Alaska Southbound on the NCL Sun - August 2017 Trip Report!

[tatibus0913]

The Reindeer Farm also had other animals. There was Dolly, a bison (I think, but I could be wrong about exact species) who had been abandoned as a baby.

They also had baby moose, again that had been abandoned.

 

Finally, they had elk, which we were able to feed.

 

 

 

The area surrounding the farm was really pretty.

 

 

All in all, the whole experience took about a half an hour. It was a unique thing to do, and I think it would be really good for kids.

[tatibus0913]

Then, we headed towards Independence Mine State Historical Park, which was another 45 minutes from the Reindeer Farm. The drive up Hatcher Pass was gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

 

[tatibus0913]

When we reached Independence Mine, we stopped at a booth to pay. It was $5.00 to park, and then $3.00 per additional person after the driver. So a total of $8.00 to enter. We parked and walked around for about an hour. The buildings all had signs explaining about life in the mines. Some of the buildings seem to have been restored, while others have completely fallen apart.

 

 

 

 

 

[tatibus0913]

More pictures from Independence Mine

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tatibus0913]

Final pictures from Independence Mine

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tatibus0913]

We really enjoyed visiting Independence Mine, even though it was out of the way on our drive to Talkeetna. It’s definitely something that I recommend people visit. We left Independence Mine and made the two hour drive to Talkeetna.

 

Once we got into Talkeetna, parking was a bit challenging. I finally found a small lot that had a few spaces open so I parked there. We hadn’t really had lunch (aside from Doritos haha) so our first stop was the Denali Brewpub. It was a beautiful and sunny day, so we sat outside on the deck. I checked the weather, and was surprised to see that it was 76 degrees out!

We each ordered beers, of course. I ordered one of the specials, which was a french dip sandwich on a pretzel roll. Justine ordered fish and chips.

 

 

 

 

 

Everything was great!

[tatibus0913]

After dinner, we walked around a bit. The main area was pretty small, but we popped into some stores and got coffees.

 

 

 

 

We then went to check-in at K2 Aviation for our flightseeing tour, which also included a glacier landing. During the planning phases of this trip, seeing Denali National Park in some way was at the top of the list. Given how big Alaska is, and our limited time before the cruise, this tour fit our needs perfectly.

 

When we checked in, we were told that we wouldn’t be able to do the Grand Tour, which flew around Denali, because the north side was too cloudy. However, we could the Denali Flyer tour in front of the south side and still do the glacier landing. They refunded us the difference, and gave us glacier boots. A little while later, everyone was ready and we walked over to the plane.

[Laszlo]

Great review!!!(y)

[tatibus0913]

Everyone got settled with their headsets, and we were off!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tatibus0913]

More flightseeing photos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tatibus0913]

After flying for a little while, we landed on the glacier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2017 by tatibus0913
Added a photo

[tatibus0913]

We spent about 20 minutes on the glacier, and then were back in the air!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tatibus0913]

As we were flying, there was a rain squall that we flew through, which made for some dramatic clouds!

 

 

 

 

After we got through the rain squall, we were flying back towards Talkeetna.

 

 

 

 

I have to say, the flightseeing tour was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. I can't compare it to anything else. It was the most expensive thing that we did, but it was worth it!

 

After we landed, we made the two hour drive back to Anchorage. We were back in Anchorage by about 11:00pm, and it was still light out!

 

Overall, it was a lot of driving, but it was an incredible day.

[tatibus0913]

Great review!!!(y)

 

Thanks for reading!!

[jenniferandwhatnot]

So far, so cool! I love reviews like this, they are my guilty pleasure! :p

[tatibus0913]

So far, so cool! I love reviews like this, they are my guilty pleasure! :p

 

Thank you! And me tooo! I spend more time than I should reading about other people's vacations :')

[Orygungirl]

Glad to see your pictures from your flight seeing. Ours was canceled...twice! Glad you got to go.

[nhtravels]

Thanks for sharing your pictures! Looks like an amazing vacation! Alaska has always been on DH's bucket list and I'm thinking that I should start looking at planning something for 2018 or 2019!

[tatibus0913]

Glad to see your pictures from your flight seeing. Ours was canceled...twice! Glad you got to go.

 

Oh no! One of our excursions was cancelled later in the trip, it's always so disappointing!

[tatibus0913]

Thanks for sharing your pictures! Looks like an amazing vacation! Alaska has always been on DH's bucket list and I'm thinking that I should start looking at planning something for 2018 or 2019!

 

The whole trip was amazing! If you can, I definitely recommend doing either a northbound or southbound cruise so that you can spend a few extra days in Alaska!

[alainamarie]

I am loving your review so far and you are not even on the ship yet!!! This is getting me excited for my second Alaska adventure!

 

 

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[luvdod]

Loving your review. Thank you for sharing your memories and vacation.

[riclop]

Thanks for the report.

[Daffodil92]

Fantastic second instalment - what glorious sunshine you're having too!

Interesting to read you seem to get from your Anchorage hotel to downtown fairly easily- is it walkable or were you taking a bus? I'm trying to figure out Anchorage hotels which won't break our budget but also won't be too far away from everything with no car.

Looking forward to the next instalment- again, thanks so much for taking the time to write it 😊

[oncruisecontrol]

Nice start to your review. Nice photos too. Looking forward to more.