Talkeetna aka Never Never land 6/14-6/17

I did not know much about Talkeetna, except it is a cool, pretty town with lots of hikes. Meredith set up a couch surf with Greg S. He was delayed by a day on a flight from Seattle and rolled in town a few hrs after us. What a trooper to take us in. Meredith's friends from Girdwood, last minute decided to meet up w/ us and they all left the next day, 2 days earlier than planned. I stuck around with Greg and his band mates and had the best time.

We arrived on Tues, me bday. Got a shower for $5 at a hostel as Greg has no plumping or electricity (not too uncommon in AK). There happened to be another bday girl in town so we joined posses and flooded a few local bars. Most people are seasonal workers, coming from various states. Some of the girls are camping by the river for the whole summer. People live here b/c they want too. It's a small simple community and people are content. Being in such an environment is contagious, u feel it inside and is hard to describe. I imagine it was like Portland 20 yrs ago before it got big and trendy to be a hipster :) Guys here have greasy, tangly hair not b/c they want too.

Not having expectations is the best; I've been pleasantly surprised and just enjoy every new moment, like waiting at the junk yard while they got a tire fixed. Greg is in a band and they all just took me in and hung out with me while they worked various schedules at the bar and shop. They also gave me a lift to Anchorage Fri as they made a 7 hr journey to Homer for a gig that night.

I did not want to leave (typical case for me in AK). It's just all so pretty with killer generous people. I could see myself there next summer, ya never know :) Like Steinbeck said" We don't take a trip; a trip takes us".  click here for pix.