Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Brewhouse IPA. “My fave by far, it's really hoppy and it makes me happy,” he tells
one customer, who is convinced to switch from Hefeweizen. This is Dennis' first time on
the beer train, but not Eli's, pulling beer next to him. “I volunteered this year because it
was so much fun last year,” he says with a big grin.
It is a gray day but not gray enough to mute the glorious gold of the birches and aspens
reflected in the gray mirror of Turnagain Arm. On the other side of the train waterfalls
spill down the sides of black rock into small, still pools where trumpeter swans chow
down on goose grass. The railroad tracks parallel the Seward Highway much of the time,
and the Beer Train causes much head-turning behind the wheels of cars, pickups and RVs.
There is a collective feeling of pity on board for them, and many toasts are raised in their
direction.
Rhonda vanishes and reappears with two servings of Alaska smoked salmon with her-
bed cream cheese, roma tomatoes, caperberries and Bermuda onions on a mini-bagel. Our
first beer is an Oktoberfest aged in Jim Beam barrels, which goes down very smoothly,
and very quickly.
“When you have beer in your hand,” Rhonda says, “everyone gets out of your way,”
and she goes back for more.
Next door sit four twenty-something couples. “It's Leonard's birthday,” Leonard's girl-
friend Samantha says. “Leonard said this was what he wanted for his present.”
In the next car I say hi to Ted and Adrienne and Joe and Heidi, who tell me the beer
train is now an annual event for them. “Unless they do it twice a year,” Ted adds. “Then
it'll be a biannual event.”
A couple of booths down Christina, Katrin, and Laura are having a semi-serious discus-
sion with a game but somewhat apprehensive waiter on the best place to have sex on the
train. “Is this your first trip?” I ask. “But not our last,” says Laura, as the waiter uses me
for cover and escapes.
The last two booths on the last car are having a whiplash party, where John's busy
pointing out the Dall ewe and lamb perched on Windy Point to Angie from Texas and
Margaret, Rami, Janise and Craig from Anchorage, who are waiting with for the conver-
sation to be over so they can head back for more beer.
