Alaskan Adventure - Day 8 - Denali National Park

So far we have had great luck with weather, but the forecast for Wed was for rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon so we tried to make the most of the day early on.  Tom and I got on the 9 am shuttle to the National Park and hiked the Meadow View trail and the Horseshoe Lake trail.  Note to future hiking self - something "view" trail means you will be hiking *up* to look out on that something, not hiking *around* that something. 2 hours and 4 miles later we had 10,000+ steps, 3 mosquito bites, and lots of great views.  Along the trail, we crossed Pete and John who took the Mt. Healy Trail.

Getting great use out of my new pack with Camelback insert

John and Pete took a great photo from the top of the Mt. Healy Overlook Trail

Although we chose to go hiking, we had the option to go on a 5 hr bus tour into the park.  People said this was a great chance to see wildlife, but with all the busses we are riding this trip we opted not to do it.  The people who went really enjoyed it, but as I sit on the 9 hr bus ride writing this up the next day, I am happy with my decision to go hiking.

Ellen and Carl slept in and answered some emails from work and we met them for lunch at the King Salmon restaurant at the lodge.  We have been very impressed and happy with the food served at the restaurants on property at both lodges so far.  I enjoyed a seafood Cobb salad with fresh crab.  Pete and John were just coming off the trail so we got wraps to go for them and met them at the main lodge to board the bus for our rafting adventure.

Although we encountered some light rain, there was no lightning so we were able to go rafting on the Nenana River.  They offered two options for trips. - Ellen, like Cleopatra, opted to have the guide ferry the raft down the river with long oars so she could enjoy the sights and take photos.  The rest of us did paddle rafting, rationale being that if the glacial water is 35°, we would rather be moving to stay warm when you get hit by the waves.  They outfit everyone in dry suits that cover you like a turtle neck at the top and have booties for your feet.  You wear regular clothes underneath, with socks, and then put your river shoes on top, capped with a helmet.  Overall they kept us fairly dry, as proven by Carl who rode up front and got hit by almost every big wave.  I chose to sit in the back left and although I got splashed a good bit, my head never got doused (which I was totally OK with).

Ellen tried to get a good shot of our raft, but we were spaced apart on the river for safety

Ellen's guide to ferry her and 5 others down the river

We rafted for about 2 hours, mostly class III+ rapids.  No flips and no one fell out!  The rivers vary greatly year to year, based on the glacial flows, so the guides have to learn the rapids again every summer.  At a calm stretch, our guide said we could jump in if we wanted, but none of our crew opted for it.  One person in our boat did and he regretted it instantly because his neck gasket was loose and filled his suit and clothes with icy water!  Overall we really enjoyed the rafting, and look forward to doing it again in Copper River.

After rafting we all showered and changed for dinner.  Everywhere in Alaska is casual attire, so changing just means clean clothes and non muddy shoes.  We heard good things about the Salmon Bake restaurant across the street, from our rafting guide, so we went there for dinner.  Ellen and Carl had the Red King Crab special and it came out with two of the largest crab legs imaginable.  The were pulling out pieces of crab the size of twinkies!  Tom and I split halibut and salmon.  Pete tried the cod tacos.  We enjoyed beers from the local 49th State Brewing Company which is located in the next town over.

After dinner, we found a deck outside of a bar at the lodge and enjoyed Irish coffee and blueberry mojitos while watching the sun glide behind the mountains and a rainbow appear.  Turned in a little early because we have to put bags out at 630 and we depart at 730 am for Copper Center.

Not a bad way to end a great day of adventure

Alaskan Adventure - Day 7 - Train Ride to Denali

Most of the crew slept in on Tuesday, but I got up early and ate breakfast at the lodge restaurant, then sat on the deck and enjoyed the incredible view while drinking cocoa.  Tom and John joined me at 9 and we hiked some trails around the lodge before meeting the bus at 1030 to depart for the rail station.  Bus ride took a little over an hour due to construction delays.  They have to do all the roadwork in just a few months, so there is always construction, and they use pilot cars to guide the traffic from alternating sides of the road.

