Scenic Railway Extravaganza

We left Anchorage on June 2nd for the beginning of our Holland America tour aboard a comfortable bus. We took a 30-minute ride to the train station where we boarded our car with reserved seats on the Alaska Railroad. Our tour guide, Brandon, was a lifelong Alaskan from the town of Wasilla. Brandon studies linguistics during the school year but earns tuition money sharing personal knowledge of his home state with tourists over the summer months. Although not spontaneous, his narrative was comprehensive and well delivered. We enjoyed his commentary but we also appreciated interspersed times of quiet so we could concentrate on amazing views. The construction of the Alaska Railroad began in Seward in 1903. It was finished in 1921, thanks to the provision by the U.S. Congress in 1914 of $35 million for the completion of the project. In 1915, a tent city for the construction workers was established on the site of present day Anchorage. President Warren G. Harding in 1923 drove the golden spike in celebration of the finished railroad. Today the railroad extends 470 miles northward from Seward to Fairbanks. This map of the route is from the of the official website. "https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/route-map"
The railroad claims to offer the best rail trips in the world. They may be right. We were on a Holland America sponsored upper level dome car with glass around and above us for maximal viewing enjoyment. The seats were comfortable and the car was quite spacious. Although there was a dining car on the lower level, we were content with the provided snack box which proved to be satisfying and nutritious. Here was our view from the windows at one point.

While travelling on the train, we marveled at the majestic beauty of God's creation. Here are just a few of the mountain scenes from our windows.



Of course, the most spectacular view was Mt. Denali. She allowed us to see her for many hours during our train journey, Sometimes the peak of the mountain was visible and at other times it was partially hidden by clouds. Mt. Denali is the highest peak in North America. Its altitude is 20,320 feet and it remains a daunting challenge to those mountaineers who attempt the ascent. The name Denali originated from the language of the Athabascans, one of the largest First Nations tribes in Alaska. It means "the Great One". Other tribes have given it other names. Speaking of other names, Mt. Denali was given the name Mt. McKinley after the newly elected President by gold prospector William Dickey in 1897. President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill in 1917 creating McKinley National Park and the mountain's name was officially changed as well. The State of Alaska decided to return to the original name of Denali in 1980. President Barack Obama officially renamed both the park and the mountain in 2015. Here she is:




While the many scenes of mountains mile after mile amazed us, we also were also treated to views of meandering rivers and lush forests. The Nenana River ran beside us during part of the journey. Although early June was too early to see the hills blanketed with color, we did see a few wildflowers.



Our train journey came to an end at the village of Denali when we disembarked at the depot and boarded the bus to drive into Denali National Park. Ranger Stacey joined us on the bus to welcome us to the park and to give us a description of the experiences awaiting us the next day.

At the park we were driven to the McKinley Chalet, our lodgings for the next two nights. These buildings were new builds by the Holland America Companies in 2016. They were very cozy units with both a living room and a bedroom with woodsy décor. Right behind our room was a flowing river and a mountain view.
After getting settled, we took the park shuttle to the Canyon Steakhouse for dinner. We were wearing Husker caps, which marked us as Nebraskans. The couple at the next table engaged us in conversation about the Huskers and told us that the husband had lived in Lincoln for three years during his first marriage. Small world!

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