Riding the Alaska Railroad is a dream come true for many a tourist and resident alike. It stays a dream for countless others who only venture to Alaska with their mind’s eye. We get to live that dream on a daily basis. And some days are more dreamy than others.
This was just such a day.
A vivid rainbow greeted us at the depot. So close it looked like we could reach up and touch it.
Portage Train Depot is right on the highway, near the Placer river, at sea level. We loaded up onto car A, the double decker with full glass viewing panels. We had quite the vantage point. We also had a Chugach USFS ranger as our guide for the trip. He had interesting local lore, history and flora & fauna information for us.
Off-loading rafts.
Sitting on the train while they off-load rafts on the Placer River, watching my kids unaware. Talking to their friends, sharing snacks, playing games. There may or may not have been some musical chairs with these assigned seats. They are in their element. The simple pleasures of life.
…what thrills me about trains is not their size or their equipment but the fact that they are moving, that they embody a connection between unseen places.
Marianne Wiggins
We rode from Portage to Grandview past Spencer, Bartlet and Trail glaciers. From the train station we traveled through marsh and flat lands, into cottonwood forests and gained more elevation until we were in hemlock and spruce forests. It’s cloudy with a little rain every now and then. Once in a while the sun pokes it’s rays through the fog and illuminates a mountainside. Glorious.
Spencer Glacier
Just a little past Grandview Whistle Stop we topped out at 1061′ elevation where we stopped to gaze at Trail glacier. We stopped to see Snow White falls, named for its seven drops, the source of the Placer River.
Snow White Falls
We had a short stop at Grandview so we could hike up to a couple if vantage points. One to see the train and another to see a waterfall. We enjoyed the remaining flowers and berries and mushrooms growing along the trail.
Huckleberries
Trail side shrooms
The view of the train.
A pretty little flower.
A lovely waterfall.
Our trail discoveries.
We rode through 5 tunnels and over one trestle 104′ above the raging river below.
We saw snow drops, rock slides and a lake full of ice floes.
We passed over sheer rock walls, roaring rapids and glacial erratic in kettle ponds.
We learned about T-Bone Clark and Alaska Nellie and back country road houses.
The kids were amazed that the telegraph and telephone poles were still standing with some insulators in place.
Trains tap into some deep American collective memory.
Dana Frank
Best of all we got to experience some of Alaska’s rugged beauty with our friends. Memories for a lifetime.
I wanted to do something special to mark the one year anniversary of Dad’s death. Going out to the cabin seemed like the most appropriate but with my schedule this week I couldn’t make that work. So I planned a cook-out at Captain Cook Discovery Picnic area. We had a fire and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. The sky was clear, just a bit hazy across the inlet. The tide was coming in.
Reflections
The kids got to play and roam around exploring. We took quite a few pictures!
We enjoyed a fire, a hot meal cooked over an open flame, and then for the grown-ups, an extra special treat:
Rhubarb wine
Jake gave us a special gift, a bottle of Dad’s rhubarb wine. Dad had spent time showing Jake how to make his famous wine and Jake still had a few bottles, so he gave us one. It was the perfect toast!
A very fizzy rhubarb wine!
The sunset was beautiful. A perfect ending.
“Life has to end, she said. Love doesn’t.” ~Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven
Alaska on my mind... 