Why I'm Writing This Blog

(Important note: this is not your classic blog.  In most blogs, the most recent posts are first - basically life in reverse order.  I manipulated the dates on the postings, so that the oldest postings would appear first.  This way, you can read about our trip as we experienced it.)

I'm writing this blog because I searched for this information online, and I couldn't find it!  I want to share my family's experiences in Alaska with you.  Alaska is an absolutely wonderful place to visit.  However, it is comparatively expensive, and for most people it represents a big investment and a long plane ride.  So, I hope to help you make the most of you time, and your money.

About us: we are a family of three - myself and my wife (both age 50) and our 24 year-old daughter.  We live in Florida.  We enjoy an active lifestyle and outdoor activities.  We are all in good health, and usually ready for a 5-mile hike.  My goal in vacation is to every day see something I've never seen before.  So, we are mildly adventurous - not daring or careless, but we prefer activity to just sitting around.

I talked to several people who had been to Alaska on vacation.  Not surprisingly, most of them had taken a cruise through the inside passage.  One gentleman excitedly told me: "It's great - you never have to leave the ship.  You have great restaurant food, and the local people come on-board to share their culture.  You can just sit in a chair on deck and watch Alaska go by."  That moment, I decided that I did not want to take an Alaska cruise.  The thought of just sitting around is not appealing to our family.  We like to get out and experience the places we're visiting.  (I'm not knocking cruises - if that's what you want.  Some people love cruises, and I respect that.)

Anyway, after much Internet research (more on that later,) we decided that our best plan was to fly-in to Anchorage and drive south, touring the Kenai Peninsula.  The Kenai Peninsula is about the size of West Virginia.  Of course, I've never been to West Virginia, but the point is made nonetheless - Alaska is a huge state (you knew that) and we couldn't expect to tour a large area in the two weeks we allotted for this trip.    So, we focused on the Kenai Peninsula, and also the area between Anchorage and the Kenai.

A few things about this blog:

1. I am writing about what we did, not about what you should do.  I don't claim that I had the perfect vacation, or that you should follow my itinerary.  I just thought you might enjoy the information.
2. I like to plan our trips pretty thoroughly, with a little "wiggle" room in case the weather doesn't cooperate, or if we're not having a good time.
3. My philosophy is: the first time we visit some place, it is best to keep moving!  That way, we get to see a lot, and if we're not enjoying ourselves, we'll have something entirely different tomorrow.  (We're already planning our next Alaska trip - revisiting the places we loved, and skipping the places we didn't.)
4. You won't see any photos of my family.  Sorry - we like our privacy.  I know this is unusual in the age of Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, but we like it that way.
5. Yes, all of the Alaska photos are original.  I am not a professional photographer.  However, I teach photography in middle school.  My camera is a Kodak Z981, which is a $200 point-and-shoot (not an SLR.)

So, I hope you enjoy this information,and find it useful as you plan your great Alaska adventure!

Getting Some Information

Before we begin, let me say that we have been talking about this vacation for several years, and began serious planning about 7 months before the trip.  Remember, we were self-directed, and made all the arrangements ourselves.  It was really nice taking all of that time.  By reading the information that we gathered, we became very familiar with the area before our vacation even began.  So - if you're thinking it is too early to plan your Alaska trip, it's not!

The Alaska tourist season is short - from mid-May to mid-September, so resorts, businesses, regions, and communities are quite agressive in publicizing their opportunities for tourists.  Most chambers of commerce have excellent web-sites and magazine-style tourism guides that they send quickly.

I went to the web-sites below, and requested the guides.  They all came within 2 or 3 weeks.  Be aware the the chambers of commerce and visitors bureaus share your information with their member businesses.  You can expect to get letters from hotel managers, flyers and brochures from tour operators, and even DVDs from fishing and tour charter services.  Just take it all in-stride -- you can't blame them for trying to make a living.  Read what you like, and trash what you don't.

• Travel Alaska - Official State of Alaska Vacation and Travel Information
• Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council
• Seward Chamber of Commerce
• Visit Soldotna
• Homer Chamber of Commerce
• Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau

Kenai Peninsula Visitors Guide - 2011 edition

Make contact, and check your mailbox.  It will soon be overflowing with Alaska information!

