Thursday August 30 – Scenic flight around Mt. McKinley and dinner in Talkeetna

Except for actually getting married, the flightseeing trip around Mt. McKinley has been the highlight for me as I write this on September 2. We got another van from Denali back to the airstrip in Healy, then back on the plane with Erica and Trent as pilots again. We flew back to Talkeetna but took a totally different route. This time we went near Mt. McKinley and through the Ruth Glacier. This is a map from Talkeetna Aero Services’ website with some of what we did, plus we did Mt. McKinley.

I told Erica and Trent I was going to write about them and they seemed delighted, so here’s a picture of them in front of the plane (complete with my shadow taking the pic, lol):

I really cannot even accurately portray how amazing this second flightseeing tour was.  Erica and Trent told us all kinds of nifty information, such as how the glaciers were made; why the water pools on the glacier look blue; and much more. They identified different mountains and glaciers and such. I really can’t even describe what we saw, so here are some pictures. The full set of pics from this tour are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48311514@N00/sets/72157601780942362/

When the flight was over we went into “downtown” Talkeetna and ate at the Wildflower Cafe.

We were shocked at the prices – but then again, we are cheap Walmart rednecks, lol. I got a FABULOUS halibut dinner with bread, a great salad with a mixture of greens (not just iceberg from a bag like at Princess’ Twenty Three Twenty), rice, fresh steamed veggies, and garlicky red mashed potatoes. All was incredibly good – but the $28 price seemed outrageous to me. However, that was the same price range for dinner of everyplace in town to the best of our knowledge. A can of Sprite was $2!!! Walter got a Philly steak sandwich (which I didn’t even want to taste; I hate what other regions label as Philly when I had the real deal at home up until the year 2000!) and fries. He said it was good, but he’s had better.

I would have expected some fancy décor for those prices, but it was a couple of dining tables that looked straight from Walmart along with some cheap cafeteria-style tables and chairs. The bathroom, on the other hand, is neat. It was painted with all sorts of wildflowers. It’s a shame they didn’t exert that energy out in front. They had neat centerpieces on the tables – what appeared to be real rocks with the bottom sanded flat and a hole drilled in the center, with water and flowers in it.

When we were done eating we went back to the Princess and I promptly crashed!

Everything’s booked!

On Tuesday Aug. 28 we have an ultrasound appointment for the baby (see www.pregnancyjournies.wordpress.com) at 7:45 am, and later that day we’re on the plane to Alaska!!! Our flight itinerary:

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 (Arrives Tuesday, August 28, 2007)

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Northwest Airlines Flight 2818 1h 45m , 448mi	From Lambert St Louis Intl (STL) St Louis, MO Departs: 1:50 P.M.	To Minneapolis St Paul Intl (MSP) Minneapolis, MN Arrives: 3:35 P.M.	Aircraft Canadair Regional Jet (Jet) Economy/Coach Class
Northwest Airlines Flight 845 5h 54m , 2510mi	From Minneapolis St Paul Intl (MSP) Minneapolis, MN Departs: 5:15 P.M.	To Anchorage Intl (ANC) Anchorage, AK Arrives: 8:09 P.M.	Aircraft Boeing 757-300 (Jet) Economy/Coach Class

Tuesday, September 4, 2007 (Arrives Wednesday, September 5, 2007)

Northwest Airlines Flight 844 5h 14m , 2510mi	From Anchorage Intl (ANC) Anchorage, AK Departs: 9:42 P.M.	To Minneapolis St Paul Intl (MSP) Minneapolis, MN Arrives: 5:56 A.M.	Aircraft Boeing 757 all models (Jet) Economy/Coach Class
Northwest Airlines Flight 3649 1h 38m , 448mi	From Minneapolis St Paul Intl (MSP) Minneapolis, MN Departs: 7:25 A.M.	To Lambert St Louis Intl (STL) St Louis, MO Arrives: 9:03 A.M.	Aircraft Canadair Regional Jet 900 (Jet) Economy/Coach Class

This was without question the highest fee – it was nearly $1200! But we discovered an awesome coupon book at www.TourSaver.com which gives us Buy One Get One Free on a LOT of cool things! We got it on ebay for $30 because some of the coupons expire on Aug 31 – but we made sure to take full advantage of certain ones before that happens, lol.

