Mount McKinley and the Denali National Park and Preserve have long been among Alaska's top visitor attractions. The Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge now serves as an ideal stop-over between Anchorage and the 237 miles to the Park entrance for visitors traveling via car, motorcoach, or the Alaska Railroad.   For others, the Talkeetna Lodge serves as an alternative destination to the remote and often crowded park, with its own magnificent southern views of Mt. McKinley and convenient flight-seeing excursions from nearby Talkeetna ­ the staging area for climbers attempting to summit the "Great One."   In addition to flight-seeing excursions, summer guests enjoyed riverboat excursions, river rafting, nature hikes, and viewing of the Northern Lights near the end of the summer. Many summer guests averaged a stay of one to two nights, and visited from within Alaska, the Lower 48, Europe and Japan. The lodge's most famous guest of the summer was Linda Hamilton, the film actress who has starred in

both Terminator movies. She spent five nights at the lodge.   "We definitely had a good summer with several sold-out nights and so many delighted guests," said Valerie Burns, general manager of the TalkeetnaAlaskan Lodge. "I've had guests tell me the 'Talkeetna Lodge is like a home away from home.' "   The main lodge will remain open for the winter with several special events and activities scheduled to attract the winter visitor. In October, the lodge will host a microbrew tasting on the 16th and a Halloween party on the 30th. Other holiday and special events include a Thanksgiving Buffet, New Year's Eve packages, a Murder Mystery weekend and getaway packages.   For more information about winter bookings and offerings, contact Alaska Heritage Tours at 877-258-6877 or visit the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge web site at www.talkeetnalodge.com.