Monday, June 20

Barb and Sharon checking ahead for moose on the Talkeetna Parks 3 mile trail around Lakes X and Y

The chief "musher" and his side kick in Talkeetna

Holding on to a 12 day old sled dog puppy at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla.

Today was our first full day in Alaska. It began with a great breakfast at the Arctic Fox B & B complete with fruit, bagels, eggs and potatoes. We headed north to Wasilla and the Iditarod Headquarters. We saw a short film on the history of the "Last Great Race" and then we held 2 week old sled dog puppies. After that thrill, we went on to Big Lake and left Gary's ashes in the lake as he had requested. The sun came out and it was a beautiful day and the lake was peaceful and smooth as glass. I'm sure Gary was singing a wonderful little sea chanty and chuckling as we took care of this last bit of business. It took about another hour to reach Talkeetna where we were staying for the night. We checked in to the Denali Guest House at Traleika Denali Cabins. The balcony shows a beautiful view of the mountain range where Mt. McKinley is. So far it has been too cloudy to see the summits of any of the large mountains. After we went in to the town of Talkeetna to shop we did a 3 mile hike around Lakes X and Y. We hoped to see some moose but only saw scat and tracks. We did see a beaver in the lake and scenery was awesome and it was a pretty good workout. Tomorrow we drive up to Fairbanks. Maybe we will get a clear look at Mt. McKinley tomorrow. Will load pictures when I get a better wi-fi connection.