Here’s what we’ve got going on the rest of the time:

8/28 – Our flight arrives around 8 pm. We are scheduled to be on a train the next morning at 8 am, so we essentially just need a place to sleep. Turns out that there are these things called hostels that are cheaper than motels because it’s bare bones. They provide the linen, but you have to make your bed when you get there and strip it when you leave, and there is a shared bathroom. There is the option of being in a dorm room, but we opted for the private room which is only $40 – compared to the cheapest motel we could find at $85+ – we decided to go for it. We are staying at http://www.arcticadventurehostel.com/. More info on hostels at http://www.hostelhandbook.com/whatare.htm.

8/29 - This morning at 8 am we leave for a rail tour to Talkeetna to stay 2 overnights. We are staying at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. Here is the tour we are taking: http://www.princesslodges.com/itinerary_7a.htm. This is one of the B1G1 coupons -$359!!  (We changed this – see post “Changes already”).

We are scheduled to arrive in Talkeetna around 11:30 am. We’ve got a 3 hour jetboat tour scheduled from 3:15 – 7:45 (see http://www.princesslodges.com/mckinley-three-rivers.htm and http://www.mahaysriverboat.com/denalialaska-mahay.com/dws.htm) – another coupon – $95!.

8/30 – This is a full day! We’re going on a flightseeing tour from Talkeetna to Denali near Mt. McKinley, plus a 6-8 hour bus trip inside Denali National Park. See http://www.talkeetnaaero.com/denali-day-trips.htm. Another B1G1 coupon – $375! There is a 40-minute flights from Talkeetna to Denali, one back, and a 6-8 hour bus trip into Denali National Park.

8/31 – We are planning a Jeep driving tour in the wild – see http://www.princesslodges.com/mckinley-jeep-safari.htm. No coupon for that one, dang it. LOL Our train back to Anchorage leaves at 4 pm or so and gets back at 8 pm or so. (Note: this is canceled – new stuff in works)

When we get back to Anchorage we are getting a shuttle from the railroad station to the hotel we are staying at for the next two nights – the Dimond Center Hotel. Another coupon for that one, $199! We’d have NEVER stayed in something so expensive except we got one night free, and we’re getting married the following day. Check this out: 72-inch soaking tub with view of 36-inch color TV with Pay-Per-View movies, AVEDA® aromatherapy bath products, and the ‘Ultimate Dream Bed’ which is ‘four fluffy pillows rest atop a handsome 100% Egyptian cotton duvet stuffed with extra fine European goose down. Luxury linens lay atop the exceptional mattress and spring unit…’ Also includes complimentary breakfast including traditional cold fare, boiled eggs, and hot Belgian waffles with strawberries & whipped cream.

9/1 - We rent a car this morning, which we will keep until we leave. And… today is our wedding! Will be a separate post. Stay at the Dimond again (the free night, of course!)

9/2 - We check out of the Dimond and into something less expensive. We leave Anchorage at 8 am to go to Whittier to go on a six hour glacier cruise. “Explore the untamed wilderness and calm waters of magnificent Prince William Sound. Visit a working salmon hatchery. Cruise spectacular Esther Passage before exploring the numerous glaciers in Harriman Fjord and Barry Arm. Stop at majestic Surprise Glacier. Marine animals and birds flourish in these waters. Lunch includes Alaska King Crab cakes, pasta salad with vegetables, dinner roll, cookie and a beverage.” Another coupon – $99 this time. After that we go to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center on the way back. Another coupon – but admission is only $7.50 anyway, ha ha. They have bears, elk, moose, bison, other stuff.

9/3 - Possibly doing the zoo, the botanical garden… we have time to figure this out.

9/4 – Not sure what we’re doing during the day yet. Our flight to come home leaves at 9pm or so.