TO PALMER

June 20~Wednesday~sunny.
Thinking 'the mountain' will be 'out' today***AND IT IS! All the way along the Parks Highway we viewed Denali...just so glad Stan and Bobbi had the opportunity to see it. Before leaving the park area we went to the Visitor Center with animal displays, short films, topographic maps, a book store and a small cafe with espresso.
With us on the bus yesterday were the Riley Creek Campground hosts telling us there are four 'resident' cow moose, two with calves. Two of the four are a bit ornary, especially one, after she was 'shot' with pepper spray by a woman when she mistakenly got between her and her calf...just a mom protecting her little one, but scary all the same. (A little interesting tidbit...Anchorage has 2000 resident moose in the city).
We stopped at Sunshine gas station at the Talkeetna Spur Road Junction for fuel (paying the same as last year...and 2971 miles from Mike's Conoco in Whitefish) before heading into Talkeetna for a look around, showing Stan and Bobbi 'the sights'***Nagley's Grocery (the place for ice cream or a latte), West Rib Bar and Grill(home of Stubby, the cat... mayor of Talkeetna), The Roadhouse (so very yummy food), numerous gift shops and renewing aquaintances from last year. The picture I took of Denali from the river at Talkeetna now adorns scrapbooking paper. Laura, 'the jelly lady' (made/sold 12,000 jars last year at $6/jar...you do the math!!!) told me I should print my pictures myself and market them, saying she would sell them for me...thinking seriously about that!
After arriving in Palmer we ate at the Noisy Goose...good food/funny-sarcastic sayings on the waitresses t-shirts (Be careful, my thoughts could become words at any time...Sarcasm is just another service we provide...I can visualize the duct tape on your mouth right now...I have left, but if I come back would you please keep me here until I return...) before staying the night at Jeff and Janell's.
This staying light is just so wonderful!