Talkeetna - Flight over Mt McKinley

Today we have a free day from the set tours and so we make our way into town, Talkeetna, which as you can see is a rustic village, like stepping back in time.



The rain has cleared and sun is trying to come out, so after checking the town out, we head for the bakery/cafe/boarding house for lunch.

Quaint town full of the usual tourist shops, nice people and also lots of climbers hoping to conquer Mount McKinley (Denali) in town.

Some interesting signs and shops......  we have struck this one before.




















We decide to take a flight over Mount McKinley (Denali), which was amazing with beautiful views over the glaciers before landing on one near base camp.

Some of the glaciers.

Our pilot, Andy, was fantastic and gave us great views and very, very close to the mountains.....


Andy, as it turns out, works in NZ in winter and has worked at Antarctica for a few years, so it was nice to have someone who knew familiar places etc back home.

Landing was very smooth (great pilot) and it was pretty warm up there too.  We were around 5,000 feet high up there.

Andy & Daryl with the Cesar we flew up in.

A couple of other planes were up there when we landed but left soon after and we were alone....

Except for the training camp set up nearby.

A selfie as we prepare to leave the glacier....

Flying back over the many rivers and lakes - stunning country, much like New Zealand but on steroids!





Some friends we have meet on the same tour.

As we were waiting for the transfer coach, we realise we left something on the plane and head back to catch Andy and retrieve our necessary & expensive item.   As we have now missed the bus we wander around town and find they are having a free concert, so we get an ice cream and enjoy the music while doing some people watching.


They don't seemed to concerned about rust up here.

Back at the lodge, the mountain is finally clearing and we can see it for the first time - apparently we are very lucky as this does not happen often and they have had weeks of rain here.


This shows the mountains we flew over today - a highlight of our trip so far.

Another late night as we catch up on things and people and watch the sun go down (theoretically, as it never gets dark here).


A happy camper enjoying the flight!