Notes from the Road: Talkeetna to Ninilchik

Just south of Denali National Park is the little town of Talkeetna. It’s cute and funky, and has a brewery. Hey, what more could you ask for? Nagley’s store has all the usual stuff, and also is the office of the mayor, who happens to be a cat.

I snagged this great spot right along the river, and in walking distance of town. Dennis & Carol and Ed & Sandy showed up, and several days were spent doing nothing of great importance.

When I was here in 2014, some of us flew up around Denali and landed on a glacier, one of the highlights of the whole trip. Its not something I’d do twice. However, some things are worth doing again, and revisiting places and experiences is part of the fun of this second trip. When I left Talkeetna and headed south, I stopped at Lake Lucille in Wasilla, and spent a night. I stayed here several times last trip, and it hasn’t changed much. There’s a boardwalk and a pier on the lake, and lots of lakefront homes. I think it’s cool that many of these places have float planes parked in front of them.

I also re-visited the Iditarod Race headquarters and took another ride with a dog sled team in summer training. That was at least as awesome as the last time I did it!

Check out this cool video of the ride! www.marxrv.com/dogsled.zip Someday, I'd like to be up here in the winter, and ride a real dog sled in the snow.

OK, I normally pass right by Anchorage, cause it’s a big city, but this time I stay a few days and ride the bike around. Yep, it’s a big city. Looks pretty much like every other big city I’ve been in. Still, there’s lots to do and see. One highlight was this weekend downtown art show and market, lots of neat doodads and live entertainment.

Another big highlight was discovering a really good Mexican restaurant, El Rodeo, just a couple miles from the RV park. I mean really good, Outstanding chili verde, and chile rellanos that exceeded even my picky standards. I ate dinner there every night! Sorry no food porn, by the time I thought about taking any pictures, I’d eaten it all.

OK, it’s Sunday morning, and I’m heading for Ninilchik, and some halibut fishing, but to get there, I have to go south onto the Kenai Peninsula. The salmon are running gangbusters in the Kenai river, and the whole area is going to be a zoo! It’s not just tourists, it’s also many thousands of Alaskans down dip netting for salmon. Rather than getting in the middle of that, I decide to find someplace quiet and hang out for a few days. I did the whole combat fishing scene last time, and while it was entertaining, I’m not real interested in doing it again. I decide to take a road not travelled before, the Skilak loop road. it’s a gravel road that provides access to several big lakes near Cooper Landing, which is also really busy, being on the Kenai river and all. Hmmm, maybe a map?

It’s a beautiful sunny day as I head south from Anchorage, and I can’t help but snap a few shots along the way. This area is usually socked in with clouds when I come thru, so it’s a real treat. The road follows the shore along the Turnagain Arm.

When I turn off towards Soldotna and points south, there is this incredible line of RVs, boats and cars all heading north. In fact, A traffic jam forms, and for almost 10 miles, they’re just crawling along. Whew! Glad I'm headed the other way! It’s amazing how wild it gets when the salmon runs are on. Many of these poor souls are from Anchorage and are heading home after a hard weekend’s fishing.

Passing though Cooper Landing, I hang a left on Skilak road and about 5 miles in, I find a hidden jewel! On Lower Skilak lake is an old forest service campground that has been out of service for a while, but is still used by the local folks as a place to boat and fish. The old sites are still there, just no services or amenities, and it’s free. This place has everything: a boat ramp to watch (entertainment), sites right on the lake, and lots of Alaskans. In fact, I was the only out-of-state license plate! What with the hair and beard thing, and my relaxed attitude, I fit right in.One of the really rewarding things to do in Alaska is talking to real Alaskans. Being mistaken for a local is high praise, in my mind, and it tickles me every time it happens. Anyway, a few days of immersion in the local culture is just what I needed. Dang tourists anyway! LOL

We’ve got a Halibut charter booked for Thursday, so I roll out for Ninilchik on Wednesday. Soldotna is still pretty crazy, I just do a fuel stop and press on. About an hour south is the tiny town of Ninilchik. We’re going fishing with the AFishHunt folks, and I meet up with the usual suspects, and also Dave and Jan Wilson. We’ve got to be up at 0430 tomorrow, so the party shuts down early. The next morning, it’s friggin dark when we meet the boat. I though it never got dark here! WTF? All the boats out of Ninilchik are launched at Deep Creek, which is a steep beach. There’s no boat ramp because the tides run like 30 feet here, so large tractors hook onto the boat trailer and down the beach we go.

The day turns out to be super nice. I see very few sunrises, but this is one I’m glad I was there for. We’re on our way to Halibut!

And there are Halibut! The biggest one of the day is about 80 lbs. and I settle for this nice 35 pounder.

Everyone catches their limit, and we head back in. The early morning is starting to tell on some of the guys, but I’m still up and about, enjoying the ride and snapping a few pictures.