Getting There - Flying to Alaska

Chance are, if you live in "the States" (what Alaskans call the lower-48,) you'll be flying to Alaska.  Yes, many people drive the Alaska highway through Canada, but that wasn't in our plans.  We live in Florida, so it would take several days just to get to Canada.  And then several days back.

We fly from a small regional airport in northwest Florida, so our reservations included a flight to Atlanta, then one to a mid-west city (Minneapolis on the way up, and Detroit on the way home,) then on to Anchorage.  Depending on where you live, you might be able to make two, or even one flight to Anchorage.

The saying is, "It takes all day to fly to Alaska, and all night to fly home."  That's basically true.  We left home around 9 AM, and got there around 6 PM.  Of course, we crossed three time zones (we live in the Central time zone.)

Our tickets were about $750 each, round-trip, which I thought was pretty good.  I wanted to set the schedule, so we bought directly from the airline.  I spent a little more and bought a direct Anchorage-to-Atlanta return flight, but the airline changed the schedule and the reservation.  You can expect that.  Our reservation changed three times in the six months between ticket purchase and the trip.  Once, the schedule allowed for only a 30-minute lay-over, so I had to call the airline on that.  (They were very friendly and accommodating.)

Our flights were packed all the way.  Buy your tickets (or at least start watching the fares) as soon as you know your vacation dates.  Being willing to alter your dates by a day or two can save you money.

So, my tips are...

• Set your date as soon as possible, and start watching ticket prices,
• After buying your tickets, make sure to check the reservations frequently for schedule changes,
• Plan to take the entire day getting to Alaska.
• Bring a good book, or maybe even a portable DVD player.  Also, most of our flights had Wi-Fi.

Reserving a Rental Car

Because we were setting our own itinerary and exploring a reasonably large area, we needed a rental car.  With three adults (and 5 pieces of luggage) we needed at least a full-sized car.

I was a bit shocked when I checked the rental car prices online.  For our 12-day trip, a full-sized car would cost around $1500, with taxes and airport fees.  Of course, this wasn't going to "sink" our trip, but the bargain-hunter in me knew there had to be a better deal out there.  I checked prices for two or three weeks.  The prices weren't getting any higher, so I just decided to wait it out.

Readers, I did get a better deal, and a bigger vehicle, too!  Let me tell you how I did it.

My first strategy was to check Hotwire and Priceline.  I was able to find something for around $1,000 so I felt that I had a small victory.  I noticed that a few hundred dollars were going to airport fees.  So, I expanded my Hotwire search to include all locations in the area.  I was able to rent a full-sized vehicle from the downtown Hertz location for $498 for the 12-day period.  A few days later, the price was almost twice that.  But, I confirmed my rate using the Hertz 800 number.  They were happy and I was happy.

Only one problem - the downtown Hertz location would be closed on Sunday evening when we were to return the car.  I called Hertz again, and the customer representative changed the return location to the Anchorage airport.  Would that incur the tax?  No.  The tax applies to where the car is rented, not returned.

Wow!

So, I had a sweet deal.  We stayed in downtown Anchorage our first night in Alaska (took a free airport shuttle to the hotel) and the next morning I walked 5 blocks to the downtown Hertz location.  There was one person in front of me, and he wasn't very nice to the clerk.  He wasn't mean, just difficult.  She was glad to get him out of the office.  When he left, the clerk apologized for the delay, and I smiled and assured her everything was okay.  Then she offered me a free upgrade to a small SUV.  And the price was lowered another $10.  So, I rented a Ford SUV for 12 days for about $485, including tax.

My rental car tips for you...

• Check Hotwire and Priceline daily to establish baselines.
• Be willing to accept a downtown location.  Even if you have to pay cab fare, you'll probably save money.
• If you see the price go down, jump on it!
• See if your rental company will change the return location to the airport with no additional charge.
• Be super-nice, and you might get an upgrade.

Clothes for an Alaska Summer Trip

We traveled to Alaska in mid-July -- the warmest part of the year.  The highs were in the mid-60's, and the low was around 45 each night.  The Alaska residents considered this a heatwave!

Dress in Layers
You will get tired of hearing this when you ask for Alaska clothing advice, but it is true: Dress In Layers.  As a Floridian, I wasn't really sure what that meant, but after a few days I got the hang of it.

