Talkeetna & Trapper Creek, AK

Everywhere we looked, there were evergreens, willows, fog, and mountains.

As with any extended travel there are some hiccups. Since we ended up leaving a week earlier than anticipated, we had some time to kill. So we spent longer than needed in Talkeetna and Trapper Creek. We had some "down time", but unfortunately, not strong WiFi so I could update posts. Our first 3 nights, we stayed on a "farmstead" and I'm pretty sure that my farming skills are on par with theirs. All in all they were very nice people.

We had a "dry cabin" which I've come to learn is quite common in Alaska. So we did as the local folk and drove to a laundromat (which tend to have pay per use showers) to do laundry and take showers. Let me reiterate. We drove 57 miles (one way) to take a shower and do laundry at Doc Rockers in Big Lake. I truly enjoy and appreciate indoor plumbing and other modern conveniences of life including having my own washing machine. We also experienced a 2.6 magnitude earthquake and the entire house shook like a bulldozer had t-boned it. Yes, it is still raining. 

We explored downtown Talkeetna and went on a brewery tour at Denali Brewing, which is the second largest brewery in Alaska. We also toured Kahiltna Birchworks which is the largest birch syrup producer. There is a 3 week harvest period every year in April and the first harvest is the highest quality (and best tasting). Birch syrup has a very low scorch point and it takes 110 gallons of birch water/sap to make one gallon of syrup: leaving very little room for error.  They also sell Chaga tea made from mushrooms that grow primarily on the birch tree. 

On our last day in Talkeetna, it finally stopped raining. Denali came out and stood in his majesty. We spend most of the day driving around trying to find a better view of Denali. We stopped at Wal-Mike's which is a store run by a hoarding old man. Surprisingly, he has the best prices on Coke and candy bars that I've seen in a very long time. No, I didn't buy any. 

We truly enjoyed our stay in Trapper Creek. It was quiet and calm, and our AirBnB host made awesome cookies! 

Alaska is like you favorite bar in college: its quirky and run-down and held together with cracking linoleum. And by some miracle almost everywhere has LTE. 

• Days 44-49 stats: 474 miles, 0 (new) states, 0 (new) NPS, 181 Subarus.
• Running stats: 7,791 miles, 13 states, 30 NPS, 2,969 Subarus.