While grieving the loss of our only daughter -- we still managed to get ourselves out of Anchorage and up the Parks highway towards Denali. The day was clear. The sky was blue. All mountains were fully visible, including that most elusive of beasts -- Mount McKinley. When we arrived in Talkeetna that evening we walked down to the river side and lo and behold -- the snow covered range of peaks, that includes McKinley, was in plain view -- with nary a cloud to bother us. So much so we got bored staring at it, and wandered back to the little hippie settlement reminiscent of somewhere in California in 1968.
The ride up was fun. Having taken in a wonderful waterfall in the Elkana cottonwood and birch forest, we visited an Orthodox church and cementary, and meditated for an while on the way in which Russian and Native American religions had fused in the "spirit house" tradition. All the little houses built over the graves were different -- and many of the inhabitants had not lived to be more than 35. Rather a stark finding.
From Palmer to Talkeetna
Sunday, August 05, 2012
Talkeetna, Alaska, United States
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2025-02-15