August 2013-Leaving Anchorage

Francis has enjoyed his “garden” two tomato plants that we cannot take with us so Tom and his family will take over. 

We moved on Aug. 16 from McHugh to the Chugiak UMC to visit friends and attend church on Sunday.  The sunset was beautiful even with all the clouds.

Had been told about a “u-pick” farm in Palmer so we drove over to check it out.  The Pyrah farm is now in its third generation of operation.  They have a huge Mormon warehouse as well as allowing people to pick their own vegetables.  Francis and I picked approx. 25 pounds of white and red potatoes (they turn up the rows), lettuce, green beans, beets, spinach etc. for $33.00 which was a bargain for Alaska even shopping the local farmers markets.  Of course then it was back to the motorhome, prepare and freeze some, and find places to store the remainder.

 

Drove to Montana Creek State Park to spend a few days.  Tom Harrison (Supt. at Chugach) had given us a letter telling other state parks we were volunteers and we were allowed to camp for free even though it was handled by a commercial operation.

The next morning we drove to Talkeetna. This old city (once a center for gold miners in the area to get supplies and winter over) became a railroad terminal when the Alaska Railroad was built.  You can still ride a “whistle stop” train that will pick up and drop off passengers along the line. 

Don Sheldon (an early bush pilot saving many lives flying to remote areas often with limited visibility) made his home here.  There are several books written about him one recently enjoyed is “Wager with the Wind” by James Greiner.

The library sign was very interesting.

 

One signs tell of bachelor’s living in a cabin.

Today the cabin is the visitor’s center but don’t think the original cabin had a metal roof . . . it was probably sod.

Had to have my picture taken on the sleigh but no dogs so no ride.

Talkeetna has many modern structures but we find the old ones more interesting.

 

 

Today Talkeetna is a busy “tourist town” with flight seeing trip to Denali as well as Princess tours.

From Talkeetna we drove back to the Parks Hwy.   In winter when the Susitna freezes a winter road crosses to Trapper Creek but in summer the drive is 14 miles on the Spur Road and then 11 miles north to Trapper Creek.

Petersville Rd. (out from Trappers Creek)  travels to many gold claims some still being worked.  At the “Y”  (approx. 18 miles) there was an old roadhouse that had been in operation since early 1930’s that we had visited several times.  Decided to drive out since we had heard rumors it had burned.  Alas the Forks Roadhouse is gone.

We have seen sandhill cranes every time we have driven out and today was no exception.

We feel like the fireweed was late blooming this year but we noticed some in this area was beginning to “snow.”