Alaska is so vast that even a 300-mile railway journey covers only a fraction of it. To experience more of the Last Frontier, rail guide Derek Mooneyham recommends combining the glaciers and coastal communities of an Alaska cruise with a journey inland to Anchorage, Talkeetna and Denali National Park.

Derek joins Daniel to explain what makes Alaska unlike anywhere else in the United States. Their journey begins in Juneau, the isolated state capital accessible only by air or water, before following the coast towards Whittier and the railway into Alaska’s immense interior.

Derek takes guests between the cruise ships and Denali aboard Holland America Princess’s glass-domed railcars. With panoramic views upstairs, a dining room below and open-air platforms along the train, the journey is designed to make the scenery part of the experience. Derek adds his own stories, poems, music and props - and occasionally turns a passing encounter between two trains into a playful window-sign rivalry and dance party.

The route follows Turnagain Arm and continues through mountain landscapes, braided rivers and vast stretches of wilderness. Derek explains why he prefers beginning with the land portion of a holiday before travelling south to join the ship, and what visitors can expect from the lodges near Denali National Park.

The conversation also explores some of Alaska’s essential experiences. Derek shares practical advice for spotting wildlife in Denali, visiting the Anchorage Museum and exploring Talkeetna. His ultimate recommendation is a flightseeing tour from Talkeetna, soaring past glaciers and enormous mountain peaks before landing on a glacier beneath Denali.

Along the way, Daniel and Derek discuss the construction of the Alaska Railroad, Alaska Native culture, the state’s Russian history and the food visitors should seek out - including fresh salmon and halibut fish and chips.

Derek’s most important planning tip is simple: check exactly how long your ship will spend in each port before booking. A call at Juneau may look impressive on the itinerary, but a short afternoon visit can leave little time for the experiences you had hoped to fit in.

From the waterways of Southeast Alaska to the slopes of North America’s highest mountain, this episode reveals a destination where the journey is every bit as memorable as the arrival.

this is Destination Unlocked

with me, Daniel Edward.

2

Hi, welcome back to Destination Unlocked,

the Conversational Travel Podcast

3

where each week I'm joined by a local

guide or a true travel expert to unlock

4

a part of the world that they know.

5

Inside out.

6

Today, we're going to Alaska.

7

This is a state which I've

only seen from the waterfront.

8

I happen to have seen it quite a bit

from the waterfront because I used to

9

be a cruise director, so that's the

part of Alaska that I've seen the most.

10

But people kept telling me about

this inland, the interior and Denali.

11

And so today I'm delighted to be joined

by Derek Ham, who is one of the rail

12

guides who takes guests from cruise ships

and takes them into a Alaska proper.

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And I'll tell you, if you've done a

cruise to Alaska or you're thinking

14

of going back, or maybe you are

eyeing up your very first cruise to

15

Alaska, then after this conversation,

you may well want to pin a train

16

journey to the beginning or end of it.

17

Enjoy.

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Daniel Edward: So Derek, what

are you unlock for us today?

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Derek Mooneyham: Well, Daniel, today

I'm unlocking, a big portion of Alaska.

20

We know Alaska is really big and

there's different ways to see it

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and I'm gonna tell you all about

different parts of Alaska today.

22

Daniel Edward: Alaska is a huge state.

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I saw a map today, which shows the lower

48, the continental contiguous United

24

States overlaid onto Alaska, and Alaska

stretches over a landmass that is taller

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and wider than the rest of them combined.

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Derek Mooneyham: Yes it is.

27

you can fit Texas inside

Alaska two and a half times.

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another comparison is putting

California, Montana, and Texas

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all into Alaska at one point.

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And there's so many

different parts to Alaska.

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you know, the extreme northern

regions, the beautiful coastal forest,

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down along the southeast peninsula.

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There's just so many pieces

of Alaska that you can see.

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Daniel Edward: you are a rail guide

in Alaska, and so a lot of what

35

we'll talk about today, we're gonna

stick to the tracks, we're gonna

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follow the roots and we're gonna

visit the places that you go to.

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But it seems odd to talk about Alaska

without talking about one place in

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particular where there is no rail at all.

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It's just so unusual that it

also happens to be the capital

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Derek Mooneyham: Yes, Juno.

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the only way you can get to Juno

is by ship, or by plane it's very

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isolated, being the state capital.

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Sometimes people think that juno's a,

different spot to have the state capitol

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because it's so far away from the centres

of population of Alaska sort of isolated.

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And maybe the legislatures are

a little isolated there too.

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but there's a story about having

Juneau be moved up to Willow Alaska

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and be the state capitol up there.

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at failed in 1978 when all

the voters voted about it.

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So it's still there in Juno.

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And one little interesting tidbit

about Juno is that it's one of

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12 state capitols of the United

States that the Capitol building

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does not have a dome on top of it.

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Daniel Edward: Hmm.

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it's actually not the world's

most attractive capital building

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Derek Mooneyham: that is true.

