Our 6-month adventure continues as we transition to Girdwood Alaska for a week of exploring the northern portion of the Kenai Peninsula and areas within 1.5 hours of Girdwood.
This blog post will cover this area of Alaska:
Day 1: Transition from Seward to Girdwood (day 104 of the overall trip)
We have a mere 1.5-hour drive from Seward to Girdwood so we have time to kill today. With an 11am check-out and a 4pm check-in, it means a very long lunch. Gosh, it is raining again, but not too hard. We drive along the Seward Highway out of Seward and then head north toward Girdwood.
Homer to Girdwood
Girdwood
Nancy humbly reaches out to the VRBO host to see if there’s any possibility of an early check-in and to our delight, the room is already ready at 1pm. We decide to skip lunch out and we’ll just eat at our condo. The condo we’ve rented is in Girdwood, a town whose primary purpose is skiing. As it is the off season, it seems to be about 1/2 full. There are 3 restaurants within walking distance of our condo. We have a two-bedroom unit with a hot tub on our 3rd floor balcony. It takes us 4 trips up the elevator to get all our things into the condo. We have to take more out than normal because we need to fold down the back seat. Our friends, Brigid and Tom, are flying in tonight for a week’s stay with us! Can’t let that second bedroom go to waste!
Dinner at Peanut Farm
Time flies and before we know it, it is time to leave to pick up our friends. The Anchorage airport is 45 minutes away and somehow, we manage to time our arrival about 3 minutes after they pick up their luggage from the baggage claim area. Hugs all the way around and we head to dinner. We decide to take them to the Peanut Farm, the huge sports bar we ate at back a few weeks ago. Even though it is after 8pm, the place is packed. But again, luck seems to be with us today as we find the perfect table in the corner of the outdoor covered patio overlooking the creek. As we look up at the TV, we see there’s a pay-per-view kickboxing event that has just started – and that explains the crowds. As anticipated, our meals are delightful.
Day 2: Exploring Anchorage and the Alaska Zoo (day 105 of the overall trip)
Alaska Zoo
Traveling by air with a 4 hour time shift can be tiring, so we don’t have anything big planned for our first day together. We do need to stock up on groceries and since the only stores are in Anchorage, we head back toward Anchorage. OK, nothing big planned, but we do decide to check out the Alaska Zoo for a bit. This place is really well done with animals in very natural habitats. Each caged area has a placard that gives information about the animal breed as well as the specific animals inside. Some were acquired from other zoos, some are rescued animals in rehabilitation, and some are rescued animals already rehabilitated that can’t be re-released into the wild. It is so well done, we barely notice the light rain that’s falling the entire time we’re there. One of the first animals we get to see is a polar bear named Cranberry and she’s pacing in her area – and she’s just beautiful. We see seals and a mama river otter that briefly pokes her head out of the den until her babies start crying for her. We get to see several sleeping animals including a large tiger and a brown bear. Several owls, falcons, hawks and eagles are spread throughout the complex. We see coyotes, but unfortunately, the old resident wolf passed away just 2 weeks ago.
While we are in the gift shop, we see a display with a shoe and learn back in the early 80’s a tourist from Australia climbed 2 fences into the polar bear cage for a better picture. Needless to say, that didn’t end well, and she was almost killed. The shoe is from that incident – it took 3 days for the staff to retrieve the shoe from the bear. As we walked the park eariler today, we had noticed electric fence wire on the OUTSIDE of many of the enclosures. Apparently those electric fences are to keep people out more than to keep the animals in.
Late Lunch at Moose’s Tooth
A former co-worker of ours that lives in northern Alaska has recommended the Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria for lunch. The parking lot is full, so Harrison drops us off and drives around to find a place to park. We have a 20-minute wait, but once we sit down, life is good. We all split a salad and order 2 different pizzas, hoping to have some leftovers for snacking on this week.
A little Bit of Anchorage
After lunch we drive around the touristy area, we visited a few weeks ago. We knew it wasn’t anything that special, but we still had to show it to Brigid and Tom, who agree, we can skip stopping here for either food or souvenirs. So, we are off to the grocery store to stock up on what we need.
Looking for Beluga Whales on Turnagain Point
We’ve stopped here earlier, but this lookout point is something we want to share with Brigid and Tom. The tide is out but Tom jokes that he saw a Beluga Whale – even though the water is too shallow. You may remember, when we last stopped here, there were ‘no trespassing’ signs all over the place between the parking area, the railroad tracks and the point. When we were here just a week ago, there was a gap in the guardrail so one could easily walk down over the tracks to the point. But today, a new section of guardrail has been installed in that gap. You can see it to the left of Harrison in the photo below of the 4 of us (it is shinier than the rest, for sure). Tourists just climb over the guardrail and ignore the “no trespassing” signs.
Then it is back to the condo for a little TV watching and bed. We have to be up very early in the morning.
