Talkeetna again

We finished the 7 hour tour on the Hurricane Train and landed back in Talkeetna around supper.  We had just enough time to pop into a couple of the shops that were still open.  I was kind of excited about this -- they had caught my eye earlier, and it has been a while since I went shopping.

Somehow the ones that were open sold a lot of antlers and knives and carvings, nothing quite my style, but was fun to peek in anyway.

I mentioned that one little booth had homemade ice cream for sale.  Shibby picked that booth for supper.

The coolest part, other than the ice cream itself, was the creamer...an antique John Deere tractor powers the ice cream maker!

The town was very, very small.  But packed in its tiny two block core was a lot of life.  This bus/wagon was lovingly and sturdily outfitted for food...but I think it may have been a firetruck once.

For the modernist, there is the busy Denali Brew pub.  The Denali Brewery is between Talkeetna and Willow, so I took this to be a home base of sorts.

Sadly this gift shop, filled with stuffed bear toys I would have gone crazy buying, was closed.

Here is one quick shot of Talkeetna.  Outside of Saskatchewan, not many small towns like this anymore.

Now y'all have probably figured out I have a thing for bears (like how I through that y'all in?)  This little shop was closed...but I will get in there one day.

After that we headed home on the windy road back to Eagle River.  There was time for a short rest, and then it was up again early for the drive down to Seward.  That drive goes past the now familiar Turnagain Arm, which was glistening in the morning summer sun.

I never tire of this view.  No matter how many times I drive through this part, I always pull over to take it in for at least a few minutes.  I find when Alaska has its full green on in summer, that you could mistake it for a whole other country.  I never expected Alaska to be so...green.  I love it though...summer is incredible here.

We stopped at the roadside turnout where Hope is visible across the ocean.  But, the little twigs I photographed past in February had sprouted up into a canopy, leaving Hope barely visible through the window of leaves.  Alaska is ever changing.  And I love watching it do that.