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It does sit up on a nice,

hill at the top of, one of the

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main streets there in Juneau.

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it sort of resembles, just

another government office building

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Daniel Edward: Would you recommend if

somebody's not been to Alaska, let's

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take Cruise away from it for a moment,

because I think a lot of people do think

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Alaska, they should go on a cruise, and

we're, definitely gonna talk about that.

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But let's start with they just

want to visit Alaska by land.

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Given that the only way to get to

Juno is by ship or plane, would you

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recommend going to Juno or is it more

common if you want to spend time in

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Alaska to maybe fly to Anchorage?

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Derek Mooneyham: there are some,

fun excursions to do there.

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There is a very accessible glacier

there, the Menden Hall Glacier.

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And you can visit that visitor centre and

do a lot of hiking around Minden Hall.

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Glacier, the town of, Juno is

pretty, it's a pretty small area,

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the main part of downtown, easy to

walk around and things like that.

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And they also have a, tramway

that goes up, above Juno.

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It's about 1800 feet up above

Juneau offers spectacular views.

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it's a good day trip.

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If you wanna maybe fly in and fly

outta Juneau and continue on your

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way to somewhere else in Alaska.

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Daniel Edward: talking of flying

in and flying out, you could ask

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so many local Alaskans to give you

a lift because Alaska is the state

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with the highest number of pilots.

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Derek Mooneyham: That is correct, Daniel.

80

they say one in 56 people in Alaska have

their private pilot's licence or maybe

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just fly planes, you know, who knows

if they're actually certified or not.

82

there's not a lot of main highways

in Alaska, so that is an excellent

83

way for people to get around.

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And they can land those planes with those

nice tundra tyres, low pressure tyres

85

on those aircraft, on sand and gravel

and a creek bed, anything like that

86

where they can put down that aeroplane.

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Daniel Edward: It's amazing.

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The fact that maybe some people,

they're very competent at flying,

89

but they might not have a licence.

90

that leans into that wild side of Alaska,

they call Alaska the last frontier.

91

It has that wild feel about it.

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The southeast of Alaska feels to me

quite different from the main bulk

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of Alaska, which is north of of

Skagway, and then Whittier, Anchorage.

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which would you lean

towards for a one week trip?

95

Derek Mooneyham: my very first Alaska

experience was a cruise, out of Seattle

96

and went to those southeast ports like

Ketchikan and Icy Rai point and, Juneau.

97

I will tell you this, the scenery

down in the southeast portion, it

98

blew me away on that seven day cruise.

99

just seeing the mountains and the

glaciers it just seemed to go on

100

forever, the way most of Alaska

does when you try to describe it.

101

But just seeing that from the ship,

that small portion down there made me

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wanna see more of Alaska, because it was

just, a small part of Alaska, but then

103

again, it just looked so big and endless.

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so I love the southeast part and

cruising through there, all the

105

islands, the way your ship's captain

takes you all through that journey.

106

But being up here in the main part

of Alaska, going on my third year,

107

I'm kind of falling more in love

with that part of Alaska currently,

108

although, don't get me wrong, I would

cruise down there through that section

109

of Southeast Peninsula, anytime.

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Daniel Edward: I think a lot of

people are now combining the two.

111

This is something which has become

very, very popular in Alaska.

112

It's this land, sea tour combination

because the cruise market does largely

113

focus in that southeast corner.

114

And then of course you've

got this huge mass of Alaska,

115

which is landlocked by itself.

116

it's got incredible mountains.

117

it's got wilderness and you

can't reach that part by ship.

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Derek Mooneyham: That's correct.

119

with the cruise ships, that go up to

the main part of Alaska, primarily

120

starting from Vancouver and making

their way, maybe with a stop in,

121

catch a can Juno and up toward Glacier

Bay ending up in Whittier, Alaska.

122

even that port is, so

beautiful there in Whittier.

123

It's surrounded on, each side with

high mountains and glaciers and

124

a two and a half mile long tunnel

that you have to go through in

125

order to access the rest of Alaska.

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And a lot of time , I tell, , guests

onboard the train that they're going

127

about 340 miles up to Denali National

Park, and I show 'em on the map, and

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it's still just a very small line when

you compare it to the rest of Alaska

129

and it, really opens up their mind

on how, big and how vast Alaska is.

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Daniel Edward: Well, I was looking

up a map of the Alaska Railroad and

131

it is tiny compared to the state, and

yet it is also a monumental railroad.

132

Derek Mooneyham: it is, going all

the way from Seward up to Fairbanks.

133

pretty much one, single line of rail.

134

And you think about it, well,

you got trains going north and

135

you got trains going south.

136

So there are sightings where, where trains

pull over and give way to other trains.

137

But, the Alaska Railroad primarily was

138

survey between, Anchorage and Fairbanks.