My layers included...

• Jeans, or Wrangler cargo pants,
• A t-shirt -- sometimes long-sleeved, sometimes short-sleeved,
• A Cabela's trail shirt - either canvas or broadcloth,
• A fleece vest,
• If needed, a windbreaker, or a lined-jacket.
• A cap or hat.

Your humble blogger (identity blurred) wearing his layers
on the beach in Homer, Alaska.  Under the windbreaker is
a long-sleeved shirt and T-shirt.  

I would "layer" depending on the temperature, moisture, and altitude.  But I would always keep my "layers" in the car, if needed.

By the way, Alaskans call this style of dress "rugged."  For example, if someone invites you out to eat, and you say "What should I wear?," they might answer "dress rugged."  This means that jeans and button-up flannel or canvas shirts are okay.

Here are things that I packed, but didn't need: short-sleeved button-up shirts, a nice dress shirt, khaki pants (or better.)  I wished I would have packed more T-shirts.

Shoes (and socks)
People in Alaska take their shoes seriously. If you plan on doing any walking-around on trails in Alaska, then you need the right shoes.  (Many tourist areas are trail-based.)

You will need at least one pair of good, waterproof shoes.  We're not talking about rubber-boots.  Waterproof shoes look just like regular hikers or even sneakers.  My advice would be to avoid the steel-toe boots.  They are a bit heavier, and I certainly didn't need steel protection (or the extra weight.)

Carolina 6" 4 x 4 Hikers (waterproof - composite toe)

The ground is moist in many places, and you might want to wade through small puddles.  You don't want wet feet!  Maybe you've never shopped for waterproof shoes.  They're pretty easy to find.  Here are some good online stores...

• Cabelas
• Sportsmans Guide
• ShoeMetro

As you could imagine, many stores in Alaska sell waterproof shoes.  The Fred Meyer in Soldotna had an excellent selection at competitive prices.  Of course, those new shoes won't be broken-in when you buy them, so my suggestion is to buy in advance, and break them in at home.

Cabela's X4 Adventure II Waterproof Hikers

Do not assume that all hiking and walking shoes are waterproof.  Read the description.  I took a pair a Cabela's low hikers, and a pair of Carolina mid-hikers.  I broke them in for a few weeks before the Alaska trip.  I also took a pair of casual-dressy shoes, which never made it out of my luggage.

You need good socks, too.  They don't have to be professional hiking socks.  But, you will appreciate that extra cushion if you go on long walks.

Wearing Shoes Indoors

In Alaska, you leave your shoes outside, or in the "mud-room."  This is true at bed-and-breakfasts, and guest houses (not hotels.)  So, you might need a pair of rubber-bottomed slippers to wear around your room.

The Northern Lights Coupon Book

In my opinion, there are two ways to use coupon books.  One way is to let the coupon book make the decisions for you: "Oh, we have a coupon for this restaurant.  We need to eat here."  The other way is to make your own decisions, and use a coupon if you have it.  I take the second approach, which means I don't use as many coupons as other folks.  Still - even for me - the Northern Lights Coupon Book was an outstanding investment in my Kenai Peninsula trip.

I'll not try to describe the book, other than to say it is about the same size and a bit thicker that a small phone book.  I believe I paid $57 including shipping.  I think I probably saved about $300 using the coupon book.

The largest number of coupons are for restaurants, and a majority are in Anchorage.  Still, many are in the Kenai, and the coupons I used were for boat tours and attractions.  Many/most coupons are two-for-one.

So, check-out the link, view the list of offers, and see if the Northern Lights book is for you.  I would do it again, in a heartbeat.

Northern Lights Coupon Book

Note: the 2011 book is listed online as "sold-out," so the 2012 version will be the next version available.  Still, you can look at the offers included in the 2011 book and get a good idea if this is a good deal for you.

I guess I used about 10 coupons from this massive book.  No business said anything negative about the coupon, and I certainly was not treated any differently.  In fact, many were pleased that their investment in the coupon book actually brought them some business!  One vendor said, "My three competitors put coupons in the book, and if I don't I lose business."  So - if you're feeling bad about getting a free boat ride or museum entrance, DON'T.  It was their idea!