We had some time to kill at the rail depot, but boarded about 20 min after we arrived.  80 people were seated in each car on the upper deck with the glass dome.  Underneath was the dining car, restrooms, and the viewing platform.  Each car had a bartender and a tour guide that narrated the sights and shared facts and jokes about Alaska.  They were very entertaining!  Train ride took about 5 hours and we particularly enjoyed the lunch on board - smoked salmon chowder definitely being a highlight, along with the reindeer chili and a very good seafood salad sandwich.  We also spotted some great wildlife, including several moose, but I was not quick enough with the camera to get a decent picture.

Our quest to find great Alaskan brews continues on the train.
What else are you supposed to do on a 5 hr ride?

Once we reached Denali, we transferred to a bus for a short ride to the lodge.  The lodge here is right in the main town, so its conveniently walkable to all the trip outfitters and places to eat.  We dropped off our day packs in our rooms and then returned to the main lobby to meet our evening excursion group.

We went for an ATV adventure, but instead of the traditional ATV, we picked an outfitter that had Argos, which are basically tiny tanks.  They float in the water and can go over all kinds of terrain.  Tom and I saw them while watching the Ultimate Survival Alaska TV show and so we sought them out here when we were doing trip planning.  Took a 30 min ride to the office and then after a safety briefing we hit the trail in pairs of 2.  They had speakers in the helmets so that we could hear instructions and narration from our guides.  I rode shotgun with Tom and we floored it through every muddy puddle we found whilst doing his best Jeremy Clarkson impression from Top Gear UK.  I loved it!  Very bumpy and I wish we had a harness to hold you in rather than just hanging on to the railing but it was very fun, albeit a little bruising.  John's argo broke down in a hole when the chains got caught on something, and had to be abandoned.  The windscreens kept the mud off of you which was nice, and every 10 min or so we would stop so the guides could wipe down the windows.

We got back around 1030 pm and split up to grab pizza for us and Chinese/Thai takeout for the other 2 rooms.   Both of us thought the food was really good. After 12 hours of travel and adventure we were ready to eat, shower, and turn in.

Alaskan Adventure - Day 6 - Talkeetna, Alaska

Monday we departed from Anchorage to head north via bus to the Princess Lodge at McKinley, just outside the town of Talkeetna.  On this trip, Princess handles all the luggage for you, which is fantastic, but it means that you have to put your bag outside the door for pickup at 6 or 7 am each day of travel.  That essentially means that you pack the night before and put your bags out before you turn in and have to carry any toiletries you need for the morning in your day bag.  Not ideal, but we have all managed.  Today, we had to put bags out by 6 am.

In this crew, I am the only early riser, so I have been waking up around 640 and reading, eating breakfast, and walking around the grounds.  In Anchorage, I walked down to Resolution Park which overlooks the Cook Inlet.  Pretty views of the surrounding mountain range, and a huge tide that leaves miles of mud flats at low tide.  Met up with the rest of the crew as we boarded the bus for 3 hr drive North.  Tom and I listened to an audio book so we could keep our eyes on the scenery.  Our driver told some great stories about his encounters with bears and moose.

We arrived at the lodge and grabbed a quick to go lunch before hopping on the shuttle for an hour long ride to the town of Talkeetna, where all of the excursions are based.  It was frustrating because we had driven near Talkeetna on the way in, and had we been in our own car, not the group tour, transport would be much more efficient. The views of the mountains from the lodge were outstanding and there are several hiking trails around the property.

Tom posing in front of the best view from the main lodge

We got to town and scouted a place for dinner, then walked about 15 minutes to the Talkeetna Air Taxi offices near the airport.  We had arranged a 2.5 hr flight that went all around the mountain and landed on the Ruth Glacier halfway through.  The flight was outstanding!  We all loved getting to see the jagged peaks and snow capped mountains up close.  My dad, who has a private pilot's license, would love flying up here.  It was fascinating to watch us circle, looking for lift to be able to climb high enough to fly out of the low spots.   Everyone keeps telling us how lucky we are that the mountain is showing all the way from the base to the tip.  It only happens a few days a year.  We saw all 20,430 ft, and landed near base camp at 12,000 ft.

Headset selfie!

I think we found our Christmas card!

After the flight, we went to Denali Brewing Co for dinner where we enjoyed local microbrews, fresh fish, and reindeer meatloaf.  John who has been in Australia all summer where the drinking age is 18, is slightly frustrated that he cannot enjoy the beers with us as he turns 21 in October.  After a nice evening on the stone patio, we caught the 730 shuttle back to the lodge.

