Alaska by Rail

The open road is great, but a change of pace to driving the big rig is welcome.  The more settled parts of Alaska are easy to view on a train trip.

Henry uses the wait at the station to catch up with family……

The Fairbanks to Anchorage route takes you by Denali Park, with its magnificent vistas.

The railroad in Alaska is not much like Amtrak in the lower 48; the trains seem to run on time, the food is good, and the carriages are quite comfortable…. in fact, conducive to a little nap, in spite of the scenery.  Some people even fall asleep in public parks after disembarkation!

A couple of cars feature an open viewing deck, which is super for watching the passing show…. just don’t get caught in the automatic doors!

Wildlife viewing from the train is not ideal; we saw this lonely bear (speculation that it was a young male recently out on his own), but from obviously far away. 

Seward is the starting point for many adventures, most especially fishing…..

Anchorage was more fun than expected.  People here are crazy about fishing everywhere, even under a bridge in the city, where they catch several types of salmon!

A day of great weather led to a 25-mile bicycling trip along the Cook Inlet and around the floatplane airbase.

Domestic animals were out for exercise and socializing…

And most exciting was coming across a large bull moose, feeding unconcernedly along the bike path….

A souvenir bike jersey will commemorate this enjoyable day!

You may recall that we need to be in Winnipeg on 31 July to welcome Henry’s daughter Holly, son Clay and their families for an adventure in Manitoba’s polar bear region.  From Alaska, we will return to Canada and the Yukon Territory for a few days, then leave the rig again in Whitehorse and fly to Winnipeg for the family get-together.

A fun interlude in Alaska; now back to Canada and the road ahead!