Day 11 Anchorage to Denali National Park

Erica is so cute, she always makes a scared face when she gets her picture taken with bears.

Today we take the train from Anchorage to Denali National Park on the Alaska Railroad. We are taking the Denali Star route that goes all the way to Fairbanks but hopping off in Denali. It goes through very remote areas where there are no roads. Residents that live out past Talkeetna are able to stand at the tracks and flag down the Hurricane Turn train. They use the train to get food and supplies back to their homes. We got to ride in the up-stairs of these plush train cars. The cruise ships have cars which the AR pulls behind their own cars.

After passing through Wasilla it was just loads of gorgeous wilderness and mountains.

That night we had a Cabin Night Dinner Show, an Alaskan (sourdough)-style theater based on the life of Frannie Quigley who is legendary for her skills in the harsh bush. In 1897, at the age of 27, she hiked in dragging her sled laden with supplies and staked claims in the Yukon Territory during the Klondike gold rush. After her move to Kantishna, Alaska (an area still accessible only by dog sled most of the year) in 1906 she staked 26 claims. In 1921, when Mt. McKinley National Park was formed, it was Frannie that advised the young rangers how to survive in the wilderness park. The show told of the Klondike gold rush and "the Shooting of Dan McGrew" by Robert Service.

The sourdough tradition was carried into Alaska and western Canada during the goldrush because yeast and baking soda weren't reliable in the harsh conditions. Experienced miners and settlers carried a pouch of starter around their necks or on a belt. Old hands came to be called "sourdoughs", a term still applied to any Alaskan old-timer.