North-By-Northwest: A Vancouver and Alaska Family Vacation Days 9 to the End

Thursday morning was another rainy one in the interior.  I grabbed a quick run early then most of our group headed back into town to the Denali Brewing Company to watch the USMNT vs. Germany game (it started at 8am local).  It was a small crowd, mixed of locals and tourists, crowded around the TV behind the bar.  They had self-serve coffee, water, and iced tea…then opened the bar and offered biscuits and gravy for the 2nd half.  I don’t think anyone took them up on the drink or food offer, but we appreciated them offering us a place to sweat out the game.

Post-game, we packed up and departed the wet Talkeetna with a big day of driving ahead.  A couple hours in, we stopped in the Wasilla area where we had an interesting experience finding the trailer of the guy who rescued my planner.  Then we grabbed lunch at a sandwich shop before continuing southbound.  Our end destination for the day was Seward.

As we made our way south in the early afternoon, the skies finally started clearing again for the first time in a couple days.  The environment also changed to more densely packed mountains and lakes…very scenic.

We reached our final cabin stay of the trip and unloaded.  This cabin was smaller, but laid out with an open floor plan and a huge cook’s kitchen (with Viking range).  Once settled, Susan and I took a walk while the rest of the family got short workouts in.  Then we headed into town to see what Seward was all about.  The town in a fishing and shipping hub for Alaska and is also where many of the cruise ships dock.  The town itself is small, with a couple commercial districts at each end of about a mile long set of parallel roads.  We chose the Chattermark, which was not very crowded, but had good food and a small but locally focused beer selection.  The service was also very friendly.  After dinner, we relaxed at the cabin the rest of the night before our early boat tour the next day.

Friday morning we were up and going at 6:45 to get to the port by 7 to check-in for our Kenai Fjord National Park Cruise.  The 6 hour boat trip took us about 100 miles total in a large horseshoe out of Resurrection Bay and into the neighboring bay that makes up a portion of the Kenai Fjords National Park.  As soon as we embarked we passed some sea otters reclining in the bay…a good sign of things to come.  Before we even made it out of Resurrection Bay we also had some bald eagle, dall’s porpoise, harbor seal and orca sightings. 

Ships in the harbor

Sea Otter     &      Dall’s Porpoise

Group of Orcas (with baby in the middle!)     &     A couple Harbor Seals

Once we cruised the rough waters into the national park, we saw a humpback whale before witnessing a bald eagle on the hunt.  It captured a fish too large to lift from the water, so instead swam backstroke with it to shore before jumping out and adjusting its hold to take the fish back to eat.  It was amazing, as were the pictures Susan captured of it.

Our destination in the national park was Holgate Glacier where we slowly cruised to about 1/4 mile away and watched the glacier break off into the bay.  On our way back, we hit some rough waters and many of the passengers were feeling sick.  Lily threw up on me twice.  Our captain knew it was rough going so cruised quickly past sea lions…luckily we found more later when we got back to Resurrection Bay and back on our feet.  Our tour ended with sightings of many sea-birds including puffins.  It was an amazing cruise aided by a spectacularly clear day in a normally rainy area.

Humpback Whale

A few birds by the glacier

Ice falling from the glacier

A puffin    &    A sea of seagulls

Sea Lion

With our cruise tickets, we also got free access to the Alaska Sea Life Center, an aquarium and rehab center for local wildlife.  Here we got more up close access to the wildlife we saw on the cruise along with those that were hiding beneath us.  The center also included many interactive exhibits to convey the human impact on the oceans…it was worth the visit, especially at no cost.  Leaving the center, we rewarded ourselves with a gelato treat for a hard day’s work.

After an already eventful day, it was back to the cabin where I took a quick run before I got to play in the fancy kitchen.  On the menu was surf and turf (sirloin, shrimp, and salmon) with roasted potato hash and ginger garlic carrots.  Mom added some garlic bread to the mix and we feasted.  As I was prepping, a number of birds including hawks and eagles gathered around the river behind our cabin.  A couple of us ran out with cameras and captured the group hunt of a fish, which eventually went to the eagle with the rest of the birds conceding.

   

Saturday morning was taken leisurely before starting our journey back north toward Anchorage.  We attempted to stop for a couple hikes along the way, but chose our routes poorly (one was flooded) so only managed short walks.  We did get to check out some of the ski town of Girdwood where we stopped for lunch.

Once back in Anchorage we did some last minute shopping at the Saturday Market we visited when we first arrived.  Then we checked into our last night’s accommodation which was pretty shady, but near the airport for our super early 5:50 flight Sunday morning.  I took a run around the seaplane airport that is adjacent to the major airport and got to see a few float planes take off and land.  That evening since the weather was nice we had our final dinner on the rooftop at the Snow Goose.  Susan and I went all out and split the Alaskan king crab legs.

Sunday morning came way too early and the whole day was spent travelling (and losing time to time zones).  It went smoothly though, with Lily sleeping for 5 hours on the two flights combined.  Another solid vacation in the books.

Now, looking forward to the 4th of July weekend at the lake.

North-By-Northwest: A Vancouver and Alaska Family Vacation, Days 6-8 (The Interior)

Monday was our departure day from Anchorage.  After morning runs toward the University of Alaska-Anchorage, we had breakfast then packed up for the trip north.  Along the way, we stopped in Wasilla and met Sarah Palin and picked up groceries before continuing toward Denali National Park.  I also managed to leave my planner on the roof of the van in Wasilla, so will need to pick it up from a good Samaritan on Thursday who grabbed it off the highway.

