Alaska--One Week at a time.

Talkeetna is a quirky and fun little town located at the base of the highest mountain range in North America--Denali. Talkeetna is easily explored on foot. Several little places for shopping, coffee and a couple choices to grab a bite to eat. If you're just visiting the town and not taking any tours or excursions, one night will be plenty to see all they have to offer.

The Rib Pub & Grill was pretty good, with a surprising amount of choices. We had the Caribou chili, wings, bacon & blue cheese burger, and the Northern Lights burger. All were very tasty. They also have an impressive beer and wine list for such a small place.

The Bistro is inside the Talkeetna Lodge. If you get lucky you will have a view of Denali from here. This was our first, but definitely not our last, trying reindeer. We had the Reindeer Bolognese, seafood chowder (stellar), fish and chips, and Halibut Quesadilla. All but the Halibut (it was only fair), was very good, and we would return here.

This is the perfect place to grab a really good cup of coffee, cappuccino, or latte. Also lots of tasty baked goods. Be prepared to wait, they get very crowded in the mornings.

When our flight to Denali got cancelled because of the weather, we needed a quick plan B--and we found it. This was so much fun. You start in Talkeetna with a train ride on the Hurricane Turn train, one of the last flag trains in the country. Anyone living along the tracks can flag down the train for a ride to get supplies or whatever is needed. The train takes you to the historic ghost town of Curry. Believe it or not this used to be a thriving area with a grand hotel that was built in 1923, but burned in 1957. You'll get a very informative tour here as well as a snack. Then you'll be on your way down the river in a totally cool jet boat. Along the way you'll stop for a short hike through the woods to an old trappers camp where you'll see how they lived and trapped and then back to Talkeetna. This was a great way to spend 3-4 hours.

Mendenhall Glacier is a don't miss stop while in Juneau. Nugget Falls alone is worth the 2 mile, round trip hike from the visitors center. The whole area is absolutely beautiful. Keep your eyes open for Bald Eagles, bear and other wildlife. Also be sure to go to the bridge by the stream (across from the visitors center) to watch the salmon.

This tour was by far my favorite thing we did while in Alaska. I say this for the stunning beauty alone. This was an all day trip through the Tracy Arm Fjord that ends at the Sawyer Glacier. There just aren't words to describe the entire day. Also spotted were a humpback whale, mountain goats, and more seals than you could count. This trip does NOT disappoint.

Seeing Orca in the wild was a the top of my bucket list, and Jaylene made that happen for me. Jaylene is a lifelong resident of Alaska and grew up with her family homesteading in the Juneau area. She had her captains license at 12 years old and was often on the water alone. It's no wonder she knows these waters so well. This was a tour like no other. We saw Orca, Humpbacks and sea lions. Fabulous day!