Day 3: Trains & Rafts (day 106 of the overall trip)
Wilderness Excursion Train to Talkeetna
Today is a big day that includes a train ride and a river rafting trip! We need to be at the train station in Anchorage by 7:15am so we’re out of the condo by 6:15am. We’re taking the Wilderness Excursion train to Talkeetna which is a 3-hour ride. You may remember that the two of us took a train ride early in this trip that was round trip from Fairbanks to Denali – on the Alaska Railroad. The Wilderness Excursion cars are hooked onto the back of the Alaska Railroad, but these cars are privately owned by a tour company. These railroad cars are similar to the “Gold Star” class cars offered by the Alaska Railroad (that we rode in for that last journey). They are both 2-story cars with domed windows where you sit on the upper level in reclining seats with bartender service. You can dine in the lower level. We personally felt the Wilderness Excursion cars offered more comfort and legroom – and the food was a higher quality.
We have a fabulous tour narrator named Sterling who was truly top notch. His explanations and jokes didn’t sound rehearsed (although we’re sure they are). We’ve driven through all these areas, but we still enjoy seeing it from a different vantage point. We also enjoy hearing our guests’ comments as they see things for the first time. We move past the Knik River, Wasilla, Nancy Lake, Willow and finally end in Talkeetna at 11:15am. FYI – we’ve read that Talkeetna was the model used to convey an Alaskan town in the TV show Northern Exposure, set in the fictitious town of Cicely, Alaska. Frankly, that’s a complete stretch of the imagination. In all our travels, we’ve found no town resembling “Cicely”.
Lunch in Talkeetna
We have about a 1/2-mile 10-minute walk from the Train Station to town center. Having been here before, we head immediately to the Denali Brewpub to beat the lunch crowd. The rain here has let up and we get a table outside on the patio. Shortly after getting seated, we realize what a smart move it was to grab a table early as there’s now a long line formed at the entrance, all waiting for tables. Nancy heads over 1 block to check-in with the rafting company just to make sure all is in order for our 2:30pm trip. Lunch is delicious. Nancy & Harrison stay at the table enjoying the local brew while Brigid and Tom explore the 3 blocks of souvenir shops.
Rafting the Talkeetna River
We get to the Talkeetna River Guides rafting office at 2:15pm. We are a little nervous since this is a 2-hour rafting trip and we have to catch the 4:55pm train back to Anchorage. They don’t hold the train, so we make sure our rafting folks know our tight schedule and they assure us we won’t miss the train. They even offer to shuttle us from their office to the train station.
We all get outfitted in huge rubber boots that fit over our shoes and receive oversized raincoats. We joke that we’re wearing Frankenstein boots. There are 15 people total so we’ll be split into two separate rafts. We all hustle into the shuttle vans and head to the put in. At the put-in, we get a life vest and our safety instructions. Our boat has the 4 of us and 3 young men from Ohio – plus our fabulous guide, Kai. The other boat puts in the water first and by the time we’re all in and pushing off, they are barely in sight. With all the recent rains, the river is moving very swiftly. Kai will do all the paddling so we can focus on enjoying the scenery. The water is swift and smooth and very early on, we realize we can honestly relax and just enjoy.
The Talkeetna River is a glacial river fed by the Talkeetna Glacier. Glacial rivers are mirky with all the fine gray glacial silt mixed into the water. Kai tells us that if you filled a clear glass with this water, it would take 5 days for all the silt to settle to the bottom. As we glide along the waters, we see lots of people fishing here in the last week to 10 days the salmon will run in this area.
Kai shares several amazing real-life stories with us about his encounters with wildlife over the years. He tells us of one where it had snowed rather significantly, and the plowed street snow was just over 6′ high on each side. The snow in their driveway wasn’t quite as high since it isn’t as wide. His brother was coming home from school and turned into the driveway only to spot a moose in the driveway blocking his path. He texts Kai on his cell phone asking what to do. Kai tells him to go to the next-door neighbor’s porch and wait for his call. Kai first tries making noise by banging 2 hockey sticks together, but when that fails, he goes inside and gets his gun. He shoots a bullet near the moose’s feet and the moose reluctantly starts to leave the driveway. Kai spots the head of a jogger with air pods bobbing up and down over the snowbank – and the jogger is approaching his driveway totally unaware the moose is heading directly toward him. Kai tries to scream and yell to get the jogger’s attention, but the jogger has those air pods on jamming to music. So, our hero Kai, clad only in his underwear, goes running down the driveway. The jogger and moose surprise each other, the jogger turns around just as Kai reaches the road. The moose begins to charge at him, so he tries to scale the 6′ snow pile on the side of the road and the moose rushes by, knocking him off. He ends up firing 4 more rounds at the moose. He’s confident he hit it once, but it only serves to stun the moose, who sits down to contemplate life for a few minutes. Kai heads to the neighbors to meet his brother. The moose wanders off and they eventually return home. His story telling ability was so engaging, you can easily visualize him running in his underwear – we are all laughing hysterically. There’s another great story about a bear – ask us about it the next time you see us.
