Talkeetna Alaska and Iditarod puppies

Talkeetna, Alaska seems to have a reputation. For some, it’s a good one and they say things like cute place or fun town. Others say things like hippieville, or touristy. Either way, it was an interesting little stop.

Signage, Alaska style.

Fishing in the river alongside the jet boats. The river was too shallow for props, but jet boats were everywhere.

The day we arrived there was free concert in the park. The park wasn’t hard to find – the town was pretty much one circular street around the town park. The best thing about the concert actually was meeting several locals and spending time talking with them about the area and things to see and do.

Interesting use of an airstream trailer. We saw these folks again at the Tanana Valley state fair in Fairbanks.

Sharing a meal with great friends. Notice the short sleeves. It was a brief summer interlude.

Dog sledding is an ever-present part of Alaska. There are 2 major and lots of smaller dog sled races.  The most well known is the Iditarod. The Iditarod trail headquarters is just outside Wasilla and was a great stop.

Joe Reddington Jr is the son of the man who spearheaded the effort to make the Iditarod a big annual event.

New puppies! Actually about 5 weeks old. But they were being socialized so the folks who run the kennel asked us if we would take them out and play with them. They didn’t have to ask twice!

 

Now we can say we hiked part of the Iditarod trail!

 

Phil cooking salmon and some tuna.

Sometimes the campground hosts are real characters, good for lots of stories and more than a few laughs.

The Talkeetna boat launch and campground combo.

 

But if not…