Back to the cabin for one last romp in the snow with Will home on spring break.
We leave early because the Oosik classic 25k and 50k ski races are scheduled for today in Talkeetna where we get the train, which means 250 to 300 people will be trying to park cars and we may not find a spot to leave the truck while we are at the cabin. We are taking the truck because we won’t be waiting a week to take the train back to town since Will flies out before then. So we will need to do the 20 mile trip down the river by snow machine and will need the truck to cart the machine back to town. Unlike the old truck, the new truck has a roomy back seat, so the three of us can travel comfortably particularly since we don’t have too much stuff to store in the back seat other than me.
We are feeling pretty proud of ourselves for getting on the road only about 10 minutes or so later than we planned until we come to the train tracks near the highway just in time to see the nose of the locomotive inching into the crossing. We count ten cars and realize, thankfully, its not our train. It’s the once-a-year ski train that carts about 300 people up to a place about 6 miles up the river from us. There they all get off and ski around while the train waits and then they load back on and go back to town.
As we sit and wait we watch the goings on. Moving through one car is a group of people all decked out in feathers, some with what seems to be rooster hats on their heads, one with a spray of long peacock feathers on her back reaching well above her head, one with what looks like a chemise covered in eider down. They are apparently “birds of a feather” flocking together because they came from the end of the car and all moved together on through to the car in front. Now it gets really interesting because that car has an oompah band including one musician with a big tuba, and people are dancing to the music all in the narrow aisle between the seats. That aisle is now being filled by the feathered flock. We can’t hear what is being said but we see the dancers stop and talk to the birds with pointing from both groups to the front and the rear as the band apparently plays on. After a while the birds seem to have it figured out and start off again to the next car.
It’s only ten in the morning mind you, but many of the train riders are belting down the beers. We see someone holding a pitcher full over his head. One traveler, waving a beer can, leans out of the train door which is much like a dutch door, bottom closed - top open. It’s as though the local bar crowd has lost their way and aren’t quite sure what they are doing on a train with their skis.
For more on the ski train check the link below.
http://www.ktuu.com/gotoak/daytrippin/ktuu-adventurers-hurry-for-ski-train-to-curry-032311,0,1872854.story
In spite of the hold up we still managed to get to Talkeetna in time to grab what looked like the last available parking place. Someone at the station mentioned the Oosik Classic and wondered why that and the ski train were scheduled on the same day. I can’t imagine any conflict. Serious skiers like the people who would turn out to race 25K or 50K are not likely to join the ski train crowd who end up a little to tipsy trying to negotiate the same patch of snow along with their fellow train travelers and not get in each other’s way.
Later in the day when we finally get on our train the conductor comes over for a chat. He’s happy to be on our train and not on the ski train where his main occupation would be keeping a bunch of people with too much to drink from getting into trouble he says, with emphasis on trouble, as he rolls his eyes.
Traveling north with us on their way to the hot springs with the hope of seeing the aurora are a group of Japanese tourists. As we watch them we can’t escape the terrible images of the recent tsunami and feel compelled to somehow express our sympathy. But how do you do that with total strangers who may not even speak your language. In the end we tell there guide we wish them luck with the aurora and if they miss that they should look for the super moon that will rise tonight.