Soon we turn down a narrow feeder river – this one is not glacial fed. Its waters are clearer and are the color of a dark tea. We’ve caught up to the other boat. Kai picks some fresh cranberries for us all to taste – and they are bitter! He tells us more about some local plants including one he often uses by crushing the leaves into a salve to help heal wounds. We have to turn around, so our boat heads out first and we’re back in the main channel again. Shortly thereafter, we come to the confluence of 3 rivers – the Susitna and the Chuitna rivers join the Talkeetna. Another 15 minutes and we’re back at the rafting office. It is 4:15pm, so we’re not concerned about making that 4:55pm train.
As luck would have it, the train from Denali is 25 minutes late! Here we busted butt to make sure we didn’t miss the train, and we didn’t end up leaving until almost 5:25pm.
Return on the Wilderness Train
Our narrator for this leg of the train journey back to Anchorage is Deanne. She also does a great job talking about things as we near and pass them. Although every narrator has their own spin on the commentary, we get some of the same jokes again. We opt to enjoy dinner on the train. Brigid gets the smoked salmon chowder that she lets each of us taste – it was amazing. Three of us get the prime rib and one gets the halibut – all delicious. Nancy gets the birch syrup sundae knowing the birch syrup is locally made in Talkeetna. It is made from the sap of Birch trees in a manner similar to how maple syrup is made from the sap of Sugar Maple trees. Birch syrup has more of a caramel flavor to it. We head back to our seats and enjoy the remainder of the ride back to Anchorage. We arrive back in Anchorage around 8:30pm, then drive the 45 minutes back to our condo and all head to bed, exhausted.
Day 4: Wildlife & Glacier Charter Tour (day 107 of the overall trip)
The Whittier Tunnel
Today’s adventure has us up and out of the house by 7:30am. We drive along the Seward Highway south to Whittier. The trick with traveling to Whittier is there is a one-way 2.5-mile Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel shared by cars and the railroad. It is the longest “bimodal” tunnel in North America – and it was built to withstand -40 degree temperatures and 150 mile per hour winds. Southbound vehicles go on the 1/2 hour, southbound trains on the xx:45, northbound vehicles on the hour and northbound trains on the xx:15. If you miss your window to go through the tunnel, you wait an hour. We are a little early – 8:10am but we’re the “better safe, than sorry” kind of folks. There are 8 lanes to line up where vehicles fill up lane 1 first, then lane 2 and so on. Trucks and RVs line up in lanes 7 and 8. We are the 2nd car in line for lane 1 and by the time it opens promptly at 8:30am, they are just starting to line up in lane 4. We enter the very narrow tunnel and see that vehicles’ wheels straddle the slightly sunken train rails and it feels like there might be a whopping 2′ on either side to the rock walls. There are 3 or 4 pull out areas along one side to be used if your vehicle has an issue – you do NOT want to be the one that blocks the tunnel. It takes about 10 minutes to drive the tunnel length and at peak capacity, 450 vehicles can do a drive in each “turn”.
When we reach the other side we see a huge condo building where most of the residents of Whittier live. It’s pretty much self-contained with the post office and hospital included.
Lazy Otter Charter Cruise
Once through the tunnel, we head to Lazy Otter Charters for an all-day wildlife and glacier cruise on their boat named High Velocity. We check-in at the office, then head to the boat ramp and their parking lot. This boat will handle a total of 6 guests plus our Captain, Matt. The other guests, Daniella and Stefan, from Switzerland, area already at the boat ramp so we get right on and head right out! This boat has a ramp on the back that can be raised and lowered onto shore – no boat dock, per se. Matt looks like he’s barely 21 but he’s 29 and has been serving as a boat tour guide for well over 10 years. He’s charming and full of wonderful commentary. The boat has a large map of this area of Prince William Sound and he points out to us the route we’ll take at the beginning. The waters of the sound are relatively calm and it’s NOT actually raining (although it is still cloudy).
Seagulls – well, actually Kittiwakes
After 15 minutes or so, Matt takes us to one of the largest populations of Kittiwakes, a bird that closely resembles a seagull. A huge majority live on this cliff because it has several tiny “shelves” for building nests and gets most of the daylight sun. People come from around the world to see this many of this species together. We also see an occasional long necked Cormorant. Daniella says she can hear a Kingfisher, however, we don’t spot it.
Bald Eagles
Alaska is home to many Bald Eagles and we see a few along our boat ride.
Boat Wreak
And here is the obligatory photo of a boat wreck we pass along the journey
First Bear Sighting
Daniella turns out to be quite talented at spotting wildlife! About 30 minutes later, she spots a black bear on shore. Matt slowly positions the boat so we can get a closer look and remarks that they only see bears on 5% of their wildlife tours. The bear roams the shore for about 10 minutes before heading back into the woods, so we rev up and continue on.
Puffins
We leave this area and very briefly see 2 or 3 porpoises playfully swimming near the boat, but for such a short time, we can’t even get outside to grab a photo. We also spot some seals and sea otters playing around in the water. Sea Otters are very skittish and often dive when a boat gets near. We make a few attempts to get close to them but they all dive.
