First of all, I got acquainted with the village of

Talkeetna

. Talkeetna is located at the crossing of three rivers, and a small

Talkeetna River

flows into Susitna River right in this small village. A couple of kilometers from here Susitna meets its biggest inflow Chulitna River, flowing down the slopes of Mount Denali. Our tourist camp is located about one hour drive away, and as the tourist buses run each hour between "Denali Princess Lodge" and Chulitna River, flowing down the slopes of Mount Denali. Our tourist camp is located about one hour drive away, and as the tourist buses run each hour between "Denali Princess Lodge" and Talkeetna, so I decided to explore the locality and go to the camp on the next bus or train. Talkeetna is a small village located in the heart of Alaska near Mount Denali and other places of attraction. Full of tourists, it has an airport, wherefrom one can make an interesting flight over the environs, boat station on the river, several local museums, tourist office, and many cafes and eateries. For now, let us just go along this lovely village towards the river. In general, it is a very cozy and beautiful place!
Here’s the spit of Talkeetna and Susitna. Ah, local rivers are so fleeting!
This is a railway bridge over Talkeetna River:
This is the main street of the village:
Here’s the railroad station:
There’s nothing else to do, but to wait for the next bus and go to the "Denali Princess Lodge" camp, which will be our home for the next three days.
And then, we can walk around the area. "Denali Princess Lodge" is located 40 miles away from Mount Denali, the highest point in North America (6194 m), which is clearly visible from everywhere!
The swift-flowing Chulitna River is rushing at the bottom of the cliff:
Here’re birches...
...and fir trees…
...and willow-herbs.
Bear and moose "welcome" tourists in a small garden in front of the buildings:
This is Lupinus:
And here is an eagle with prey. In fact, real animals, original owners of these amazing places, can be met in the vicinity of tourist camp. People are recommended to be on guard during walks in the woods.
The sun here does not leave the sky for a long time. However, the shadows are getting longer gradually, and past eleven o’clock it finally disappeared behind the slopes of Mount Denali and surrounding mountains, full of sunset rays for a long time...
What a blessed place! It "impresses"…despite it’s time to go to bed, I do not want to! I walk a lot in the delightful light northern night on the surrounding paths, listening to crickets, breathing in the smell of the forest and herbs...
I had a free half-hour, so I walked back to Talkeetna village and tasted a hot dog.
And this "dog", climbing on the table of a summer cafe, was telling people in a loud voice about the liberties of dogs and other virtues of American democracy...
One can easily kiss a moose on the streets of

Talkeetna

.
I did not want to leave these places, as I just fell in love with his wonderful village surrounded by forest and mountains! Therefore, in the evening I had taken the camera, and took a walk around the neighborhood, trying to enjoy every moment spent here.
But the time does not stand still, and tomorrow we will continue our rail route to the North, overcoming the Pass Broad Pass between the basins of Susitna and Yukon, making a stopover in the town of Denali Park, located in the immediate vicinity of the entrance cordon in the Denali National Park.