139

A lot of the portion down towards Seward

was already complete, Survey crews, did

140

an amazing job putting down those rails

between Anchorage and Fairbanks, and

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primarily along waterways, which really

makes for, a spectacular view between

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Anchorage and, say Denali National Park.

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One of the land portion journeys, about

233 miles, and most of the time you're

144

alongside a waterway, three or four

different major rivers along the way.

145

the journey from Anchorage going south

to Whittier, where the majority of

146

the crews ships come into, that's one

of the most spectacular rail trips

147

you'll ever take in my opinion, along

a body of water called Tourin Arm.

148

Daniel Edward: So why is that?

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Derek Mooneyham: number one, tourniquet

arm is a large body of water that used

150

to be a fjord, thousands of years ago.

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It was a fjord, just like, captains

take their, guests into fjords

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in southeast Alaska and sit there

and spin the ship 360 degrees to

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give everybody a spectacular view.

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But over thousands of years, tourniquet

arm has filled up with a lot of glacial

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silt, all the rocks and gravel, from

that giant ice field that used to be

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there came down into tourniquet arm.

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And it has since filled it

and made it more shallow.

158

So you can't really bring a ship

or any small boat for the most part

159

into turning an arm because the high

tide and low tide is very drastic

160

and there's a lot of sediment.

161

So it's semi shallow and ships

just don't come in there.

162

But the views on each side with the

mountains and the snow covered peaks

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and the glaciers and your, and the

highway and the train tracks are

164

basically right alongside the shoreline.

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it's, two hours of just oohing and

aing for the guests on board train, and

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lots of turnouts if you are driving.

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So you can take in the beauty as well.

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Daniel Edward: So that's

about a two hour journey.

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if you're going all the way up to

Denali, how long would that take you?

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Derek Mooneyham: That would be

another eight hours from Anchorage.

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So if you get off the ship in Whittier,

it is a 10 and a half hour journey,

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all the way up to Denali National Park.

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Some guests, it kind of, surprises them.

174

I'll say that.

175

maybe they didn't look at their itinerary,

fully, and they look at me with these big

176

eyes and I'm like, 10 and a half hours.

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Wow.

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I'm like, don't you worry.

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I've got you these 10 and a half hours.

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We're gonna, keep you fed.

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You're gonna have some, beverages.

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We're gonna tell stories

and do all sorts of things.

183

Daniel Edward: So what do you do?

184

you mentioned obviously food and stuff.

185

but is it very structured in terms of

there are mealtime, you go downstairs,

186

you then have a served lunch, then you

go back upstairs into that beautiful

187

dome and you watch the view, or

is there a, a programme of events?

188

Is it optional stuff or is everybody

doing the same thing at the same time?

189

Derek Mooneyham: great question, Daniel.

190

the Holland America Princess Cruise

Line Rail cars, they're two stories.

191

they're domed glass, the entire top floor.

192

you can see 360 degrees out there.

193

nothing obstructing your views

except maybe the rail car in

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front of us, and that's about it.

195

upstairs it's all, very

comfortable seating.

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Two seats on each side.

197

you have a bartender in every car.

198

You have a rail guide like myself.

199

In the car downstairs, there

is, a full dining room.

200

Usually seats about 28 people at

a time with a full kitchen and

201

open air platforms on every car.

202

You can go outside and get fresh air

as you go down the rails of Alaska.

203

You mentioned, is it structured?

204

The tour that I give, I've learned

the information and then our team

205

at Holland America and Princess

Rail, let us cater it to how we want

206

to communicate Alaska to people.

207

So I take, information that I studied,

and I disperse it to the guests and tell

208

them different things along the way.

209

My tour is never the same each

time, and I'll do a lot of

210

interaction with the guests.

211

I'll read, poems that I wrote

. sometimes I'll play a few Alaska

212

songs, over the speaker and.

213

I use props as well.

214

When we go through certain sections of

Alaska, for example, we go through a

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little section called Honolulu, Alaska.

216

So I'll put on a nice Hawaiian shirt, a

lei and some sunglasses, and I'll compare

217

the outside, to Honolulu and I'll tell

the story, why they call it Honolulu.

218

then on every train run, we do

this thing, it's called the meet.

219

And so a train going, south from

Denali to the cruise ships will

220

meet up with the train going north

from the cruise ships to Denali.

221

And we'll stop alongside

each other on the tracks.

222

one pulled off to the siding, and we

do a little, exchange of information

223

or sometimes personnel from one

side of the track to the other

224

before we continue on our journey.

225

And I'll give everybody in my

card, pre-made window signs, that

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they can put up in the window to

sort of, entertain or taunt the

227

other passengers on the other car.

228

people go crazy.

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They're going crazy in my car.

230

And in the opposite train, they're

laughing at us like signs that

231

say like, our seats are heated or,

no toilet paper at the lodge or

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the cruise ship is out of beer.

233

Things like that.

234

And then I'll put on some music and

do a little dance party, and the

235

other car is looking at us like,

what are they doing over there?