Matt takes us to a place where we can spot some Tufted Puffins with their distinctive orange beaks. He tells us there are also Marbled Murrelets here and not only do we spot a few of those, but we spot Ancient Murrelets (which Matt tells us is very rare to see). Marbled Murrelets have a white patch on their wing and on the flank; Ancient Murrelets are uniform dark gray on their backs. The island is also shared with kittiwakes and cormorants.
Sea Lion Gathering
Matt takes us to the breeding and birthing grounds for a large group of Stellar Sea Lions where he notes one was born yesterday. They know this because they found the afterbirth floating in the waters. It is rare for one to be born so late in the summer. This is mid-August and they normally give birth between mid-May and Mid-July. A male will often have a harem of 15 females, but that number can go as high as 30. The gestation period is 12 months and mothers give birth to a single pup she takes care of for 3-years. By the way – we get so close we experience their unpleasant odor.
Island Stop
We travel through a narrow channel on our way to Harriman Fjord. We all take this opportunity to grab our pre-made deli lunches inside the cabin. We also get an orange, trail mix, chips and a cookie. Near the end of the channel he does a boat landing on a small pebbled beach which gives us a chance to stretch our legs for about 20 minutes. It is really nice to have that ramp off the back of the boat or we otherwise would not be able to take advantage of this opportunity. It is a welcome break from boat travel and everyone gathers a few rocks to take home.
Transition to Hatchery
Matt is taking us to one of his favorite places, a salmon fish hatchery, where we’ll view it from the water. He shows us the route on the map.
Sea Lions Approaching the Hatchery
After another 30 minutes or so, as we approach the salmon hatchery, we spot Stellar Sea Lions sleeping on giant yellow buoys, about 4-6 per buoy. We also see a few swimming around in the ocean waters. Matt spots a small pup that looks like it has been shaved, and this is confirmed with a look through the binoculars. He tells us it is just part of naturalists studying the creatures and he occasionally captains the boats used by naturalists. It is quite amazing to realize these creatures can haul themselves up out of the water and onto these platforms.
Salmon Fish Hatchery
Matt explains the salmon lifecycle to all of us and we see a roped/netted off area that creates a pool for the fish to swim into before attempting to head up the falling waters of a river off in the near distance (2nd photo). They will harvest most of the fish before they head up those waters. As with the other hatchery we visited, they harvest eggs from the females and milk from the males, then mix it together and wait until they hatch. At this hatchery, they have floating 10’x10′ spaces tethered together where the hatchlings will grow for about a year or two before being released. They regulate how many fish can enter the pool at a time and there are swarms of silver and pink salmon swimming by while waiting to get in.
A few of the sea lions are hanging out grabbing a snack or two. We see what can best be described as the water boiling with fish – and Matt tells us they do this when being chased by a sea lion. Indeed, we see this numerous times. It is also amazing to just glance down into the water and see swarms of 18″ – 24″ salmon swimming around.
Sea Food Boat
We pass by a fishing boat and get to watch as the salmon come shooting down a tube into a bin for further processing. They are apparently scooping them out of the water and them dumping them right into the ship. From what we understand this salmon is shipped overseas. Not sure if this is for pet food or for human consumption.
More Sea Lions
At the end of the bay is a large gathering of sea lions which are doing a sort of choreographed dance in the water with their heads all pointed in the same direction. Matt tells us it is uncommon for sea lions to swim together like this. They do routinely congregate together on land, but not swim together in the water.
More Bears
Daniella spots more bears, this time a mother and 2 cubs. Again, Matt quietly positions the boat into this smaller channel, but as we approach, the bears scurry up into the woods. They briefly come back down as we approach, then scurry off again.
River Otters
While hoping to catch another glimpse of these magnificent creatures, we spot a mother River Otter and her 3 pups. Matt tells us this is incredibly rare (confirmed by another boat captain we talk to several days later). While it is common to see Sea Otters, River Otters aren’t common. At first, they just sunbathe on a rock, but soon, all three glide into the water and roam the shores looking for fish. One of the babies catches a small 6″ fish and Momma catches about a 18″ fish – both of which are dragged back to shore and up a little bank where they all feast on their catch.
Surprise Glacier
And then Matt takes us into the 2.5-mile-long Harriman Fjord to Surprise Glacier at the terminus. The glacier is 3/4-mile wide where it touches the water but goes back over 4 miles to connect with the Harding Icefield on up in the mountains. As we approach the glacier, getting to about 1/4-mile from the ice, the temperature drops significantly as the cold air rolls over the ice and blows into this ice valley. We have to navigate around small icebergs that have fallen off the glacier – but we don’t mind since that means it is actively calving. Sadly, it has started to sprinkle, and the wind is blowing it right into our faces as we try to spot the glacier calving. We see two small and short sections of ice falls and then finally about 15 minutes into our time here, a larger section falls into the ocean, and we feel fulfilled! One other small 6-8 passenger boat has joined us and soon a larger tour boat with around 125 people comes near (but can’t get as close). Look at the photo of the big boat compared to the size of the glacier.