Cold beer and good conversations at the Denali Brewing Co. patio

Before we turned in, we reviewed our plans for Tuesday and figured out that Princess had booked us on an excursion that returned after our bus left for the next town!  We talked to the front desk and unfortunately the only option they could offer was to cancel our kayaking trip and give us a refund.  It was disappointing, since the train to Denali did not leave until 1230, so there was plenty of time to do everything but we did not have a way to get from the lodge to the town to catch the train.  Princess should have caught that!  Oh well...it gave everyone an excuse to sleep in the next morning.  I did some things for work on the patio as we watched the sun set (not until 11 pm here).

11 pm and the sun still has not completely set across the Denali range

Tuesday morning we take a train across the backwoods to the entrance of Denali National Park.

Alaskan Adventure - Day 5 - Anchorage, Alaska

Woke up to a beautiful day on Sunday.  Our hosts were very friendly when we finally got the chance to visit with them at breakfast (as we had been out driving most of the evening the night before).  We had fresh pumpernickel, eggs, homemade reindeer/moose sausage, and rhubarb with spiced apples for breakfast.  Despite the place being lovely and comfortable, Tom and I decided we are not really B&B people in general because it takes extra effort to make small talk and meet new people who expect you to chat.  We tend to be more direct and down to business with overnight stays, especially when we are really only sleeping there for a night. Would highly recommend this place though!

After breakfast, we got into our hiking gear and decided to go north to the Matanuska Glacier and maybe hike some small trails as well.  Pete, Ellen, and Carl were all awake and up for the adventure so we picked them up at their hotel and piled into the Malibu.  We stopped at a grocery store on the way for picnic supplies, and ate our lunch at the scenic view point, a few miles from the edge of the glacier.

View of Matanuska Glacier, flowing into what becomes the Matanuska River

The glacier is on private land, so after signing several waivers, the owners will let you walk around on your own for the first 1/2 mile or so.  After that point, you either need to go with a guided tour, or know how to traverse glaciers safely.  We opted to explore on our own and had a great time.  I recommend hiking boots for the best comfort, but Ellen and plenty of others we saw wore sneakers.  It was about 65° in the parking lot, and closer to 50° on the surface of the glacier.  You hiked about 10 min across mud flats until you reach the edge of the glacier which is ice with some gravel.

Face of the glacier as viewed from the gravel parking lot

After walking through mud, we crossed a few hundred yards of gravel and silt.  These metal planks serve as foot bridges across the crevasses.

Beautiful and yet terrifying to look down upon as you cross a crevasse

Rocking the boots with the fur!  These were perfect for hiking the glacier.

Everyone loved this adventure.  We could have stayed here for another hour just exploring.

After hiking for over an hour and taking lots of pictures, we threw the muddy boots in the trunk and headed back to Anchorage to check into the Captain Cook Hotel.  This was the first stop on the Princess land tour and they had everything ready for us at check in including information packets and room keys.  Took some logistics to get the rental car back to the airport and all the luggage to the hotel, but the guys managed it while Ellen and I scouted out dinner and repacked some bags since we can take only 1 for the land portion and then we send the others ahead to meet us at the ship.  We ended up eating at Humpy's Alaskan Alehouse which had great local brews and fresh fish.  Too tired for dessert, we walked back to the hotel, finished the baggage shuffle, and turned in.  John arrived from New Zealand, via Sydney and LA around 11 pm.

Monday we start the Princess land tour as we head North to the town of Talkeeta, and Denali (Mt McKinley) base camp.

Alaskan Adventure - Day 4 - Turnagain Arm, Alaska

Saturday, August 1st, Tom and I flew from Seattle to Anchorage.  We rented a car and drove around the Turnagain Arm, viewing the bore tide, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and returning to our B&B on the bay.  Pete, Ellen, and Carl arrived Sat evening from NYC and stayed near the airport. 

The flight from Seattle to Anchorage is 3 hours, so we planned our arrival for mid afternoon. [insert from Tom] "I was greatly displeased with the lack of Emerald Aisle selection and got stuck with a crappy Chevy Malibu." [/end rant] We headed south of Anchorage to the Turnagain Arm, a body of water off of the Cook Inlet.  We had checked the tide tables ahead of time and arrived at Beluga Point in time to catch the bore tide, which is when the tide comes in via one large wave. We positioned ourselves at the narrowing entry to the Inlet, but we never saw a big wave as advertised.  The tide did grow several feet in a matter of minutes, which was still impressive, but nothing you could surf on which is what we were expecting. 

