Alaska 2013: Alaska Day 65 - Anchorage to Talkeetna

Up early we started packing and putting things in order to head for Fairbanks. First we had to get everything put in it's place inside the camper and then take care of all the outside things: unhook the water, unhook power, put the slides in, and raise all the leveling jacks. Once we completed all of our travel preps it was off to the dump station to empty our holding tanks and to the gas station to fill up ($3.93/gallon). As soon as we got the holding tanks empty and the gas tank full it was time to hook up the jeep. After a brief stop at the commissary for a few items and getting the jeep hooked up it was nearly 12 PM. A lot later start than we had planned; however, Fairbanks here we come. From Anchorage to Fairbanks is 362 miles and we only made a little over 110 miles to Talkeetna the first night. Talkeetna is a neat little tourist town located on the Susitna River about 14 miles off the Park highway. It has many gift shops selling the usual tourist stuff and several restaurants. The restaurant we had dinner in was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food”. The challenge is to finish Seward’s Folly Burger at West Pub Bar and Grill in Talkeetna, AK. The burger is a 4½-pound double-stacked burger made with Caribou meat (in the form of two 1-lb. patties) and topped with American and Swiss cheese, 12 slices of bacon, a pound of ham, "FatAss Sauce" (made with mayonnaise, horseradish, bacon, and balsamic vinaigrette), caramelized onions, lettuce and tomatoes, and served inside toasted sourdough bread. The burger is held together with a small Alaskan flag and served with a pound of fries. Needless to say, we did not attempt to beat the challenge. After a good sandwich we were able to find a spot to overnight in Talkeetna in the parking lot of the Talkeetna bike rental and parking lot for $10.

Leaving Anchorage... After a week of enjoying Anchorage, it was time to head North to Fairbanks...

Another view of the mountains around Anchorage as we leave.

To get to Fairbanks we had to go through Wasilla

This sign is refreshing... Fairbanks is only a short days drive from Anchorage?

There is a lot of beautiful scenery on the Park highway heading to Fairbanks.

Not again... more construction. Who said Fairbanks is only a short days drive?

And then there was this little town called Talkeetna.

As you can tell by now, we will never see Fairbanks today.

Linda spending time with the moose downtown Talkeetna.

Want to climb Mt. McKinley? This is where you start... there are a couple businesses here in Talkeetna that take climbers to the mountain base camp and also provide flight tours of the mountain for tourists.

The Mostly Moose gift shop... These shops contain nothing you need and most anything else...

Another gift shop...

Now we are getting to some better shops... Pizza!!!

Talkeetna is a neat and unusual town. It is the only town we know of that has a cat as mayor... for those that don't believe it, read below...

Not many mayors in the United States enjoy belly rubs from their constituents. Then again, most mayors don't prance around town naked and curl up for naps in front of local businesses. For 15 years, Stubbs the cat has held the top office in Talkeetna, Alaska. And his approval ratings have never been higher. "He doesn't raise our taxes -- we have no sales tax. He doesn't interfere with business. He's honest," said Lauri Stec, manager of Nagley's General Store, which doubles as the mayor's office. Stubbs may be the only mayor in the country who rose to office as an infant. "He was in a box full of kittens in the front of the store, and (the owners) were giving them away," Stec said. She picked "Stubbs" because he had no tail. Soon afterward, residents weren't happy with any of the human candidates in the upcoming mayoral election and voted for Stubbs as a write-in candidate. The kitten won.