Return to Whittier
What an exciting day! We’ve seen so much spectacular wildlife as well as gorgeous mountains and glaciers. The boat journey ends almost perfectly timed to catch the 5:00pm tunnel timeslot, so our exit is swift. We had back to the condo and agree the hot tub is a perfect way to get the chill out of our systems. We nibble on taco chips, cheese and crackers. We start binge watching a limited series on Netflix, but we only have enough steam for 1 episode tonight.
Day 5: A Day in Girdwood (day 108 of the overall trip)
Harrison & Tom go for a Walk in Girdwood
Brigid and Nancy are in the mood for a slow, mellow morning. Harrison and Tom are itching to be outside. The two guys head out on a 6-mile walk, in the sprinkling rain, to the Alyeska Resort and back.
Alyeska Resort
Alayeska is the high-end ski resort of Alaska. Tom and Harrison decide to walk in and have a look while looking for the tram entrance since we plan to take it later this week. More on the tram later.
Lunch at Chair 5
We head to the nearby restaurant, Chair 5 to grab lunch. We had no idea what to expect and we are delighted with the ambiance of this quaint bar & restaurant just a short distance from the condo.
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Where’s there a wildlife center, there’s a place for us to wander, learn and observe animals. Just a few miles south of Girdwood is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center that has a 1.5 mile drive or walk loop with several outdoor Alaskan wildlife on display. It is similar to the Alaska Zoo we visited earlier in the week but has its own personality. It is still sprinkling rain, but you just have to make the best of it. We see elk, wood bison, caribou, porcupine, wolves, coyote, black bear, etc. Stealing the show are the brown bears who are in the pond, entertaining themselves and the crowd with a stick.
Girdwood Brewery
It isn’t quite time for dinner so it feels a little too early to just head back to the condo. While Harrison showed Tom the Alyeska Resort on their morning walk, Brigid hasn’t seen the rest of Girdwood yet. Girdwood isn’t that big – just 2.5 miles from our condo is the home of the Alyeska Resort which is comprised of numerous lodging condo units as well as the large resort hotel, complete with a Nordic Spa. They charge $15 to park so we only ride around.
On our way back to the condo, we decide to stop at the Girdwood Brewery to taste a brew or two. We see 3 large, covered outdoor seating areas, each with a lit propane firepit. We grab our beer choices and head outside. We sit with John, a local business owner from Girdwood who is so charming to let us drill him with questions about life in Girdwood and about his charter tour boat business that runs out of Whittier. We also learn his sister is a world-wide competitor of Stadium Horse Jumping and routinely competes in the World Cup. He often helps her in his off season.
We head back to the condo for dinner and more binge watching of that limited series. Tonight, we catch 3 more episodes, although I think we each nodded off at some point in that third episode.
Day 6: The Alaska State Fair (day 109 of the overall trip)
The Alaska State Fair
We are so excited to have a break from rain in the weather forecast that coincides with our plans to attend the Alaska State Fair. Harrison has been to many a fair, both state and county. Nancy has only been to a few county fairs. Brigid LOVES a good fair and Tom is excited as well. We’ve all been hearing about the giant vegetables that grow in this long-day summer Alaskan climate and they are top on our list to see. We have a 1.5-hour drive to Palmer. Harrison and Nancy were in that area many times this summer, but with the clouds mostly gone, we all get treated to a lovely drive with mountain after mountain. Some are just starting to get snow accumulated because, well, it is August and snow falls in the mountains in August up here in Alaska.
The fair offers a discounted $3 entry fee from 11am – 2pm. We didn’t purposely plan for that, but we arrive around 1:45pm, park and walk to the green gate. There are about 20 people ahead of us in line and it is moving slowly. Precisely at 2:00pm, a woman comes by and says “I have bad news.” All four of us think it means the fair is sold out – silly us. She continues with “It is 2pm and that means the $3 entry fee is done. But, I’m making an executive decision that everyone from the guy in the orange sweatshirt to the front of the line will still pay $3 and the rest of you will pay full price”. There are only 8 people behind the guy in the orange sweatshirt – and this message does not sit well with the 2 Asian people directly behind the guy in the orange sweatshirt. The woman is irate and questions the decision, but it told by “the announcer” that she is a manager and she’s made her decision!” The woman in line brings up the topic of discrimination and says she refuses to pay full price because she got in line at 1:45pm and it isn’t her fault the line was so slow. The “announcer” tells her she could have gone to one of the other 3 gates which only fuels the fire. The Asian woman gets on the phone and requests that all the rest of us also get on the phone to complain. The “announcer” leaves and we work our way up to the one-woman ticket counter. The “ticket lady” is charging us all $3 instead of the $16 – she says she made her own executive decision since not one other person has joined the ticket line. As long as the computer is still letting her charge the $3 early fee, that’s what she’s charging.
It is early in the day, and it isn’t very crowded. With a quick look around, it appears to have several large buildings with fair exhibits, a large variety of rides, and the booths are split about evenly between food vendors and vendors selling their goods. All the “goods” vendors are selling out of what can best be described as wooden sheds on wheels. At home in VA, vendors typically sell under a canopy tent. We suspect the winds and colder temperatures make stronger structures a must. We walk together through the Reptile building and stop briefly to watch a hypnotist working her “magic” on 8 volunteers from the audience. Brigid is hungry so we split up and agree to meet again at 4pm.