Our vantage spot for the bore tide at Beluga Point

We also continue to see a lot of "dumb" as Tom calls it.  On road signs, we constantly see signs not only telling you to buckle up and don't drink and drive, but they actually post the legal BAC!  As we waited for the tide, you had to cross railroad tracks to get to the best vantage point.  People were crossing about 200 ft in front of the moving train blowing its horn!  With small kids!  I know I tend to be more cautious than most, but that seems so stupid.  Clearly Alaska is Darwinism at its best.

 Watching the train run from Whittier back to Anchorage.  Cars had glass domes for great viewing.

After watching the tide come in, stopped for barbeque nearby.  The motto was "southern exposure to northern smoke" and they had great Carolina style BBQ.  Tom and I both tried the Alaskan Brewing Co. specials on tap, which were served in mason jars!  The BBQ came with sweet corn bread, served with cinnamon honey butter.

Tom relaxing at Turnagain Arm Pit BBQ

After a great dinner, we hopped back in the car and drove 30 minutes to the town of Portage where we visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  It's an outdoor nature preserve, with a 1.5 mile dirt road in the center for you to walk or drive by the enclosures.  The animals are kept in natural habitats, and many are raised as herds with the intent to release back into the wild, including Wood Bison, Musk Ox, and Elk.  Other animals were found severely injured, or abandoned as babies, so they are being raised here but cannot ever be released.  We saw reindeer, moose, brown bears, a bald eagle, a fox, a lynx, and an owl.  It was neat to see the animals up so close!

Summer camp for Santa's reindeer

We continued along the scenic drive and stopped by the Portage Glacier view point before heading back to our B&B.  We stayed at the Turnagain View, which has 3 rooms and is situated on a cliff overlooking the water.  Alaska is 4 hours behind East Coast time, but even at 1030 pm, the sky was still bright, so blackout curtains are a blessing as we turned in for the night.

 View of Portage Glacier

Alaskan Adventure - Day 3 - Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Friday, July 31st, we woke up early and rented a car so we could drive around the Olympic Peninsula.  Our epic day trip involved a train, a ferry, 400 miles of driving in a convertible, 7,000 ft elevation gain and descent, a hike above the treeline, a drive in the temperate rainforest, and circumnavigating the entire Olympic Peninsula.  16 hrs later, we had a great day!

Map I made to document our epic daytrip

We took a car ferry from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island - about 30 min to cross.  We breakfasted on the sun deck as we enjoyed the early morning views of Puget Sound.  After docking, we drove across the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula to the town of Port Angeles.  Had a hearty brunch and then drove into the National Park, up to Hurricane Ridge.  The rental place had offered us a convertible for the day and it was the perfect vehicle to enjoy the panoramic views and sunshine.  We parked up there and hiked 3 mi round trip to the peak - about 700 ft elevation gain and a total height of 7300 ft.  Could see 360° around the park and admired several glacier capped peaks.

Tom's sweet ride for a perfect sunny day

Hiking above the treeline was a new experience for both of us

Panoramic view from the top of Hurricane Ridge

After the hike, we got in the car and continued around the northern side of the peninsula, driving by the glacier fed Crescent Lake and passing through the town of Forks, WA made famous by the Twilight books and movies.  

Pulled off the road to enjoy the icy waters of Crescent Lake

Its a *very* small town!

Didn't spot any signs of vampires and werewolves, so we continued to the Hoh rainforest.  Neither of us knew what to expect from a temperate rainforest, but it reminded us of the Ewok village in Star Wars.  Lots of moss and lichen and beautiful, tall trees.

Hoh Rainforest aka the Ewok Village

We had a picnic dinner on Ruby Beach on the western coast.  First time we saw clouds and fog the whole trip!  The weather comes in off the Pacific and drops all the moisture on the western side, hence the lush rainforests, whereas the Eastern side was desert like.  After the beach, it was equidistant to either return the way we came, or keep driving around so we opted to circumnavigate.  Got back to the hotel around 11 pm and crashed so that we would be ready for the flight to Alaska on Saturday.

