Chug into Saturday and out of Alaska

All Aboard - Tuesday September 13 - Denali to Anchorage via train

We boarded the McKinley Explorer  at 9:30 am. I love trains and this one did not disappoint. We had comfortable seats in a glass open  bubble. The views were breathtaking. Misty clouds, golden leaves, reflecting lakes, burbling  rivers.

"Termination Dust" is a light snow dusting signaling the end of summer.

Look up the Dr. Seuss House in Alaska. You could see it's unique design from the train.

So smooth, we zoomed over look out after look  out. How many vista pictures could I take? Oh, yes, I can bore you to tears.  Go do it yourself.

And an eagle soared by the train as we pulled into Anchorage. So fitting...............

We arrived in Anchorage at 5:45 pm.  A bus took us to our hotel. Back to reality. Not fancy, just a way station.  We did get a reservation at 7:30 at Simon & Beauforts - a worthy last meal complete with sunset vistas. Salmon!!!

Wednesday September 14th was our farewell to Alaska. We enjoyed the Anchorage Museum - a mix of art and native culture. Arctic themes and native Eskimo installations.  We learned a lot and  glad  we went.

Onward to to the airport for an 8:40 pm flight that will last six hours and go through  three time zones.  We land at 6 am in Dallas on Thursday September 15th.

Tired troopers. Our  bags arrived with us. Time for reality, laundry, and sort through our pictures.

So many memories.   Farewell Alaska - what an awesome state

Excellent Ray 60th Birthday Treat

Go book your land/sea adventure now........................

July Junque: Day 12 is Snowpiercer

July junque - explore new material. For me - a graphic novel
I've been reading stellar reviews and plan to see the movie Snowpiercer. However, the blurbs aroused my curiosity, since the movie is based on a graphic novel. I've never been a big comic book person, but I've heard that the artwork and stories in the graphic novel genre are often quite clever and nuanced. Thus, I purchased Snowpiercer 1:The Escape and I was impressed. It is a page-turner and tells a gripping tale.

Here's the back cover blurb: Coursing through an eternal winter, on an icy track wrapped around the frozen planet Earth, there travels a train that never stops. This is Snowpiercer: one thousand and one carriages long.

Surviving humanity lives here in a similar hierarchy to earth. The elite travel in the front car luxury. The back cars are squalid and miserable. Will Proloff, our hero, be able to move forward and reach the engine?  Is there a battle? What does he find for his future?

Quite a tale told in stunning detail. Something different for July.

Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4018

Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4018, the world's largest steam locomotive, is on the move from Fair Park in Dallas to a new home at Frisco's train museum. Ray and I saw it Saturday in Dallas as worker bees completed final checks and polishing for its 55 mile ride.

 1.2 million pounds and 133 feet long, this train was built in the 1940s. It is a 7,000 horsepower locomotive - built to move heavy loads over the Continental Divide. According to the Dallas Morning News (8/19/13), only eight exist in museums today.

 The move was a massive undertaking and as of late Monday, it was held up on a track, as folks reconsidered its weight and rail conditions.

Old trains like this are rather mystical - history, romance, and adventure abound as a train chugs along. Clackety clack.