The Great Land
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| Biking Bradshaws! We loved the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail! |
For years, a trip to Alaska has been on my husband's bucket list. The problem? Alaska is HUGE, and it's most convenient to get around via a cruise. But my husband thought cruise ships were petri dishes *before* the pandemic, so you can imagine his opinion of them now.
So, that meant if we did go to Alaska, it would be an overland trip, which is both difficult (because you can only see a small slice of the state) and expensive (hotels, car rentals, food, etc.).
However, as we are all slowly lurching out of the pandemic, we have realized that we need to carpe the heck out of every diem, because who knows what will happen tomorrow? That's how we found ourselves booking a trip to Alaska.
Now, even though I've recently begun embracing winter, I was not super-excited about the thought of spending a week in the frozen tundra during its most challenging season. So instead, we booked a mid-June trip, hoping for fairer weather for hiking and exploring in The Great Land.
Day 1
Downtown Anchorage is dotted with colorful murals.
We flew out on a Wednesday shortly after lunch. (We typically vacation Saturday to Saturday, but we booked our flights a bit late for this trip, and that schedule was cost-prohibitive. In addition, we realized we'd lose two full days on travel alone, so we booked a Wednesday to Thursday schedule to give ourselves a little more time.) We were very lucky in that we didn't have any meaningful delays, and we arrived in Anchorage at about 8:30 p.m. their time. (We were pretty tired by this point, as it was 11:30 p.m. our time.)
We caught a cab from the airport without any trouble. We made it to our first adorable AirBnb, settled in, and hit the hay. We'd chosen this location because it was very walkable, and for our first day or two in Alaska, we wouldn't have a rental car, so we needed to be able to get around easily. (In addition, we loved the quirky, charming artwork at this rental, and our host had left us some goodies, too!)
Day 2
We slept in a bit, then cleaned up and struck out in search of breakfast. Hubs liked the looks of the Snow City Cafe menu online. We called ahead to put our name on the list (It's a popular spot.), then started walking that direction from our rental. Within about 20 minutes, we'd arrived and had been seated.
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| There are gorgeous views along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. |
What a cute place! I ordered the Tundra Scramble, which gave me my first taste of reindeer sausage. (And folks, it is TASTY.) Hubs got an omelette, and my son chose the breakfast burrito. We enjoyed dining at this bustling little place! The coffee was hot, the food was good, and the atmosphere was cheerful. I can see why everyone likes it!
When we'd finished, we went next door to Pablo's Bicycle Rentals. It was a gorgeous day outside, and we'd decided to bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. We filled out a bit of paperwork, adjusted our bikes, and we were off! This was such a great experience. The whole trail is 11 miles, so it's a 22-mile ride out and back. When we started, I don't think we really intended to ride the whole thing, but pretty soon, we had.
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| Dinner at the Crow's Nest |
After our bike, we headed back to our rental for a rest and a shower. Then, we gussied up for dinner! We had reservations a Crow's Nest, and I didn't want to be late! This restaurant has expansive views and an upscale menu. For our week in Alaska, I'd booked two nice dinners out, and this was the first. We were seated quickly, and hubs and I started with cocktails. Our server brought out some tasty bread and amuse-bouche - a cucumber melon take on gazpacho. (My son hated this, but he grimly decided to finish all of it as a point of pride. Luckily, it was a small portion. Hilarious.)
Then, we moved on to entrees. Hubs got the king crab legs, and they were a sight to behold! A large portion, and each leg was split cleanly down the center, so no work! He generously shared, because he is a giving human being. I chose the salmon, and my son got the lamb. For dessert, we shared creme brûlée and ice cream.
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| The view at Bird Creek, just off the road. Such beauty! |
Everything here was so good - the service, the food, the view. It's a bit pretentious (and prices certainly reflect that), but we really enjoyed our meal here and would recommend this as a special occasion restaurant to anyone.
As we'd basically flown in and sacked out the night before, this was the first night we really noticed the "midnight sun" in Alaska. The summer solstice fell during our vacation, and typically during the week, the sun "set" at about 11:30 p.m. and rose at 4:30 a.m., so it was light most of the time. The sky never really got dark. Our rentals all had blackout curtains (and we'd brought sleep masks, just in case), but it was just wild to observe this phenomenon myself. Really cool to see!