Foggy evening on Ruby Beach

Alaskan Adventure - Day 1&2 - Seattle, Washington

Day 1 - Tom and I landed in Seattle on Wed afternoon for the start of our 21 day adventure in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.  Took the train and a cab to our hotel downtown, which has a lovely rooftop terrace.  Most of the day was spent hauling suitcases and travelling, so we did not get out and explore the city but we enjoyed the view of the skyline while we ate our takeout dinner from nearby.  Turned in early on account of the 3 hour time difference.

 

Day 2 - Slept in this morning until 7:30 am local time, and then ventured to a café nearby to ingrain ourselves in Seattle coffee house culture.  Tom opted for a latte and I had my usual hot chocolate in addition to some fresh pastries.

After breakfast we toured the Space Needle and the Chihuly Museum and Gardens.  We loved the glass sculptures!

We then met my 'Aunt' Kathy (mom's cousin) at the historic Pike's Place Market on the waterfront.  She guided us around the market and we enjoyed people watching, some great Italian food for lunch, and hearing about all the travel she does with her husband Jim.  We hope to link up with them for an adventure next year.

Afterwards, we strolled along the waterfront and enjoyed the ships in port for Fleet Week.  The Blue Angels will be performing on Sat, so we got to see them practicing at various times overhead. The sea breeze is a saving grace because the temps are in the low 90s here, but thankfully no humidity. Weather in Seattle is absolutely beautiful! We came in the ~90 days of non-foggy/rainy summer weather.

After an afternoon of rest, and a few work calls, we went to Walrus and the Carpenter for a tapas style dinner featuring specialties of the region’s- microbrews, cheese, fried oysters, smoked salmon, steak tartare.  It was fabulous! We took a stroll home to enjoy the views and sea breeze, and I now write this from the hotel rooftop terrace where we sit enjoying a bottle of prosecco before we retire.

Off to Olympic National Park (rainforest area on the nearby Olympic Peninsula) tomorrow, via rental car and ferry.  Weather looks promising.

Conquering the Alaskan Frontier

When the family set out to plan our summer 2015 vacation at Easter, the original plan was to visit New Zealand and Australia, since John (my brother in law) was planning to study abroad there in June and July.  After looking at the dates, the weather, and work schedules, things were not lining up well so we decided to call that plan off.  Alaska was somewhere that we had all wanted to visit and is ideal in late July/early August, which was the only time window we had available.  A plan shaped up that had John flying from The Land Down Under to Alaska and we would meet him there for 1 week touring the interior.  He then would get on a plane and fly back to college, and the rest of us would continue for a one week cruise down in the Inside Passage.

Booking the trip, we knew we wanted time to see both the interior as well as do a cruise.  We were very limited on dates, so there were only a handful of cruises to choose from.  We went with Princess because they have a great reputation for their Alaska offerings, and they also offered cruise-tours, where they plan all of the accommodations and travel for the land portion as well as the cruise portion.  This was ideal since we were planning this late in the season and were concerned about making all of the necessary travel arrangements only 2 months in advance.

Tom and I had extra time, so we opted to book our flight via Seattle so that we could explore more of the Pacific Northwest.  We planned to spend 3 days in Seattle before going to Alaska and 3 days in Vancouver at the end of the trip, bringing our adventure to a grand total of 21 days.  Pete, Ellen, and Carl opted just for the 2 weeks in Alaska portion, and John has a whirlwind 6 days in Alaska.

The Alaska crew (left to right): Christina, Tom, John, Carl, Pete, Ellen

• Christina: that's me!  I am writing most of the travelogues, but occasionally someone else will guest post/contribute.  I do lots of detailed planning for all our trips and am in charge of event booking, background research, and information dissemination. 
• Tom: the husband - he does all the driving and also handles navigation since I can't walk and read a map at the same time, and I tend to get carsick if I read while he drives.  Hates crowds and loves trying new food and beer/wine.
• Carl & John: Tom’s brothers - they like high adventure activities and are willing to go along with whatever I plan to do for the day as long as they don't have to plan it themselves
• Pete & Ellen: Tom’s mom & dad - they really enjoy exploring the local and cultural aspects of wherever we are visiting, and Ellen is great at choosing a fabulous restaurant for dinner