Alaska License Plates

The Portage Valley Road from the Seward Highway to Whittier which is on Prince William Sound is absolutely beautiful. Many glaciers, rivers and lakes. Central Alaska is an arctic desert and doesn't have these beautiful mountains.

On the Portage Valley Road tab above (not on the right) you can view the page which contains many photographs from the area.

Hurricane Turn Train

Talkeetna boasts the last regular flag-stop train in the nation. It's a 55 mile run between Talkeetna and Hurricane. It's used by people who live in the bush as well as hunters, hikers and fishermen.

The train doesn't physically turn around - Instead one engineer takes the train north to Hurricane then the other engineer in the second engine on the other end takes the train back south to Talkeetna.

They got off the train

In the baggage car

A resort along the tracks!

Hurricane Gulch

The train bridge is 300' above the river

This group of 10 made special arrangements to take them 8.5 miles past Hurricane where they were spending 4 days!

So we got a longer train ride!

Their camp is down there. They will carry all of the equipment down and then back up in four days

Plywood and whatever one needs

Plus the railroad has a crane car for really big cargo!

Talkeetna

Original Building

Talkeetna Inn Built 1923

Inside the Inn

Talkeetna is a quaint small town about 100 miles north of Anchorage. 

More Alaska Signs

Denali Sled Dogs

Best Buddies

The Puppies - One litter a year for the 37 dogs to maintain the dogs which normally pull sleds in Denali for 10 years and travel 3,000 miles each year. The puppies will be on the teams next winter.

You can view the puppies on the webcam

These are Alaskan Huskies and are bred to haul supplies and equipment while Susan Butchers dogs shown earlier are smaller and faster and are used for sled racing. Typically each dog will haul 50 pounds while the largest one can actually pull 1000 pounds by himself. Sled dogs are the only means of transportation in Denali during the winter as no vehicles including snowmobiles are allowed to protect the environment.

The ideal temperature for the dogs is -10 degrees and they are warm at 10 degrees. Imagine how they feel today at 55 degrees. But give them -10, a sled and they like to run all day, day after day. The western post in Kantishna is 90 miles from the kennels and that's only one trail.

A demonstration for us

At the end two of the dogs that like to eat rocks are returned to their cement pad kennel.

And this one decided to bury his treat which he got for the run

Sled dogs have saved mushers lives with their sense of feel of dangerous ice or smell in total white out conditions. As shown in the first picture dogs and mushers develop a bond that benefits both.

BTW when the rope holding the sled is released the dogs are off running and the musher better be on the sled!

Signs Along an Alaskan Highway