Day 3
Virgin Creek Falls
This was another travel day for us. I'd rented us a good ol' Subaru Outback via Turo for the trip, and I picked up it this morning at 9 a.m. We knew we'd need a vehicle for this vacation, and we'd initially looked at traditional rentals. However, after getting sticker shock ($2500-$3000 for the week for a car), we'd gone in search of other options. That's what led us to our first Turo rental.
Turo is like AirBnb for cars, and I'd suggest that many of the same rules apply. Book a car and a renter with lots of previous rentals and positive reviews. We were lucky to find a Turo pro who walked us through the process with kindness and patience, and we couldn't have been more pleased with the vehicle and our experience.
After picking up the car, I swung by Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop to pick us up some breakfast, which we munched on back at the rental before heading out. This little bakery is probably one of the happiest places I've ever been. The staff were so friendly, and the customers looked thrilled to be ordering and eating here. Pretty soon, I knew why. We got sweet and savory scones, as well as a ham and cheese croissant, and they were all DELICIOUS. After we finished eating, we loaded up the Subaru and headed for Seward, where we'd spend the next few days.
The route between Anchorage and Seward that follows along Turnagain Arm is incredibly scenic. Like, INCREDIBLY. It's probably one of the most gorgeous roads I've ever driven, and there are frequent areas you can stop, take photos, and/or go on hikes. We stopped at Beluga Point, but it was crowded, so we pulled off at one of the next couple of lots to take our photos and look for whales. I also loved stopping at pretty little Bird Creek, at which a really short walk and a set of stairs gets you to amazing views, practically right off the road. The beauty in this area is just plain crazy.
We'd decided to break up the 2.5-hour trip with some fun activities. Our first detour was near Girdwood, at Virgin Creek Falls. A quick, .5-mile walk gets you to a gorgeous waterfall, so a very small amount of effort delivers a big payoff. We loved this short trail and the beautiful view at the end!
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| Valley view from the top of the Alyeska Resort aerial tram |
Then, we pointed our GPS toward the Alyeska Resort. This resort is popular for skiing in the winter, but we were there to ride their aerial tram and get expansive views of the surrounding mountains. We parked in a convenient lot, bought our tram tickets, and headed up, up, up! The tram ride itself offers opportunities to look for wildlife (again, no dice for me) and appreciate the peaks that rise above you. Views are amazing at the top, where they also have a little restaurant and a gift shop.
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| Lunch with a view at Girdwood's Bake Shop |
Then, we got back into the car and navigated to the last attraction on our list for the day - the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. I figured that if I wasn't likely to see any wildlife in the actual wild, I'd get to see some here. And I was right! We saw all kinds of animals up close - moose, musk ox, bears, eagles, elk, bison, caribou, coyote, and wolves. We were able to get really close to the moose and the bears, and we saw baby moose and baby caribou! Amazing stuff.
I liked the way this attraction is run. You basically pay to get in, and then you're free to roam the grounds as you like. You can go at your own pace and explore as much or as little as you want to. We took our time and lingered with the animals we liked most.
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| Making friends at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center! |
By this time, we were getting pooped! We drove on to Seward from here, checking into a rental we'd found on Expedia. Seward started life as a fishing town, and after the 1964 earthquake, it worked to reinvent itself as a tourist attraction. And that's exactly what this town feels like - a workingman who has shaved and put on a clean shirt for company. There's something unique and charming about it.
What that means - some of the best real estate in town along Resurrection Bay is covered with RVs, campers, and tents. This was the area completely decimated by the earthquake, and Seward hasn't forgotten. So, instead of building permanent structures in this space, they rent it out to visitors. Frankly, this doesn't make for a very nice view of the bay, but it is what it is.
We checked into our rental, then called in for takeout from Apollo Restaurant. I had a huge Greek salad and a lovely bowl of seafood chowder, and it hit the spot! Then, to bed!
More to come . . .
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