The Great Land (cont.)

 

On the Knick Glacier!

Day 7

Tuesday was the summer solstice, and it was so cool to be able to spend it in Alaska, where the sun was up most of the day! We started our morning with a light breakfast at the rental. Then, we loaded into the Subaru and drove about 45 minutes out to Palmer, Alaska. The drive was gorgeous, and it was in a direction we hadn't traveled before - northeast along the Knick Arm and the Knick River. Beautiful mountains and water. 

We were going to what I'd hoped would be one of the flagship experiences of our trip - a helicopter ride over and onto the Knick Glacier. When hubs had said that he wanted to see glaciers, I had decided to go out of my way to deliver. I found a great company - Outbound Heli Adventures - that offered glacier helicopter rides and landings. 

Glacial melt carves streams
that feed the Knick River.

We pointed our GPS to their address, and it's out there, guys. There were times when we wondered if we were going the right way! But we kept the faith, and pretty soon, we were turning into their lot. Once I got there, I saw all of the other tours they offered - including what looked like a really cool ATV experience. BUT, we were there for the helicopter tour, so we headed for that desk to check in. 

We'd already hammered the details out before we got there (including signing our waivers), so we didn't have much work to do before we were ready to take off. Our pilot, Savannah, did a great job explaining what was going to happen, showing us the safety features of the helicopter, and getting us settled. Then, we were off!

From their location, you fly around 20 minutes over a breathtaking landscape to get to the glacier itself. We saw mountains, moose, and waterways pass smoothly below us. Then, we began flying over the glacier.

Folks, I can't put into words what it was like. You feel as if you are on a different planet. There are peaks and deep crevasses of ice, punctuated by bright aquamarine pools and streams of glacial melt. A dark moraine runs the length of the glacier. After flying over the glacier to get a bird's-eye view of it, Savannah chose a spot to rest the helicopter and gently set it down. 

Then, we put on our crampons (the first time we'd ever worn some!) and started to hike. Up close, we could see moulins in the ice - deep holes full of glacial melt. We also walked to large blue pools of melted ice and observed how they channeled into streams of glacial melt that then found their way to sea level and fed the Knick River. We even drank some of this water, and it was very cold and very clear. 

We hiked up to the top of a few of the ice ridges and just took it all in for a while. The whole thing was simply unbelievable. We were very lucky - it was a bright, sunny day, and there was no wind. There was also no snow on the glacier, so we could be much surer of our footing. All of these things allowed us to move in relative safety and comfort. 

Hubs loved exploring the glacier. 

The whole time we were there, hubs' face was just lit up. The helicopter ride over, walking on the glacier, seeing something so few people get to see, doing something that so few people will ever get to do. It was just a fantastic experience.

The cost was certainly a splurge for us, but I would do it again. An amazing morning. 

After we'd spent about 45 minutes hiking at the glacier, Savannah got us back to the helicopter, and we headed back. Another beautiful flight past waterfalls, mountains, and general gorgeousness. 

Get ready to see a whole lotta THIS
on the West Butte Trail!

Once we'd disembarked back at the lot, we were starving! Savannah recommended Vagabond Blues, nearby in Palmer, so we went to check it out. Y'all, we LOVED this place! (This place is really what the Sea Bean Cafe in Seward is *trying* to be.) Super-yummy baked goods and desserts, really tasty sandwiches, helpful staff - they have it all. I got the Belle Panini (mushrooms, spinach, onions, peppers, cheese, focaccia - just perfect) and some chips, with a tasty specialty lemonade and a raspberry crumble to finish. The food was DELICIOUS. We all enjoyed our lunch here. 

Then, we began the drive back. On the way, we decided to stop for another quick hike - the Bodenberg Butte via the West Butte Trail. This was fun and challenging. This is a popular trail, and they have a big parking lot with vault bathrooms and a credit card pay kiosk at the trailhead ($5 for day use). 

The trail starts out pretty easy, with a wide gravel slag path. Pretty soon, though, you are gaining some elevation as the trail goes up and down some foothills. But most of the elevation you'll gain (about 720 feet) comes at the end, when you climb flight after flight after flight of stairs to get to the top of the butte. (If you need to stop here and there to rest, no shame. We did it ourselves, and we saw TONS of other folks doing the same. Bring plenty of water!) 

Views from the top are expansive. You can see mountains, agricultural fields, little houses, and acres and acres of sky. Once you've enjoyed the rare air up there for a while, you go back the way you came. This was a great hike, but bring your quads!

We did it! Amazing views at the top of the Bodenburg Butte!

After we made it back to the rental, we showered and rested for a bit before venturing out for dinner. A quick drive got us to the Glacier Brewhouse. We didn't have a reservation, and the place was PACKED. Luckily, we found two of the last seats available at the bar, so we slid in! 

We weren't crazy hungry, so hubs got a beer, I got a cocktail, and we ordered the appetizer tower and a bowl of chowder to share. On the appetizer sampler, I loved the prawns and the calamari, but the salmon dip wasn't my favorite. The seafood chowder was GREAT, and so was my cocktail! Yum! Because Clay didn't come out to dinner with us, we ordered him a small pizza to go, which he gratefully consumed once we got back to the rental. 

Day 8

Crepes for breakfast! 

This was our last full day in Alaska. (Sob!) We slept in, did a bit of laundry, and began a wee bit of packing. Then, I headed to downtown Anchorage for breakfast at the Alaska Crepery. What a cute shop! I had a berry and whipped cream crepe along with a latte. Service is quick and friendly, prices are reasonable, my food was delicious, and the decor is really cute. There's paid street parking and lot parking available very close to the location. 

After enjoying my breakfast, I walked less than a quarter mile to the lovely Anchorage Museum. I'd been trying to get by here all week, but this was my first opportunity to do so. The museum is fronted by a beautiful public garden, and admission is $20 per person. (Once you pay admission for the day, you can come and go to the museum all day long.) 

What a find! They had collections of native art, arresting photography featuring the Alaskan people, a huge and well-thought-out children's wing (exhibits on volcanoes, climate conditions, local wildlife, lots of hands-on and interactive exhibits, etc.), all kinds of amazing pieces. I loved their upstairs exhibits featuring contemporary Alaskan art, and their huge gallery on Alaska's people and history taught me so many things that I hadn't known. I finished my visit here in their exhibit on the First Peoples of Alaska. 

Artifacts from the First Peoples exhibit

This collection gave me so much respect for those who made Alaska their home before modern technologies and conveniences made it easier. The grit, resourcefulness, and strength of a community that could survive some of the harshest conditions on Earth is amazing to think about.

I spent about two hours at the Anchorage Museum, but I could have stayed there much longer! I would have, if I hadn't had to return the car back to our Turo friend! I filled it up with gas and buzzed it back to her, then grabbed an uber back to our AirBnb. We stayed in that evening, using uber eats to have some takeout delivered as we finished packing, cleaning, and generally getting ready to leave beloved Alaska. 

Day 9

We'd scheduled a cab to pick us up EARLY and take us to the airport, as our flight left at 6:15 a.m. We'd already checked in, so we dropped our bags, got through security, grabbed some snacks and boarded our flight home. Again, we were lucky, as we made all of our flights/connections, nothing was seriously delayed, and our bags followed us home. 

We LOVED Alaska, and I totally see why people are enchanted by this state. We only saw a sliver of it, and I would love to go back and explore more. The people you meet in Alaska, the people who live there - they choose it, every day. No one just sort of "winds up" in Alaska. They are there because they want to be. In addition to the fantastical landscape, the wildlife, and the amazing seafood, those people are what make Alaska such a magnetic place to be. William Seward made the deal of a lifetime!