After 4 months in beautiful but hot Southeast Asia, we could not wait to cool down in the world’s final frontier – Alaska.
But, to our utter surprise, the summer of 2019 marked the hottest recorded summer in the 49th state. The temperatures hovered above 90. Wild fired were raging through the landscapes that not too long ago were covered almost exclusively by glaciers. The daily reports cautioned the tourists against coming, but we wouldn’t be the Walsh’s if we didn’t stare danger in the eye. And with this attitude, we took off into the unknown.
Our 3-week journey was made of two parts – part one with our aunt Sheila and good family friend Pat; and part two with our mom, dad, and aunt Eileen.
Part 1 – Middle Alaska
Anchorage, the largest Alaska city, was covered in a haze just a few days before our arrival. Although the fires were contained when we landed, we could still smell their aftermath.
Besides the lingering smell, we were able to explore many things that Anchorage has to offer. Among some of the highlights were:
- A panoramic bike ride along the most scenic bike path in America past the airport to Kincaid Park. Since Julia never learned to ride a bike due to an irrational fear of falling, we rented a tandem which hopefully helped her overcome her phobia.
- A dinner at the best pizzeria in the country called ‘Moose’s Tooth.’ Well worth the wait for some great local pizza and beer!
- And of course interacting with the local fishermen who make their living catching world-class salmon.
After Anchorage, we proceeded north to Talkeetna and Wasilla. What we remember the most from this area is:
- The birth tree factory where they make syrups and ice creams from the birch sap. IT can give maple syrup a run for its money!
- The Iditarod trail race headquarters that explained the history and the current state of the race. In the front of the house, there was a statue of Balto, the world famous husky who led the final leg of the serum run to Nome in 1925.
- And of course walking “downtown” Talkeetna and again bumping into some locals on the “streets” aka trails in the woods.
Further north, we visited Fairbanks and North Pole. Apart from seeing a bustling wildlife that included lots of moose and their calves, reindeer, and arctic ground squirrels, we enjoyed a very colorful and diverse flora. Fireweed, an local purplish flower, was everywhere and it made the landscapes even more stunning.
A 2-hour picturesque hike through the Angel Rock hike to the north east of town was spectacular. It is worth noting that while aunt Sheila and I trekked to the top of the Angel Rock hill, Pat and Julia busied themselves with sketching the landscapes tapestries back at the parking lot.
Next on the list was a day trip to the Denali National Park. Although we booked the Denali non-guided shuttle bus, our driver Wendy did an amazing job at narrating the whole 12-hour ride, she would not let her 37 years of Denali experience go untold, and we welcomed it!
While on the tour we:
- Saw heaps of wildlife including moose, caribou, bald eagles, and the creme de la crème - grizzly bears. Not one, but several. One of them even crossed the road right in front of our bus. This came to the excitement of the whole bus as we had waited all day for a bear sighting, and we saw plenty as we exited the park!
- While we weren’t able to see Denali due to the fires haze, but we enjoyed the mountainous scenery as far as the eye could see.
- Some portions of the road were so high up on the cliff and so narrow that only one bus could pass at a time. Truthfully, those moments were the scariest for the whole bus, but overall we had a great time.
- Finally, we visited a kennel with husky dogs, all trained to become the world finest Iditarod dogs. We even had the opportunity to meet some of the huskies and pet a few.
After Denali, we proceeded to Palmer, where we visited a local farm known for its giant produce. Since we were early in the season, the giant tomatoes and squash were not ready. But, we still enjoyed chatting with local farmers and trying local foods.
From Palmer we headed east. Along the way Matanuska Glacier was on our must-visit list. One of the few remaining glaciers that you can walk on, it covers an enormous privately-owned territory. After paying an entrance fee, we hiked the glacier for several hours, climbing up and down its numerous ridges and crevices. This experience was perhaps one of the most memorable things we did. Because the glaciers are receding now faster than ever before, who knows how many of these opportunities we will have!
We were over-nighting in Glenallen on the brink of the largest National Park in the country the Wrangell-St Ellias National Park (which we had never heard of until this trip)! We planned a full day trip into the park to explore the water falls, hiking trails, mountains, and glaciers. But alas 20 miles into the park we got a flat tire and had to turn around. Thankfully there was a local tire patching service offered at by an interesting local at his house located right in the park!
After leaving Glenallen we drove on my personal favorite section of road I have ever driven to the south for our ferry. The path leads through the mountains with a fog (not haze this time) laying on the road and mountains.