The fairgrounds are in no way laid out in straight rows. There are more permanent structure bathrooms than we’re used to having at public fairgrounds – never a line! There are also a surprising number of beer gardens with live music. We wander somewhat randomly down various paths, popping in and out of these traveling shops. We make our way through the exhibit hall with quilts, knitted and crocheted items, sewn items and other similar type items. We make our way through what we’d call the artist exhibit hall with drawings, paintings and photography.
We take a break at the area where the antique tractor pull competition is taking place and sit on the bleachers for a while to rest our weary feet. We watch 4 antique tractors pulling a heavy load and get to hear the history of each. Did you know that in the 1930’s, Sears & Roebucks sold a tractor by mail-order (the original Amazon) that you assembled yourself? We saw one from 1939! Two of the four make it the entire length of the track and the other two reach a point where their back wheels just spin.
We make our way to the animal barn and our initial reaction was how few animals there are. We live in a fairly rural area in VA and our county fair has probably 4 times the animals. Then again – to take your animal to the county fair is at most, a 20 minute drive. Here in Alaska, it could take days. There are only about 6 pigs/hogs, 6 sheep, 20 goats and 4 cows. Chickens aren’t allowed at the fair this year due to a bird flu, but rabbits are abundant (well over 100, but those ARE much easier to transport). There’s a sheep shearing demo going on and later, they will have both goat milking and cow milking demos. We briefly walk through the equestrian area where there are about 10 horses.
Finally, we make our way to the flower, vegetable and fruit barn. The flowers are very impressive! So many big, beautiful, colorful blossoms. Vegetables aren’t quite as big this year, but they are still impressive. The biggest cabbage on display is just over 50 pounds – part of the junior 4-H exhibit. The pumpkin judging is this coming Monday, so much to our disappointment, none are on display. The real cabbage weigh-off is a week from Friday where they’ll have even larger cabbage.
We start walking back to meet Brigid and Tom and buy some Spinach Bread from the renowned Talkeetna Spinach Bread Food Truck. It is basically “spinach pizza with a white garlic sauce” – but let me tell you, it is super yummy! We save a few bites for them to taste. We all decide to head to a beer garden and find one with a great band playing. Tom has a co-worker, Chuck, that lives in Palmer, and they’ve arranged to meet at the beer garden. We have a delightful time together and after about an hour, we decide it is time to head back to Girdwood for dinner.
Beluga Whales
We’ve had a running joke about Beluga Whales the entire time we’ve been in Girdwood that started that first day when we stopped at Beluga Point about halfway between Anchorage and Girdwood. Tom claimed to see one, but none of the rest of us did. Pretty much everywhere we go, Tom brings up Beluga Whales and we all soon join in trying to bring them up every chance we can – even though we’ve not seen one. Beluga Whales are all white and only grow to about 18 feet with males 25% larger than females. They only reside in the arctic and sub-arctic regions. They lack a dorsal fin all other whale’s species have.
We are about 1 mile from Beluga Point and have to stop for construction that allows only one lane of traffic at a time. As has been our joking custom, Nancy pipes up to remind everyone we should start looking for Beluga Whales and not 10 seconds later, Brigid spots one. We all watch and spot at least 4 in a pod near the shore, right by our car. We only see the tops of their backs, but it is still considered another successful wildlife sighting without any good pictures.
Double Musky
Tonight, we head to the Double Musky Inn restaurant for a little fine dining. Two different locals have recommended the place to us. We arrive around 8:00pm and the parking lot is packed and it is only open until 9:00pm. We step inside and the ambiance is exactly what we’re looking for. There’s more room inside than appears from the outside and the low lighting sets a relaxing mood. Every room has a wall of windows. There is so much “eye candy” decorating the walls we think it would take days and days to explore it all. We get a little sticker shock at the prices but quickly get over it and order French pepper steak tips, Idaho Nachos, Salmon and a NY Strip Steak big enough to feed 3 people! We highly recommend this wonderful place. By the time we leave, there are only 5 cars left in the parking lot.
Earthquake
Once back at the condo, Brigid and Tom have headed to bed. Harrison is at his computer starting to upload today’s photography to the cloud and Nancy is tidying things up in the kitchen. All of the sudden, the building shakes for about 10 seconds. Harrison and Nancy both ask if that was an earthquake and an internet search about 10 minutes later confirms the 3.6 magnitude quake. More searching reveals there have been 3 quakes above 1.5 in the last 24 hours, 12 in the last 7 days and 636 in the past year! Nancy texts Brigid; she and Tom did not feel it. Needless to say, you can’t exactly take a picture of an earthquake – so nothing to see here!
Day 7: The Alyeska Tram (day 110 of the overall trip)
It is yet another rainy day in Alaska, so we mostly take the day off. It does clear up a little around 4pm, so we head to the Alyeska Ski Resort to take their Alyeska Aerial Tram to the top. There are two restaurants and a small museum up at the top. The 4-to-7-minute ride leaves every 15 minutes and the car holds a maximum of 60 people at a time. It climbs from 306 feet to 2334 feet at the top and the clouds aren’t too numerous as we make the climb. If you choose to climb up the mountain, which takes just over 2-hours, you get to ride the pricey tram back down for free.
