a quick day in Talkeetna!!

 Rio didn't want to come so i left her home.  felt bad leaving her though, i probably should have just dragged her out to the car.

 this is the beginning of break up...the river ice begins to "break up".  i think the Talkeetna river converges with the Susitna river.  these big chunks can cause the water behind it to back up and then can cause flooding above or flooding below when it breaks apart.

 Blossom and i wandered around town and by the river. a few touristy shops were open so i popped into a few of those.  i wasn't in a buying mood i guess though.

 nice to wander around town without the bus loads of tourists.  they are coming soon, but for now it was a relaxing day out there.

 Talkeetna is really dog friendly for most of the year.  it can be bothersome to have them there with all the bus loads of tourists though

 the mountain climbers should be congregating here soon as well.  it's about the right time to be making attempts at climbing Denali Mountain. the ranger station was closed today so i couldn't check in.

 there are a few old log cabins out there.  always love all the old buildings, but again in the summer it can be tough to get a clear photo of them.

 saw no moose on the way to/from Talkeetna today. just ate snacks i'd brought.  debating stopping for a meal and i think if i would have brought Rio along i may have been more tempted.  didn't want to leave her at home alone too long.  she was fine when i got home of course.  guilt is a human thing.  that dog adores me...no human adores me so it's nice to have at least a dog think i'm pretty cool.

 the river is wide, not sure how deep it gets but enough for some boat travel.  the bridge is for trains with a walkway for peeps.

 gave my wide angle some time out there today.

 the weather forecast was calling for clouds and either rain/snow.  i think i got a couple of raindrops on the way home, but really the skies cleared out and it was a beautiful day.

 guess it snowed a fair amount last night up in Talkeetna.  the streets were slushy and the melt was happening fast.

 tired after the drive though.  got back home just after 6.  pretty good timing.

 black and white above, colour below.  sometimes i am not sure which i like best.

 the path along side the tracks was sl wet but clear.  it's pretty safe looking, i still was slightly nervous...that whole height thing.

 Talkeetna air is doing flights out and about around the big mountain already. she said they start at 11 am and can get 3 flights in. they have even been able to do some glacier landings up on ruth glacier.  i never saw Denali out today so i wouldn't have wanted to go today.

 we were talking about the Don Sheldon cabin up there.  it is an amazing place.  happy i have that experience under my belt.  i'd go later if i ever got brave enough to go again.  the flight i'd do for sure..the cabin though.  probably not.  it's an awe inspiring place though...and a bit overwhelming i found.

 surrounded by all that glacier ice, drop offs, isolation. not many places on this earth like that one though.  quite astounding!!

 i think Blossom enjoyed her day out there, though she probably was bored with the drive...thankfully, like Rio, she's just happy to be with me.

 my dogs are my biggest fans in life!

 took way too many bridge and river shots i'm sure, but it really was beautiful out there.

 the "walkway" has signs posted right by this guy saying it's for walking only, but there is a clear path of snowmachine tracks leading up to both sides of it.  they ran them right on the wood.

 this guy was trying to haul a full load behind his snowmachine and it wasn't working at all.  i came back later to walk out on the bridge as it was clear this was going to be a multi trip event for him.

 random balloon.

 buildings in town, sans tourists.

 old historical log cabins.  can't imagine toughing it out through winter with these little cabins.  i'm happy i'm in Alaska at a time when there are many modern conveniences.  i'm sure i'd probably have learned and survived in the old days, but i'm not sure i'm as rugged as those old Alaskans were.

 loved the rust on this one.

 there were a few tourist types there today.

 loads of puddles in the roads.  wasn't sure how deep it would be when i was walking at times.  this one is side ways but i liked the reflection

 since i was on the bridge i had to take advantage of it and take some pictures...mostly to distract myself from the height.

 i know i'm a wimp...

 oddly, this shot of the metal on the bridge is one of my favorites of the day. rust combined with some old paint it seems...cool effect

 thought my selfie turned out decently as well.

 notice no puffy coat.  i did fine today with fleece and my rain coat.

 the place was crawling with these mosquito's...they were crawling more than flying...just getting started.

 not sure what that means for our summer and the mosquito's...will it be a bad year?  time will tell.

think i shall toss in a movie and crash for the night.  grateful fors...1.  weather that turned out to be beautiful despite forecasts 2.  having a forgiving dog like Rio who won't hold being left behind against me.  3.  a warm and safe place to sleep