We stopped in Trapper’s Creek at a gas station/diner for lunch, which is a little more than 1/2 way to our destination.  As we continued north after lunch, we were able to take advantage of the clear day and get spectacular views of The High One from both South and East/Northeast exposures.  It’s massive façade was breathtaking. 

Alaskan Mountain Range

The crew with Mt McKinley (Lily took the picture)

After multiple photo stops for Denali, we headed further north to the park gate where we drove the 15 miles to the end of the line (for personal vehicles) at Savage River.  After all day in the car we were looking to walk a bit so did the riverside trail; a 2 mile flat loop that meanders along both sides of the river.  The short hike was eventful since we had a close encounter with a caribou and ended the hike getting caught in a pop-up hailstorm.

Monday night ended with us driving a little further north to Healy where we moved into our cabin for the next couple nights and grilled out for dinner. 

Tuesday morning started early with a quick breakfast on the way out the door before heading back to the park Wilderness Access Center, where we picked up our 8am shuttle into the park.  Our tickets were for the Eilson Visitor’s Center 66 miles along the park road and only accessible by park busses.  Once you get past the portion of the park road open to the public, the road turns to dirt and gravel and the amenities are pretty much nonexistent.  It’s an intentionally wilderness oriented park.

We had expected to hop from shuttle to shuttle and take hike breaks along the way, but the weather was drizzly and overcast and hiking would have been difficult without any groomed trails while carrying a baby and her car seat.  Also, the bus trip was longer than expected; 8 hours round trip for with a couple restroom breaks and 30 minutes at the visitor center turnaround.  Instead we watched for wildlife from the bus and were very lucky, we managed to see 2 foxes, 4 grizzlies, numerous caribou and dahl sheep, and other smaller animals.  There was also a lynx sighting by the bus, but we mostly missed it.

A herd of dahl sheep on the mountain
A herd of caribou taking a walk

Susan and Lily at an overlook

A little fox trotted along with our shuttle for a while

Momma grizzly with her two cubs

After our shuttle returned, we took a quick 3-mile hike to Horseshoe Lake which included a beaver dam at the turnaround point.

At the turnaround

Heading back to the car

The one animal missing from the day was the moose.  In the evening we drove back to Healy and had dinner at the 49th State Brewery Restaurant.  It was a surprisingly nice gastropub with a great beer selection.  After dinner, it was back to the cabin where we made a fire and played some cards before bed.

Wednesday morning we were graced with the missing moose from Tuesday.  It was grazing on plants along the driveway in the cabin’s backyard…very up close and personal.

Miss Lily got to eat her breakfast with our new moose friend

Once the moose continued on its way, we checked out and started southbound again.  Most of the early afternoon was spent driving with a lunch stop at a Denali overlook café, but unfortunately the rainy day meant no mountain views.  We checked into a new cabin (or small lodge) in Talkeetna then went in to explore the small town.  It is mostly restaurants, coffee shops, and souvenir shops…a little tourist town.

In the evening we took a quick break at the cabin before heading back into town for dinner at the Denali Brewing Company Café.  The food and beers were pretty good but the highlight was getting the info on their casual World Cup watch party the next morning.  Otherwise, with it being a rainy evening we returned to the cabin to hang out for the rest of the night.

Leaving the interior tomorrow.

North-By-Northwest: A Vancouver and Alaska Family Vacation, Days 4-5

Saturday morning, we woke in Vancouver and had breakfast before packing our bags and heading for the airport.  It was a good thing we arrived early because we had to go through US customs while still in Canada, then got flagged (randomly) by Homeland Security for a full inspection…at least we were able to bypass the lines because of Lily.

Finally at the gate, the rest of the flight went off without a hitch and Lily slept the entire time.  Our route took us along the Inside Passage of both Canada and Alaska and at times we were rewarded with spectacular glacier and mountain views.

Slept the whooooole flight!

A couple photos of the glaciers from our plane window

Once in Anchorage, we grabbed our bags and headed to the hotel to pick up my sister and her husband who had arrived a couple hours earlier.  We then grabbed a late lunch at a nearby diner before heading downtown to the Saturday Market where we all picked up some treats and/or souvenirs.  Then we returned to the hotel to run some errands before heading to dinner at the Moose’s Tooth Brewery and Pizza Pub…it was delicious and walking distance from the hotel.  It also just so happened that it was the summer solstice so we were able to enjoy the longest day of the year in the state that has the longest summer days in the US.  On our way home from dinner at 10 pm, it was still bright as could be outside.  Sunset was close to midnight and sunrise was just after 4 am so it never truly got dark.

On our walk home from dinner

Sunday morning started early with breakfast at the hotel before heading to the train station for a day trip on the Alaska Railroad.  The route we chose took us southeast from Anchorage along the Turnagain Arm before heading into a mountain valley for a whistle stop at the Spencer Glacier.  It also included an out-and-back layover at the port city of Whittier.  Once in the Spencer area, we did a flat 5 mile hike that took us to a small glacier-fed lake the gave us close-up views of the glacier itself.  I had never been that near a glacier and its size was impressive. 

Lily had a great time on her first train ride!

So many beautiful views

The glacier up close and Lily getting some camera training in

Our train

Family photo by the glacier

Upon completing the hike we did a combination of train and bus to return to Anchorage, where we had dinner downtown at a seafood bar called Humpy’s, which was good, but a little slow on service.  After dinner we called it a night at the hotel.  Tomorrow, we head north to Denali.