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it's a lot of fun.

237

I give 'em a lot of information and

I keep 'em entertained, throughout

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the day as well as fed downstairs.

239

And my bartender, they

take care of 'em as well.

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Daniel Edward: It does

sound like a good, fun day.

241

So they get off the ship in the morning.

242

They've arrived by ship, either in

your case, they've arrived by Holland

243

America or a Princess Cruise ship.

244

They get off the ship, they're

directly transferred to the train.

245

Derek Mooneyham: Correct.

246

They walk right off the ship,

across a small road with crossing

247

guards and everything, and they get

right onto the train right there.

248

and then reverse going back

they come down on the train,

249

walk right across the street.

250

They're right onto the ship.

251

And I'll tell you, Holland, America

and Princess logistics do an

252

incredible job up here, in Alaska.

253

their bags are coming down on separate

vehicles to the ship from Denali.

254

we are bringing on people in a little

town called Wasilla, on our way,

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about three hours outside of the ship.

256

And they'll come on and they'll check

everybody in, for the crews and scan

257

passports, things like that, and take

care of any information that they need to.

258

And then that way they walk through

security, walk onto the ship and get

259

their room keys at their, state room doors

260

Daniel Edward: Nice and easy.

261

Would you recommend doing

cruise, then train and stand

262

in Ali or the other way round?

263

Derek Mooneyham: I always

enjoy taking people from

264

Denali down to the cruise ship.

265

So I would recommend flying

into Fairbanks first or you can

266

do it from Anchorage as well.

267

You go from one of those two

cities to Denali National Park.

268

Spend a couple days there at either

the Princess Lodge or the Hall in

269

America Lodge, there at Denali.

270

And then you get on the train with

me and you take a 10 and a half hour

271

journey down to the cruise ship.

272

And I'll tell you, the people

that are getting on the train

273

that are heading toward their

crews, it's just a different vibe.

274

' cause people getting off the

ship in the morning and getting

275

onto the train, they're tired.

276

They've been packing.

277

It's a little early, but people getting

on the train at Denali going to the

278

cruise ship, they are super excited to

get onto that cruise and see, more of

279

Alaska even after they were, blown away

by what they see at Denali National Park.

280

Daniel Edward: In a minute, I'd like

to go into some of the destinations

281

a little bit closer and deeper just

to understand what we should be

282

looking out for when we get there.

283

But before we leave the cruise side

of things, you are working with

284

both Holland America and Princess

Cruises, and you mentioned that

285

they both have a lodge but separate.

286

And so I wonder if there's sort of a

summary of the differences for somebody

287

who's keen to do one of these land

and sea tours, doesn't know how to

288

choose between the two options there.

289

What would you say makes

one for one person and the

290

other for a different person?

291

Derek Mooneyham: both lodges up there

at Denali National Park are located

292

right on the shores of the Nana River.

293

So both lodges have a beautiful

view, and they're actually

294

located right next to one another.

295

So you can walk from one

lodge over to the other lodge.

296

the princess side has a little bit

more, shopping and restaurant offering.

297

There, are some great

restaurants and things to do at

298

the Holland property as well.

299

But I think the princess side is

maybe just a little bit bigger.

300

Not too much though.

301

for example, at the Princess Lodge,

there's this place called King Salmon.

302

It's one of the main, dinner areas there

and the decorations inside the way they,

303

the way they decorated the whole thing.

304

It's just, there's no doubt that

you feel like you're in Alaska

305

when you're inside this restaurant.

306

They just did an amazing job

at the way they, decorated the

307

king salmon restaurant up there.

308

You can walk back and

forth to either property.

309

If there's something over at the other

property, some shopping or something

310

you wanna do, you go over there.

311

If you wanna get some ice cream back

over here on this side, go over here.

312

there's really no limit.

313

and the people up there

run those places are great.

314

A lot of 'em are seasonal workers

and they come up there to take

315

care of people all summer.

316

And that's what they do.

317

And it's a great start to your Alaska

tour to do the land portion and

318

then head down toward the cruise.

319

Daniel Edward: do you notice a difference

in the guests themselves who have chosen

320

to do Princess or Holland America?

321

Derek Mooneyham: yes I do.

322

I see, the Holland America guest being,

a little bit older, I think more families

323

opt for Princess Cruises you know,

different cruises offer different things,

324

offerings for children, things like that.

325

So yeah, I see a difference, in the

ages of my guess, I'm not trying to

326

blow it out of proportion or anything,

but just a little bit younger crowd

327

on Princess and a little bit older,

laid back crowd on Holland America

328

. Daniel Edward: I wanna get into

the destinations themselves.

329

let's start with Denali

National Park itself.

330

You're in the lodge there, obviously

you've gotta get out and explore.

331

It's one of the official national

parks, so what would you do there?

332

Can you roam free or you go with a ranger?

333

, Derek Mooneyham: At both lodges.

334

They offer, some great

tours into the park.

