Sunday, July 31, 2021
Before you get the idea that I am certifiably insane, it was not my idea to return to the Anchorage depot a mere ten hours later for another train trip. As the confinements of COVID were easing across the United States, pent up travelers were making reservations on the Alaska Railroad at an astounding rate. I was barely able to reserve three trains trips for this year's trip before everything booked up solid. I am betting this intensity was further spurred on by the ARR's 75% capacity COVID based rule. I felt fortunate to wrangle GoldStar seats for this trip!
As a retired guy, I believe it to be unhealthy to wake up at 6:00 a.m., but my only other option was to sleep in the parking lot across from the depot. That's not going to happen. After a brief night's sleep we headed back to 411 West 1st Avenue.
After parking the car in the lot across the street, we headed to the depot. I am always impressed with the striking beauty of the depot. This art Moderne structure dates back to the 1940s and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It is kept in immaculate condition with wonderful hanging baskets of blue and gold flowers, a nice cafe, and gift shop, and sparkling clean rest rooms. The waiting room gets a bit cramped with throngs of people waiting to board the train, but it was a good chance to do some people watching. When we exited the depot, I once again spotted Mike Gerenday working the luggage forklift and gave a friendly wave. For fellow foamers: the consist of the Denali Star was SD70MACs 4325 and 4324, baggage 102, GoldStar 654, GoldStar 652, diner 452, coach 206, dome 523, coach 204, coach 208, baggage 100, Royal Celebrity ultradomes WEX 1003 and WEX 102.
I was pretty excited as I boarded GoldStar #652. These Ultradomes are so amazing! These lavishly appointed 89-foot double-decker dome cars feature custom-designed interiors highlighted with original Alaska art and 360 degree viewing through the glass domes. Our bartender had drinks in our hands as the train departed at 8:18 a.m. I was excited to discover Martha Conlan was our engineer and Ryan Rodriquez our conductor. Martha and I were long time Facebook buddies and had corresponded off and on, mostly about world travel spots. Maybe I could get to meet her?
It wasn't long before we entered the lower level for breakfast. Terry got the Aurora breakfast - eggs, reindeer sausage and coffee while I got the Country Starter - biscuits and gravy and reindeer sausage. Oh it was so good! There is something almost regal about eating a good meal and watching marvelous Alaskan scenery roll by your window.
Not long after returning to our second level seats, we arrived in Wasilla. The fine volunteers laboring at the 557 Restoration Company building always stop their work, go out the back door and wave to the train as it passes. Terry happened to be on the outside platform as they appeared and waved and yelled to 557 President Pat Durand. If only we had taken a picture of them! As we stopped in Wasilla, I spotted long time resident and railfan Bill Hess and tried to get his attention. He was guiding Sancho (his Mavic 2 Pro drone) over our heads to get some very unique photos. If you are an inhabitant of Facebook you should take some time and check out his charming homespun photography.
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| Bill Hess at his vehicle | Bill Hess grabs our photo with his Canon camera |
Even though the weather wasn't very perky, I spent quite a bit of time on the balcony. I'm paying more attention to Alaskan scenery these days as I am trying to duplicate it on my HO scale Alaska Railroad layout back home. My fellow passengers probably wondered what in the heck I was photographing so fervently. Moose? Bear? Nope. I was just fascinated by how well my pipe cleaner trees duplicated the Alaskan Black Spruce.
Truly, the open air balcony is a portal to wonderment. The splendor of streams, stands of birch, whispering mountains, crackling clean air and frolicking wildlife were there for those who received it. I pitied the sleepers, book readers and card players. For so many, it was a once in a lifetime experience, and they were blowing it.
The train stopped for 20 minutes at Talkeetna, and Martha Conlan took the time to link up with me. She wore her hair in a wonderful shade of purple in honor of a friend and fellow employee who passed away from COVID-19. Martha worked hard to achieve the position of locomotive engineer and has served faithfully in that role since May 1999. In my eyes, she was an inspiration and role model to women everywhere. Bonnie Leake shattered the glass ceiling in the mid-1970s becoming the railroad's first female locomotive engineer. I believe Bonnie would be very proud of Martha.