Once at the top, we first head to the Bore Tide Deli & Bar for a couple of beers, hoping to grab a snack. It turns out their kitchen closes at 4:00pm, so we missed it. We take turns wandering through the small museum and gift shop. When all beverages are consumed, we head across the way to the Seven Glaciers Restaurant, a very upscale restaurant and bar. This restaurant specializes in a 5-course meal in the $150-$200 per person price range that consists of “tasting plates”. While the menu looks delightful, it is more than we’re looking to sign up for. Reservations are typcially required, in fact, Nancy had checked earlier in the week and it was completely booked. In reading reviews, we learned you can order a la carte at the bar and sure enough, we get a superb Charcuterie Board. The bartenders are on a sunken floor about 3 feet down so they minimize blocking patrons’ views. Today – there’s not much view, mostly clouds. The clouds do move around and there are snippets of clearings to see some of the snow-covered mountains and – you guessed it – 7 glaciers (although we only spot 4).
We head back down and enjoy a lovely meal of leftovers at the condo. We also finish watching that limited series.
Day 8: Farewell, Brigid and Tom (day 111 of the overall trip)
Our week with Brigid and Tom has flown by! Their flight isn’t until 9pm so they don’t have to be at the airport until 6pm. We take a leisurely morning with them packing and just killing some time.
Portage Glacier
The weather is finely cooperating, and we decide to try for the 1:30pm Portage Glacier 1-hour cruise. We did the 30 minute drive here 2 days ago but by the time we got there, the woman at the counter was a little strung-out and said she didn’t have time to honor our TourSaver coupons. The weather that day was raining and cloudy, so we left without going. You can’t buy the tickets on-line if you want to use the TourSaver buy-1-get-1-free. We know there’s a little café by the dock, so we time things to purchase our tickets an hour ahead of the departure and then catch lunch until boarding time.
The café reviews on-line were “extremely generous” compared to our experience. This was the first time we honestly were significantly disappointed, but there was no other choice at this point.
We board the boat 15 minutes before our departure and with the sun shining, we all opt to sit on the open deck on top, as did most of the other passengers. The boat was probably 1/2 full. It took about 15 minutes to drive down Portage Lake, a lake completely filled by run-off from Portage Glacier. The on-board forest ranger lets us know that just 100 years ago, the glacier completely covered the entire lake area. The lake is too small to officially be a fjord, but it is 600 feet deep and is surrounded by steep cliff walls. We reach the glacier and as with all close glacier encounters, the temperature has dropped at least 15 degrees with the cold air rolling off the glacier. The glacier is about 1/2 mile across but as with all glaciers that touch water, it extends way below the lake surface for a mile and extends miles up into the mountains. We eagerly watch for a glacier calving for the 30 minutes we hang out near the glacier, but one never happens. We then head back to the dock, then to the Anchorage airport to drop off Brigid and Tom.
Day 9: Hope, Alaska (day 112 of the overall trip)
Hope, Alaska
The weather seems to finely be in our favor multiple days in a row! We decide to do a scenic drive to the town of Hope on the northern end of the Kenai Peninsula. It is located 17 miles down Hope Highway where the Resurrection River merges into the south shores of the Turnagain Arm waters of Cook Inlet. Hope was the very first place in Alaska where gold was discovered. It theoretically kicked off the gold rush to Alaska, although the find in Hope was small and efforts went elsewhere. The town of Hope today is quaint with approximately 160 residents and 3 decent restaurants.
We reach the end of the “highway” and park near the water’s edge. We walk around the water for a bit through minor puddles and wet pathways. With recent rains and the tide out, signs warn us not to walk much in the glacial silt that can easily turn into quicksand. A local teen is having her senior graduation photos taken. We read signs that tell the history of Hope and bask in the sunlight.
Lunch at Creekbend Company Cafe
We’re ready for lunch and our first stop is at Creekbend Company Cafe, a small little restaurant with a large outdoor deck. It is nice enough to sit outside today – a very nice change of pace after so many weeks of rain. We sit next to Pepper, Chris and Chris’s dog Scout who is content to lay at his master’s feet. We share a delightful hour and a half of conversation. Chris lives in Anchorage but has purchased land here in Hope and is currently building a home. He and Pepper are on a date – not quite sure how long they’ve been dating, but it doesn’t seem to be too long. After lunch, they have plans to go kayaking. He’s a professor at University of Alaska, Anchorage and teaches Neuroscience. He bartends on Friday nights at another restaurant here in Hope, the Dirty Skillet He laughs as he confesses, he prefers bartending there to teaching and tells most people he meets, that he is a bartender. Harrison and I share a sandwich and kill time until 3pm – the magic hour when Creekbend Company Café closes – and the Dirty Skillet opens.
