A rainy day greeted us when we awoke in Whittier. A covered path led us to the train, which would take us in 9 1/2 hours to the Denali Princess Lodge, just outside the eastern entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve.
To get there, we first passed through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. Trains and cars pass through it, but only one or the other at a time. It is metered with red and green lights to avoid collisions.
We were passing through the Chugach Rain Forest, fitting with the rainfall, which was only slight. We could easily see out of the dome car windows. There were 6 or 8 dome cars, each having their own restaurants and restrooms beneath the viewing levels. Very handy. One could walk from car to car if desired.
The train followed along Turnagain Arm which then passed into Cook Inlet. Potters Marsh was a large marsh alongside. Then we came to Anchorage where we made a brief stopped before continuing.
Eagle River/Glacier was passed after Anchorage. Lunch for me on the train was Reindeer Chili and Railroad Golden Ale, by Bearpaw River Brewing Company. I especially liked the label, which surprisingly was a detachable one. Here is a picture. Many of the beer labels on this trip were fun to look at.
Passing over the Knik River we headed to Wasilla, the Iditarod race start point (actually starts in Willow, but they have a pre-race and activities in Wasilla, which was up ahead of us).
Susitna River Bridge is historical. The Susitna River is the 15th longest river in the US and empties into Cook Inlet , not far from Anchorage.
Here is a video of us crossing over the Susitna River on the bridge.
The next large bridge, Hurricane Gulch Bridge, is the longest and deepest, over which we passed. It is 918 feet long, 216 feet tall and is 100 yrs. old! I do not have photos of the bridge itself but several views of the river from it.
We arrived in late afternoon at Denali Princess lodge for 2 nights. We had dinner at the Fanny Q’s Saloon in the Princess Compound.