Not long after we departed Talkeetna it was time for lunch, and we were joined by a delightful couple. I apologized for cutting our visiting time short, but I wanted to catch some magical train moments from the outdoor balcony. One of the line's best photo vantage points is Hurricane Gulch. This $1,200,000 bridge spans 918 feet, some 296 feet above the Chulitna River. This engineering feat was the most expensive and difficult bridge project on the railroad. The American Bridge Company started construction in early 1921, erected steel in June and finished in August. To construct the bridge, they strung an aerial tram across the gulch and construction proceeded from both sides. The first passenger train crossed Hurricane Gulch Bridge on August 15, 1921. Risking dropping my iPhone to its death I videotaped the crossing of Hurricane Gulch. Terry and I briefly removed our masks for a quick selfie.
Via a "heads up" from an employee, I knew we would be passing a rare sight of an 80 rock car train. These hoppers contained rock mined by Anchorage Sand and Gravel (AS&G) at Cantwell and were sending it to their Anchorage location. Although I did catch it on video it would've been better to take photos at various points along the line, particularly if you had a drone.
As part of this train trip, we planned on hooking up with Holland America Princess (HAP) employee Brian LeRoy. I first spotted his Alaska Railroad photos on Facebook in January of 2019 and immediately began corresponding with him. His photo of the Denali Star at Bison Gulch completely mesmerized me! So, I wanted to link up and spend time with him. He graciously modified his work schedule so he could meet us at the Denali Park depot and spend time with Terry and me.
As we stepped off the Denali Star, we began scanning the crowd for Brian. Am I unique in having preconceived notions when meeting someone for the first time? I wonder things like, "Will he have a voice like Mickey Mouse?" or "Will he be really weird?" Merry Brown says, "Preconceived notions are the locks on the door of wisdom." So I try to keep my mind open and look on it as a new and exciting opportunity.
Brian spotted us at about the same time we saw him. As it turned out he was a really nice guy-friendly, composed, well mannered and fun. Fun? How so? Well after popping into his truck, he immediately drove us to one of his favorite train viewing locations. There was a short trail that took us to an incredible overlook of Windy where we caught our Denali Star heading north. Terry and Brian got some superb photos while I grabbed some video. What an excellent way to start our adventure with Brian!
Brian had to get back to work, but loaned us his truck so we could check into the hotel and roam around. What a great guy! After dropping Brian off at his building, we headed to our accommodations at the nearby Denali Bluffs Hotel. Central parking lots are a problem for this limited mobility individual, but the hotel employed summer break college students who drove golf carts which transported you and your luggage to the door of your room. Bonus! After checking into our room and freshening up, we drove Brian's truck north of Denali in search of geocaches. We found "Zombie Outbreak - Healy" (GC7XC24) and "Alaska Cachers: tymberwolf20" (GC91FQ7).
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| Denali Bluffs Hotel | Our room at the Denali Bluffs Hotel | The most vicious predator in Alaska |
Spending time with my soul mate, stomping around Denali, grabbing geocaches, soaking in the natural beauty of the area...I felt like I just won Willy Wonka’s golden ticket! Terry loves flowers so when Brian got off work we asked him for a flower and fauna tour. Brian made a brief stop at his apartment, and we had the pleasure of meeting Emmett, his friendly German Sheppard. Brian found a lot of natural flowers, but some of the best were those planted by HAP. One of the highlights was the discovery and tasting of salmonberries. Salmonberry has been a part of the Alaskan indigenous peoples’ diet for thousands of year and is often used in jams, jellies, and baked goods.
As a show of our appreciation for his time and truck loan, we brought Brian a custom labeled bottle of Merlot. [He opened this on a fine evening in August and drank a glass as the sun was setting.] We also insisted on taking him out to eat at a good restaurant of his choosing. It was quite a drive, but we wound up at Clear Sky Lodge Bar & Grill for the best hamburger in Alaska. We must have nourishment to chase trains!
After stuffing ourselves silly, Brian took us on a wild ride following a narrow path of heavy brush, vehicle swallowing pot holes and bison sized boulders. Without a doubt, it was well worth it, and the overlook was soul stirring. No trains were running, but the view was sensational nonetheless. I remember the area clearly from a flightseeing trip I took in 2002 where I caught a freight train winding along the river. I really need to return here someday and get some great train photos with someone who owns a drone!
Brian headed into Denali Park in hopes of spotting wildlife. None were spotted, but we did get to see Denali lording over a stunning array of scenery just after midnight.
Brian dropped us off at our lodge around 1:00 a.m. I am not as young as I used to be, and I'll admit I nodded off for a half second or two during the drive. It felt good to lay down on our bed and close my eyes and.....