In short, all our travel arrangements went exactly as planned (fly to Anchorage, train to Denali, bus to Anchorage, fly to Kodiak) and for that we are very thankful. Kya is having a great time but we have learned that she has little patience for all-day travel. We were "those people" with the crying baby in the plane ... the train ... and the bus (thankfully not for the whole trip, but for parts of each).
I will let the photos do the talking. Here is a photo recap of Wednesday and Thursday:
Wednesday, June 1 - Kya and Dad, exploring the Bismarck Airport by foot
We took a red-eye flight into Anchorage and slept (or sat uncomfortably while dozing on and off) in the Anchorage airport until morning. I would highly recommend NOT doing the "sleep in the airport" thing. We got through it, but it was no fun at all.
Thursday, June 2 - at 5 am, we took a taxi to the Anchorage Train Depot.
To kill some time until our 8 am train, we explored the area around the station. We had breakfast at a very cute little cafe downtown.
We boarded the train at 8 am and departed for our eight-hour ride to Denali Park. We upgraded to seats in the Gold Star Car (shown at right). This upgrade gave us access to the viewing platform (the open area that is shown on the right car). Definitely worth the upgrade cost.
Kya was very excited to be on the train.
We were lucky to be traveling early in the season. Our train car was only about 30 percent full, so we got to spread out and get comfortable.
We spun around the seats in front of us to create some cozy privacy and give Kya a safe place to nap.
About 60 miles north of Anchorage, we passed through Wasilla, home to Sarah Palin.
Fun sights along the way.
One of the many lakes we passed.
The train was very cool.
More sights along the track.
We saw moose, and lots of bears. From the train viewing platform, Corey took this photo of four black bears.
We passed over many old bridges. If you're interested in some cool railroad history, read up about the Alaska Railroad.
This is Hurricane Gulch from the train. Very. High. Up.
We arrived in Denali Thursday afternoon ...
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