335

the National Park Service will

come right down to the lodge.

336

And these, I call 'em modified

school buses, the seats are super

337

comfortable, they're heated.

338

it's covered, so you're not gonna get

wet or cold or anything like that.

339

and they'll take you into the park.

340

Currently, I think you can go, about 47

miles into the park because there's a

341

bridge out up there that's not gonna be

342

Tundra Wilderness Tour offered by the

National Parks, it's about five and a

343

half to six hours, , and the guides that

do these buses, they are really good.

344

They know Denali National Park,

like it's their second home.

345

and they are excellent at spotting

wildlife because when people come

346

up to Alaska, they wanna see two

things, They wanna see wildlife

347

and they wanna see glaciers.

348

And the guides are so good on

these tours of finding wildlife.

349

And then if the wildlife's kind of far

away, you're sitting there in your chair

350

on the bus, and then from out of the

overhead, a small screen will pop down and

351

the driver will pick up a fancy camera and

he'll zoom into what he's seeing up on the

352

ridge or up in a, snow field or something.

353

And then you're seeing it on your screen

right in front of you and there're

354

narrating for you the entire time.

355

it's a great tour, I will say this,

a lot of times, the tours will start

356

at five or five 30 in the morning.

357

people get their itineraries, on the

train going up and they open it up

358

and it's like, well, we pull into

Denali at six and, your tour starts

359

at five 30 in the morning and you need

to be down there 15 minutes ahead of

360

time and maybe a little earlier if

you're gonna get in line for coffee.

361

so it could be an early

morning on those tundra tours.

362

But then again, the animals are

moving around, early in the morning

363

and it's a better opportunity to

see wildlife and it is not far away.

364

A lot of it's crossing the road in

front of us, bears, moose, caribou, dull

365

sheep, foxes, sometimes an occasional

wolf, all sorts of, wildlife up there.

366

And those guides on that Tundra

Wilderness tour do an excellent job

367

of finding wildlife for the guests.

368

Daniel Edward: it sounds

amazing, and it does sound like

369

a good one for your camera.

370

Derek Mooneyham: Yes, definitely.

371

Daniel Edward: Gonna be

taking amazing pictures.

372

So that's the Denali National Park.

373

It's big on nature, it's big

on wildlife, and then you're

374

gonna go down into civilization.

375

It's where people live.

376

am I right in saying that Anchorage

is the most populated city in Alaska?

377

Derek Mooneyham: Yes, you are.

378

It's, about 300,000 people and there are

some fun things to do, around Anchorage.

379

Yes, it is a big city.

380

and parts of it look like a big city.

381

You know, it has some industry

side, but even if you're in the

382

industry side of Anchorage, the

views are still spectacular.

383

It sits right against the Chugach

Mountain range, right on the coast of

384

the Cook Inlet and on, semi clear days.

385

You can look across the, Cook Inlet and

see the, Tordrillo range across there,

386

all snow covered, and even get a look of

Mount Spur, one of the closest volcanoes,

387

to Anchorage about 70 miles away.

388

And still a little, rumblings of Mount

Spur in the last year and a half or so.

389

there's 54 active volcanoes in Alaska.

390

People don't realise that 54 active

volcanoes stretching from the Aleutians

391

all the way back, along that border of

the ring of fire back toward Anchorage.

392

Daniel Edward: That's

more active than Hawaii.

393

Derek Mooneyham: Yes, I actually

visited, the USGS Volcanic Observatory

394

Centre in Anchorage, They had an open

house and, just all the monitoring

395

that they do there, displays and

real-time monitoring and, uh,

396

real-time webcams of the volcanoes.

397

They're watching that stuff

day and night up there.

398

Daniel Edward: What about culture?

399

What sort of museums and galleries and

stuff would you suggest in Anchorage?

400

Derek Mooneyham: the Anchorage Museum

right downtown, pretty close to a lot

401

of the hotels that cruise guests might

stay at after they, fly into Anchorage

402

or come down from Denali on the train.

403

offers a great, exhibit upstairs of

the history of Alaska, a lot of, gold

404

mining and the building of the railroad.

405

And even way before that, the,

original culture around Anchorage

406

and a little bit north of Anchorage, a

large culture called the Atha Baskins.

407

And they were, a lot of the original

inhabitants there, in the Anchorage area.

408

And then also Anchorage

throughout the summer.

409

May through August, and

sometimes part of September.

410

there is something going on downtown

or concerts or street festivals or

411

4th of July parades and air shows

at the, Air Force base nearby.

412

there's always something

happening up here.

413

And even when I'm not in Alaska, in

the wintertime, October through May, I

414

keep tabs on what's going on up here.

415

And there's, always something,

You know, it's a major city.

416

People like to have fun.

417

when the tourists, leave for the season,

the residents up here are still having

418

a great time and experiencing Alaska.

419

Daniel Edward: They get

it back from the tourists.

