and even the famed Mattress Ranch that Ted Sadler owns. I've seen him on TV singing and dancing and advertising his inexpensive mattresses. We'll have to drop in there when we get the time. I've signed up for three months of car washes at the Splash and Dash, and got a ten percent discount because I'm a vet. I can go get the car washed once a day every day with the exception of the holidays. I did go and get a free car wash on Veterans Day, and a free haircut at Great Clips as well. Back in Hoonah I had to either wait until I was going in to Juneau and get one there, or call my friend Ron Juan Williams to come to the house and cut it. I'm not sure if they have any barbers in Talkeetna, but they did have a public restroom in the middle of town, which was open by the way, for which I was eternally grateful. As you might be able to tell by the way Autumn is all scrunched up, it was a tad chilly that day. I suspect that it's considerably colder there than it is here, although I could be wrong- another reason why I wouldn't want to live there. Notice if you will that the bottom picture shows a log cabin with grass growing on the roof. Whether that was by design or just the way it happened, I've no idea. I'm not sure how good a sod roof would be, but if you were industrious, I suppose that you could climb up in the spring and plant radishes and carrots. Probably not enough dirt to grow potatoes, and even if you could you probably wouldn't want to because your neighbors might  be on your roof in the middle of the night wanting to dig some spuds for hash browns for breakfast. In the next to last picture you can see the top of Denali. It's pretty impressive for sure. I do hope to come back for a visit in the spring, maybe buy a coffee and look around inside Nagley's. Those old stores are great places to check out; you never know what you'll find. One thing is for sure, before I leave town, I'll probably make a stop at the public restroom. That's how you know a town is glad to have you- they care for your comfort.