Dinner at Dirty Skillet
We drive the 1/4 mile over to the Dirty Skillet and get 2 seats at the bar. All the outdoor seating is taken, we soon learn, by a group having a wedding reception. We learn that Ellie & Zack got married “a little ways from here” and the party of about 30 people are here for the reception. Nancy talks with Tawna, one of the bridesmaids, and learns she has lived in nearby Niniski her whole life – with her parents and 11 siblings! Our bartender’s name is also Zack and when we take a picture of him (as we do with so many of our bartenders), he asks us to send the picture to him (that’s a first for us). We share some amazing bacon macaroni & cheese with chicken and jalapenos that fills us up completely.
Day 10: Another Day at the Alaska State Fair (day 113 of the overall trip)
The Great Pumpkin Weigh-In
When we went to the Alaska State Fair last Thursday, the giant pumpkins weren’t on display. We learned the pumpkin weigh-off was Monday at 2pm and with nice weather still on our side, we do the 1.5 hour drive to Palmer to enjoy a second afternoon at the fair. As we enter the fairgrounds, we grab the daily brochure and are disappointed the pumpkin weigh-off isn’t listed. We start to wonder if when we read Monday, that perhaps they meant Labor Day (a week from today). We walk through the fair toward the agriculture building and pass by the same comedic hypnotist is doing her spiel with the crowd. We stop briefly to buy a salmon quesadilla and eat it while walking.
We get to the agriculture building as they are about to weigh a giant pumpkin. It takes about 10 minutes to get each pumpkin roped up and ready to weigh. Once in a rope harness, the pumpkin is lifted by a crane scale. The underside is brushed off to remove all dirt and judges inspect the entire surface for cracks and holes. A crack or hole could mean it has been injected with “something” and that is cause for disqualification. To help kill time, the Master of Ceremonies talks about pumpkin weighing, existing pumpkin weight records and tells corny jokes. Both this pumpkin and the next were grown by the same farmer who happens to own the current Alaska record for the largest pumpkin. He won that title in 2019 with a pumpkin weighing 2051 pounds. The US record for the largest pumpkin was grown in New Hampshire and weighed in at 2528 pounds. The crowd shouts “Go Heavy, Go Heavy” as the large pumpkins are being weighed. This first pumpkin weighs in at 1819 pounds, but the next one is larger. Some women are dressed in orange and green and are referred to as the Pumpkin Fairies. With great anticipation and “Go Heavy” chanting from the crowd, we learn the second and last pumpkin weighs in at 2147 pounds, breaking the Alaska record! How cool it was to witness this record breaking weigh-in.
We didn’t have a chance to walk through the entire fair the other day, so we head out to cover those sections. There is a daredevil motorcycle act, The Fearless Flores, at the fair and their next show is in 15 minutes, so we grab some seats at the bleacher directly in front of the show area. Patience pays off and soon the show begins, first with a plate spinning show of 16 plates spinning simultaneously. An 11-year-old girl assists her 19-year-old brother as he gets and keeps all the plates spinning. Next, the motorcycle show begins with the 11-year-old girl starting first. She enters a large metal sphere and is soon riding her cycle around the diameter of the sphere! Once she exits, her 19-year-old brother enters and does the same. He also rides his cycle in other directions, including up and around, and upside down. We think this is pretty spectacular – and then they announce that a third rider, a female age 24, will join her brother in the sphere and both will ride at once! We also learn they appeared on America’s Got Talent and received the golden buzzer. Unbelievable, but both riders enter the sphere and are soon both going round and round, even riding one-handed and giving each other a high five! The entire show was about 20 minutes, and it did not disappoint.
Summary
Girdwood is an excellent anchor point for exploring Anchorage (40 minutes away and rather urban), Seward (1.5 hours away) and places in between. As a ski town, it has plenty of lodge & condo lodging options as well as many restaurants. We highly recommend the following:
- A train ride either from Anchorage north to Talkeetna or from Girdwood south to Seward. Ride the “Wildness Train” cars over the “Gold Train” cars (different companies, same ride).
- The charter glacier cruise by Lazy Otter – just 6 people in a smaller boat means you can get closer to glaciers and wildlife than the bigger 125+ passenger tour boats.
- The Alaska Zoo
- And if you can time your visit with the Alaska State Fair at the end of August – it is a fair to remember!
Up Next
We have one more major stop in Alaska – Kodiak Island. The next post covers our transition over and back by ferry, and exploring Kodiak.
Prior Legs of the Journey
Part 1 – The Trip to Key West is located here.
Part 2 – Cross Country to Bellingham Washington is located here.
Part 3 – The Alaska Ferry Inner Passage to Juneau is located here.
Part 4- The Alaska Ferry Inner Passage to Haines & Skagway is located here.
Part 5 – Haines to Fairbanks Alaska is located here.
Part 6 – Three weeks in Fairbanks is located here
Part 7 – Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean is located here.
Part 8 – Denali National Park is located here.
Part 9 – Denali & Richardson Highways (Central Alasks) is located here.
Part 10 – Wasilla Alaska Area is located here
Part 11 – Homer Alaska Area is located here
Part 12 – Seward Alaska Area is located here
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