There's no sense sitting around in the rain...so...around 8:00, I'm on the road to Talkeetna in a steady drizzle. The scenery on the drive is beautiful...what little I can make out of the clouds and fog. But, after 75 miles or so, I can see something way out on the horizon...something blue...it's clear skies!
It's about 12:00 noon when I pull off the Parks Highway and swing onto the "Talkeetna Spur Road". After this many straight days of camping, I'd like to stay in a hotel tonight. Unfortunately, my travel budget will not permit a hotel stay. The $2200 storage locker bill, the $350.00 cell phone charge and the $1500.00 in cost overruns on the skylight replacement at home...all of these "ate up" about 1/3 of the funds budgeted for this camping trip. So...I have been forced to "economize".
There's a nice campground about 1/2 mile out of town. They're "full", but for $20.00, I can park in the "overflow lot" where I'll have electric, but no water. I'll take it. They have excellent Wi-Fi here, so I take two hours or so to check emails, post to Facebook, pay a few bills.
Cousin Bill calls...he's feeling better, but still pretty sick. Sick or not, he's heading south out of Fairbanks tomorrow...maybe to Denali...maybe to Talkeetna. If we don't hook up in Talkeetna, we'll definitely get back together in Anchorage.
Around 2:30, I hike the 1/2 mile or so into Talkeetna. I like this town. When I was here in 2008, I stayed in Talkeetna on two different occasions...and both times stayed longer than originally planned. Talkeetna is a town populated by an eclectic mix of 1960's-era "hippies, artists, bush pilots and fishing guides. The people are friendly, the bars plentiful and the dining options surprisingly good.
I spend the afternoon "bar-hopping" before dinner. I start out at the Denali Brewing Company where my bartender, Amber, turns out to be from Livonia and a lifelong UM fan. And, while there is not a single lager or pilsener among the twenty or so beers on tap, I find a "Pilsener-style Ale" that is at least palatable. I meet the guy who owns the local ice cream shack...and we talk about ice cream, techno and Burning Man.
Next stop is the Wildflower Cafe with 40 beers on tap...and...there are several lagers and pilseners to choose from. I have several.
From there, it's on to the famous (or infamous) "TeePee"...perhaps the "diviest" bar in all of Alaska. Small, dimly-lit, and off the beaten track, it's a bar for locals...they keep it a secret from the tourists. I settle in for a few $3.00 pints of PBR...what a bargain. I listen to the local gossip..."'so and so' just passed away at age 92", "that little yellow house out on the spur road is for sale but it's got bad wiring", "'so and so' just fell off the wagon again". It's an hour and a half of great conversation.
I'm hungry now, so I head over to the "Talkeetna Roadhouse" for dinner...Hungarian mushroom soup, a Pasty made with ground reindeer meat/cheese/potatoes...a few glasses of lager...and a chocolate "turtle pie" for dessert. I'm still a bit hungry, so I stop at the "Wake and Shke" ice cream shack for two scoops.
Then...more bar-hopping...Twister Creek and, then, the West Rib Pub. I meet more locals...bush pilots, fishing guides, tour boat operators...more fascinating conversation.
Around midnight, I stagger the 1/2 mile back to my campground. It's been a good day and an even better night. I think that I'll stay in Talkeetna for another day. I like it here.
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