Saturday, May 25, 2013

Uraling in Alaska - Day 46: Talkeetna Sidecar Meet


The forecast for this Memorial Day Weekend promises sunny weather with temperatures in the low to mid sixties.  Glorious weather for camping, this last weekend for Valencia and I in Alaska.  No riding/moto-content to report for the last couple of days, spent them hanging out at Bob and Sharon's place as I was "saving the remaining rubber" on my front and sidecar tires for the estimated 800 mile ride to Haines, AK to catch the ferry on Tuesday.

This morning, I left Bob and Sharon's place around 08:30 AM and soon enough I was at Talkeetna, with Denali aka Mount

McKinley visible in the distance.  The mountain is massive and yet the distance between it and where I was; coupled with the hazy condition in the atmosphere, made for bad photography conditions.

Highly tweaked photo of  Denali from Talkeetna

After cruising through the small town of Talkeetna, watching the growing numbers of tourists looking back at me, I booked two adjoining camp sites in the town's small campground.  The campsite is run by the Mat-Su Borough and there was a woman tending to things.

The campsites were clear of snow and fallen leaves from fall had been blown clear of the sites, and piled up into neat piles of brown leaves.  The ground was not muddy but still "moist" in spots where the sun hadn't worked its magic yet, still it was good enough camping conditions.

Valencia was the first sidecar rig to arrive and by 1:00 PM I'd cooked myself some lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading one of the two books I'd bought at a thrift shop yesterday in Wasilla.

Late afternoon, Dan L, the United Sidecar Association's Alaska Chapter President showed up on his Yamaha Sidecar Rig, followed shortly afterwards by Bob and Sharon on their BMW GS Rig.  RichardM completed the set with his R100RT Sidecar Rig.

Left to Right: Sharon and Bob, Dan and Sophie, RichardM and yours truly

After everyone's tent and campsite was set up, we walked over to the Denali Brewery Restaurant and had dinner in the warm evening sunlight, dining al fresco.

The rest of the evening was spent in chat by our tents, as folks began to retire, I walked over to the nearby river's edge where one could view Denali.  I hope you like these sunset pictures, Denali of course is the tallest mountain over on the right.







2 comments:

BeemerGirl said...

Stunning sunset photos. I hope to one day experience that as well. I can only imagine the awe sitting there with friends and natures wonderful sites.

redlegsrides said...

Thanks BeemerGirl....it was quite serene....