420

It's home

421

Derek Mooneyham: Yes, they do.

422

Daniel Edward: You mentioned the gold

rush that brings me onto another place,

423

which I found very interesting in Alaska

and it also connects in with trains.

424

There were different train and

that's Skagway, which is on a fair

425

number of cruise itineraries as well.

426

It is further south.

427

Um, but it goes through the Yukon Valley

as well, the, the White Pass Railroad.

428

Derek Mooneyham: Yes.

429

it's sort of ironic you bring that up

because I see guests that have been on

430

their crews and a lot of them will be

wearing the white pass railroad hats.

431

so they had been on the railroad there

with their stop and skagway, and it's

432

a little different than our train.

433

That's narrow, gauge

rail there in Skagway.

434

and we're standard, so we're, you know,

a little bit bigger, I've not been to the

435

Port of Skagway, but I've seen lots of

videos of the White Pass Railroad and it

436

goes through some spectacular scenery.

437

just like, our Alaska railroad

from Seward to Fairbanks.

438

Daniel Edward: I've got a friend

who's there at the moment and went

439

on that railroad yesterday, and

the pictures are just stunning.

440

It really looks amazing.

441

back to areas that,

your train runs through.

442

Tell me about Ner.

443

'cause I've, heard the name,

but I dunno anything about it.

444

Derek Mooneyham: Yes, TNA is a, unique

little town up there, pretty much.

445

It has one main street, but then three or

four cross sections throughout the, town.

446

And it sits right on the banks of

the, so Sita and the Chona River and

447

another little river called, wiggle

Creek And if you take Tna and you

448

translate it in the Athabascan language,

it actually means three rivers.

449

So three rivers coming together up there.

450

And it's also a stop that we do, on a

number of our trains for princess guests.

451

there is a lodge up there in

Chetna about a 45 minute motor

452

coach ride from the depot.

453

And as part of their tour, they can

make a stop in Chetna and stay there

454

at the lodge, and tour around there.

455

Now, you've made it this far up to Alaska.

456

I'm gonna tell you

something you should do.

457

I know it maybe a little pricey, maybe

not in your budget, but fit it into your

458

budget somehow because you're already up

here and it is a flight around Denali.

459

And then you land, on a

glacier at the base of Denali.

460

you can do that right out of Taina

with a firm called K two Aviation.

461

I did that last year.

462

And it was sunny up there.

463

I was wearing basically just a, a pullover

shirt and jeans the expert pilot takes you

464

all the way up to Denali, which is still

47 miles away from Taina at that point.

465

So you have to fly past all of these,

30 mile long glaciers and pass these

466

giant peaks it's hard for me to

describe, and I tell this to people on

467

the train, I really can't describe it.

468

You just have to do it.

469

Denali is so big by itself at

20,310 feet, but everything

470

in front of it is massive too.

471

And when you fly straight toward Denali,

you have to go over that stuff and

472

through and around things, you're just

glued to the window the entire time.

473

And you get out of the plane and

you walk on the glacier and you're

474

taking selfies with Denali in the

background and things like that.

475

And that is one of the most spectacular

things you can do, up there in Tauket.

476

there are lots of fun things

to do downtown as well.

477

go to the national park office, learn

about all the climbers on Denali.

478

have a cold beer and a beer garden,

or a few of the restaurants there's

479

a special place to go get some

spinach bread up there that's famous.

480

TA Keaton is a great little spot up there.

481

Daniel Edward: And you mentioned that

it gets its name from the Athabascan,

482

so let's talk about native Alaskans

While right now we are in a position

483

where Alaska's native tribes are

celebrated and their culture has been

484

brought out and is right there for

people to see, that has certainly not

485

been the case for a fair amount of

time in American involvement in Alaska.

486

It's in living history that

that has started to change.

487

, Derek Mooneyham: I don't know

the exact number of the different

488

regions such as at the Baskin.

489

But it's under 10, so it's

spread out across Alaska.

490

And, there are spots, a few little towns

outside of, Anchorage where you become

491

more aware of the native culture up

there and the history, like we talked

492

about earlier at the Alaska Museum.

493

They have a lot of information there, and

it really is very well done with a lot

494

of, videos and a lot of, authentic, items

the clothes that they used to wear a long

495

time ago when they're living in very harsh

conditions, with not a lot of shelter.

496

before Alaska became, more populated

throughout the, 18 hundreds after

497

Captain Cook came up in 1778.

498

They really had to adapt to the harsh

conditions up here year round A lot

499

was learned from them when people came

up north, whether they're looking for

500

gold or doing trading along the coast.

501

The, native population of Alaska, very

important in the history of Alaska.

502

Daniel Edward: Another group of people

that surprises people who have not

503

visited Alaska or not spent some

time learning about the history.

504

People are surprised to know that before

it was an American state, it was Russian.

505

Derek Mooneyham: Yeah, that's true.

506

Russia had, a lot of, trading trapping

animals over here and fur trading.

