Talkeetna and the Great One

We had the most amazing views of Denali yesterday as we drove up to Talkeetna for some exploration. I have never seen the sky so blue and Denali so visible as it was yesterday.

Folks who aren't from here probably don't realize how lucky they were to have been seeing The Great One that clearly.

We all drove up in two vehicles to Talkeetna. Jim, Alie, and Tess were in the van. Stephen, Donald, Alicia May, and I were in the truck about a half hour behind. When we got to Talkeetna and met at the Roadhouse for lunch, I asked if they'd stopped to photograph Denali on their way up. They hadn't because they figured they were going to take a flightseeing trip in the evening and would get better pictures then.

I suggested Jim head back to a nearby viewing spot just outside town and start snapping photos. There were no guarantees that Denali would not be completely concealed by clouds by the time they boarded their little plane.

As it turned out, by 5pm, the clouds had begun forming around Denali and it was almost 1/2 way concealed. They took their flight at 7pm which included a glacier landing at the Sheldon Amphitheater. I'm sure they got some great shots. But Denali was no where near as clear as it had been earlier in the day.

After lunch at the Roadhouse, we headed to the River Park on the banks of the Talkeetna River where you can also see Denali in the distance.

Here we're doing the Chickaloon Horse Pose.