The trip ends in the gorgeous waterfront fishing town of Valdez. From Valdez, we took a 6-hour ferry to Whittier and onto Seward. While on board, we saw sea lions, lots of gulls, and sea otters.
Seward allowed us to appreciate the fishing business. Right downtown at the wharf, the fishermen display their daily catch. The most common fish are salmon, halibut, and rockfish.
After trying each of these fish for meals at local restaurants, we fear that if we try these fish anywhere else in the world, it won’t compare! Before setting of we watched as the fisherman brought their live catch in, with the heaviest catch of the day being a 207-pound halibut.
The final stop of the first part of our Alaskan journey was Homer and Cooper Landing. Homer amazed us by its beauty and friendly people. We had a nice meal at a restaurant right on the long peninsula in the town called Spit, the owner of which treated us like his own family!
Later that day, we had a short but memorable encounter with a black bear deep in the wood while walking a Russian Lake trail near cooper landing.
As protocol we were told told to make a lot of noise and the bear ran off.
Part 2 – The Alaskan Inland Passage
After saying goodbye to aunt Sheila and Pat, we flew to Juneau, the capital of Alaska, where we met up with our parents. We were drawing near for Julia’s birthday and I selected a perfect location for us to celebrate. After considering everything, I felt she would like a cold, rainy, foggy, gloomy, and early morning wake up. So, I settled on a small island of Gustavus, just a 15 minutes flight from the Alaskan capital.
Although it wouldn’t take long to describe the island itself, since it houses about 300 inhabitants (during the summer, and less in the winter). The town has one main road, one grocery store, and two restaurants. But the activities and experiences that it has to offer can take up several pages. We stayed at a local Bed and Breakfast (B&B), owned by a very friendly Polish American family, who prepared delicious meals for us as well as giving us rides to and from the airport.
The main reason we were in Gustavus though was Glacier Bay National Park! Among the highlights of our 2-day stay were:
- A day boat ride in Glacier Bay, where we saw tons of wildlife, including hunchback whales, orcas, seals, sea lions, sea otters, puffins, grizzly bears, and more.
- We saw the glaciers of the bay, which as we learned were also melting faster than ever before, much like the mainland glaciers.
- We had the chance to actually touch a glacier on the boat. One of the crew members fished a chunk of ice that broke off of the glacier from the sea and pulled it on the boat. That made for a good, cool, and nutrient rich ice cube.
- We capped off the magical and unforgettable day with a homecooked 3-course meal carefully prepared for us by our B&B host family. The dinner included sablefish and rice, chowder soup, and a birthday cake.
Back in Juneau, we met up with my mom’s cousins, who by happenstance were visiting Alaska at the same time we did, and my aunt Eileen who flew in as well.
My Aunt Eileen made such a lasting impression on the owner of the Alaska Hotel & Bar where we were staying, that upon seeing her, he rushed out of the hotel, grabbed her suitcase, took it up the steep staircase, and ensure that the room was up to her liking. What can I say, local hospitality is unparalleled. The bar part of the hotel was well worth the price of staying the night as it offered live music in a quaint and truly Alaskan set up.
The next day we caught an overnight ferry to Ketchikan. The ferry was a truly a magical experience because we were able to watch the scenery as it changed colors throughout the day; at the sunset, at night, and then again in the morning. Getting close to the town of Ketchikan, we watched the sea planes take off and land.
Among the highlights in Ketchikan were:
- Walking the old Creek Street, where we watched salmon go up the stream readying for the mating season,
- The Great Alaskan Lumberjack show,
- And window shopping downtown.
Bonus Section - Seattle
The final stop of our mid-summer journey was Seattle, Washington. While there we met up with our old family friends Emily and Jeff, who were our gracious hosts and a knowledgeable guides.
Among some of the top attractions we saw were:
- The Chihuly Glass museum near the Space Tower. The myriads of glass shapes and bright colors took our breath away. The visit was worth every penny.
- Our first visit to the Seattle locks, where similar to the Panama Canal, the boats cross from the sea to the river and back by entering the canal, where the water lowers or rises to match the water level of the passage. Quite an engineering genius feat!
- The Amazon store, where they sell mostly books, unlike the amazon online store where they sell next to everything!
- The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, where they display the various innovations for the third world countries that are engineered to help fight hunger, lack of electricity and fresh water, and mortality.
We had an amazing adventure in the Last Frontier and had a great time with both family and friends.
As we say goodbye to the USA and get ready for our journey back overseas!
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