507

At one point, Alaska was considered

sort of a money moneymaking industry,

508

the fur trading industry to make money

here in Alaska and send it back to

509

the motherland, if you wanna call it.

510

There's say Moscow, but

eventually they didn't profit

511

very well from that industry.

512

And that's where they got to the

point where they're like, Hey,

513

maybe we'll sell it to the United

States on pennies on the dollar.

514

and they did.

515

And what have bargain the United

States got, at that point?

516

especially once you consider all the

natural resources that we gained, here in

517

Alaska, , they called it Seward's Follies,

when we bought it, I think he was the

518

Secretary of the Interior at the time.

519

, It wasn't a very popular thing

in the Congress of the United

520

States at the time when we did.

521

But looking back, it was

a good deal for the us.

522

Daniel Edward: It was

a fortuitous decision.

523

Derek Mooneyham: Yes, sir.

524

Daniel Edward: One thing that I

can't separate from Alaska, and I

525

know you've mentioned the wildlife.

526

I also can't help but

think about the food.

527

and some of that wildlife that you

will see out and about alive is also

528

the wildlife that people most look

forward to sampling on their plate.

529

Not all of it, of course, but uh,

the salmon and the crab in particular

530

really stands out to me as dishes

that you can't separate from Alaska.

531

Derek Mooneyham: Yeah, I agree, Daniel.

532

I consider myself sort

of a salmon snob, okay.

533

Growing up, my granddad would, fish

for salmon out beyond the Golden Gate

534

bridge in San Francisco and bring it

back, throw it on a charcoal grill and

535

cook it, right there that same day.

536

So, I love salmon and, being up here

in Alaska, you do get the opportunity

537

to get some super fresh salmon.

538

I mean, the king salmon and the sockeye,

for example, in the Kenai River, out

539

on the Kenai Peninsula, great spot for,

salmon fishermen, when they're salmon

540

are running up the river, you basically

just throw your line in and pull it out.

541

You know, we've all seen the bears

up at Lake Clark National Park

542

sitting in the waterfalls and just

grabbing a fish when it goes by.

543

it's almost that easy for the

fishermen at certain times in

544

certain rivers here in Alaska.

545

And you could be in Anchorage and be

alongside, ship Creek And when the tide

546

comes in and the cook inlet the, and the

salmon are running up Ship Creek, we'll go

547

over this bridge on the train and there'll

be a hundred people on the line standing,

548

on the shoreline or maybe with some

waiters on, and catching salmon as they

549

go by right there, in downtown Anchorage.

550

You know, so you can see that

sort of activity, even in an

551

urban setting like Anchorage.

552

and also I have to mention halibut here

is, amazing halibut, fish and chips.

553

really good.

554

and that's done in Homer, the

halibut fishing capital of the world.

555

About a five hour drive from Anchorage.

556

Fantastic place to visit if you have

a full day to go out there, or maybe

557

even stay the night at one of the,

lodges that they have out there.

558

Homer is a beautiful spot to

visit, just outside of Anchorage.

559

You can get there by plane or car.

560

Like I said, it's five hours

each way, but it's five hours

561

of spectacular scenery too.

562

Daniel Edward: This is

a thing with Alaska.

563

The journey is the destination.

564

it's not just about

where you're gonna stop.

565

You do want to see everything on the way.

566

Derek Mooneyham: Yeah.

567

I did a journey from Alaska back

to Colorado, driving last summer.

568

And it was a moving postcard

the entire way, and I wish I

569

would've stopped at more spots.

570

it would've taken me two weeks

instead of one week to do it.

571

But you're just in awe of the beauty

and the massive, expanses here

572

that it just keeps going on and.

573

Daniel Edward: In your opinion, what is

the top thing to see or do in Alaska?

574

Derek Mooneyham: Wow.

575

Uh, I talked about it earlier.

576

I'm gonna have to say,

the flight around Denali.

577

out of Chetna, because you're

not just seeing Denali.

578

You're flying for 50 miles over the

beautiful sa Sita and Shana River valleys

579

that drain down, into the Cook Inlet.

580

So you have to go over all those beautiful

braided rivers, and you see all the lakes.

581

You know, Alaska has 3 million lakes.

582

So once you get up in the air, you

can see some of those 3 million Lakes.

583

Lakes, they consider it over five acres.

584

You fly over so much beautiful scenery

on your journey up around Denali.

585

that's my number one thing.

586

Go on this tour.

587

You're up here.

588

Go on it.

589

Daniel Edward: So what would

you say is a, tourist trap or a

590

common tourist mistake to avoid?

591

Derek Mooneyham: when you're

planning your crews to Alaska,

592

Ship itineraries can change.

593

I understand that, due to

weather conditions or something

594

that the captain deems unsafe.

595

But look at the time that

you're going to spend in port.

596

say you wanna go to Juneau and you've

heard about this and you wanna do this

597

tour, and you wanna do this tour, but then

you look at your itinerary and you may

598

only be there for five hours depending

on how many ships are in port that day,

599

or port availability, things like that.

600

Look at those times on your original

itinerary when you're booking

601

your cruise, of how long your

ship is going to be in each port.

602

Daniel Edward: That is an

excellent tip because I have

603

often been on a cruise where we've

arrived into Juneau at 1:00 PM.

604

Derek Mooneyham: I may have done that

myself and been surprised about that.

605

It's like, get in at 1:00

PM and we're leaving at six.

606

what?

607

Daniel Edward: What's your favourite

time of year to visit Alaska?

608

Derek Mooneyham: I get to see

Alaska in the spring and summer and

609

fall, and it all happened so quick.

610

Springtime along the rails, all the

trees are waking up and you can see

611

them waking up as you're going north.

612

You're getting higher in elevation, so

you see a transition all the way up.

613

It's super amazing to see the different

at the coastal region, different

614

at the elevation of 2000 feet.

615

The leaves start changing in about

the second week of August up here.

616

Long days, but it's a very short season.

617

And then the hillsides just start lighting

up with colour in about the second week

618

of August up here, all the way through

about the first week of September.

619

And it's just beautiful

along the 300 mile route.

620

the weather is what it is here in Alaska.

621

You know, it changes all the time.

622

it doesn't get too cool in Alaska, but it

will get cloudy and rainy and that makes

623

it feel colder 'cause you're closer to the

ocean and a little bit higher humidity.

624

but, you know, 50 degrees up here

in Alaska is picnic weather, in

625

the summertime, 50 Fahrenheit.

626

Daniel Edward: That's

shorts and t-shirt weather.

627

Derek Mooneyham: Yes it is.

628

Daniel Edward: What would you

say is a good book or film

629

that connects in with Alaska?

630

in one way?

631

Derek Mooneyham: I'm currently reading

a book called Get Mirrors It's about a

632

book about Frederick Mirrors and it's

about the history of the Alaska Railroad

633

talks about how they, built the Alaska

Railroad and all the administrative

634

stuff behind it, and about Frederick

Mes, in particular and how he led the

635

way, building the railroad from 1914,

636

if you're gonna go on the railroad,

you wanna learn about the history of

637

the railroad so you can kind of picture

it as you're making your 300 mile

638

journey up to Denali National Park.

639

it's called Get Mes about Frederick Mes.

640

That's my favourite at the moment.

641

Daniel Edward: What would you say is

your top food or drink that we really

642

must try when we make it to Alaska?

643

Um.

644

Derek Mooneyham: There is a company

that's based out of Chetna, and it's

645

called the Denali Brewing Company.

646

And they make some really good, seltzers

and beers, at their brewery in tna.

647

they just have so many different flavours.

648

they really know how to do, seltzers

beer and cocktails in a can in Alaska.

649

they get it.

650

Okay.

651

there's a lot of different breweries and

a lot of different varieties, but I kind

652

of partial to the Denali Brewing Company,

if you're in Chetna, look for them.

653

If you're in a store in

Anchorage or somewhere else,

654

look for 'em on the shelf too.

655

Really good.

656

When it comes to food, you can't go

wrong with halibut, fish and chips,

657

at a few spots here in Anchorage, they

catch it right out, in the Cook Inlet,

658

And so it's fresh, and really good.

659

Daniel Edward: And final question.

660

If somebody wants to take home a piece

of Alaska with them, something authentic,

661

something that's real, it's connected

to Alaska, maybe something that they'll

662

only find in Alaska, what should they

keep an eye out for as a souvenir?

663

Derek Mooneyham: That's a tough one.

664

'cause there's so many

different things up here.

665

You can get, some huge souvenir

stores in downtown Anchorage.

666

I would have to say a, a little

bit corny, but a moose hat or a

667

bear hat that has the bear's head

on there or some moose antlers.

668

I like kind of funny things like that.

669

I'm also a big of novelty, Alaska

licence plates that have different

670

sayings on them, like sled dog

or moose or, something like that.

671

I have a couple of those myself.

672

Daniel Edward: Derek Mohan Rail Guide with

Holland America and Princess Cruise Lines.

673

Thank you so much for

unlocking Alaska for us.

674

Derek Mooneyham: You're welcome Daniel.

675

Thank you once again to Derek Moham for

giving us an alternative perspective

676

into Alaska, taking us away from the

coastline and inside this fabulous state.

677

If you're heading out there, I'm

looking forward to hearing from you.

678

Drop me a message, tell

me what you got up to.

679

Send me a couple of photos.

680

I'd love to see them.

681

And in the meantime, do double

check that you are following the

682

Destination Unlocked Podcast.

683

Wherever you is, you're currently

listening, and that way when you

684

want to come back and find somewhere

else to explore around the world,

685

you'll be able to get back nice

and easily Thanks for listening.

686

I'll see you next time.

687

Bye-bye.