Tips...

• Make your own decisions, check the list of coupons online, and see if the Northern Lights coupon book works for you.
• If you decide to buy the coupon book, buy before you make reservations.  Most day-tour operators need to know you plan to use a coupon.
• Get a pad of Post-its and mark the coupons that look interesting.

Take a GPS for Your Car

   
This will be a short post.  If you're planning on driving around in Alaska (or any other vacation, for that matter) a GPS is a necessity.  I am a very good driver, and I have been driving for about 35 years.  My GPS was indispensable on this trip.

The ability to type-in an address was important, especially for finding bed-and-breakfasts.  The "nearest gas station" feature was useful to us.  The GPS also helped us estimate distances and travel times.

I own a Garmin Nuvi 255w (the widescreen was nice.)  I've had mine a couple of years, and I would imagine there are newer models.  You can buy an excellent GPS for less than $150 (check Amazon.com for great deals and free shipping!)  Make sure to bring the suction-cup mount and the DC adapter!

Here's some info I read on a friend's blog...don't wait until you get to Alaska to buy your GPS.  If you've ever owned a GPS, you know the first thing you have to do is plug it into the Internet and update the maps.  You might not have the time to do this on vacation!  To make sure you have the maps you need, type in the address of your first hotel.  If your GPS can get you there, then you probably have the maps you need.

Tips...

• If driving in Alaska, buy a GPS and learn how to use it.
• Make sure to update your maps before heading to Alaska.
• Make sure to bring along the suction cup mount and DC adapter for your rental car.
• Learn the street addresses of bed-and-breakfasts on your trip.

The Flight to Alaska, Our Night in Anchorage, and Cell Phone Problems

Okay, I'll try to keep this section from being as boring as the flight!  It took us about 12 clock hours to get from Florida to Alaska.  If you think about it, that's pretty remarkable.  However, it is a long time for someone (especially me) to sit still.

As I wrote earlier, we had three plane rides (home airport to Atlanta, Atlanta to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Minneapolis-St. Paul to Anchorage) on our itinerary.  All of the flights were packed to 100% or near.  And a few of the flights were oversold.

Here's my only tip for this section... if you're flying to Alaska, and they attempt to "bump" you to a later flight, make sure the airline is aware that you have another flight to connect to, and that your destination is Alaska (which the airlines consider an "international" location.)  When the airline attempted to "bump" us, I informed them of our final destination, and they quickly withdrew their request.  I don't know if it was because they were being nice, or they realized that it would cause a ripple-effect with the schedule.  But, it worked.

Finally, let me tell you that we were not prepared for the absolute beauty that we would encounter as we approached Alaska by air.  I've included a brief video clip, so you can judge for yourself.

As soon as we got off the plane, I turned my cell phone on.  I got the dreaded "No Service."  So did my wife.  My daughter got a full row of bars.  This is something that I need to take care of.  More on that in a later post.

We had a reservation for one night at the Quality Suites Near Convention Center in downtown Anchorage.  (My TripAdvisor review of this hotel.)  We called their airport shuttle, and were in the hotel room within the hour.  Our room rate was about $220, which was comparable with other downtown hotels.  The room had two double beds and a sofa-bed, which met our needs. 
At this time, it was around 7:30 PM, and it was still broad daylight.  This is something that we had to get used to -- sunset was at about 10:40 PM, and it didn't really get dark until well after midnight.  Really, it seemed like it never really got DARK, just dusk.  The sun was up by 3:30 AM each day.

Anchorage was clean and relatively quiet.  We walked a few blocks and found a little restaurant that served sandwiches and Asian food.  It was a good meal.  We were tired, went back to the hotel, and went to sleep.  The thick window-shades helped a lot!

I went to sleep with the cell phone problem on my mind.

Cell Phone Problems in Alaska - an Easy Solution

If you read the previous post, you realize that neither my wife's cell phone nor mine were working in Alaska.  However, my daughter's was working just fine.  We're not the type of people who have to be "connected" all the time, but we did want to stay in touch with friends and relatives back home if needed.  And as you know, there aren't a lot of pay phones around anymore!

My wife and I use Straight Talk cell phone service, which is a month-to-month Tracfone service sold by Wal-Mart.  We have used it for several months in "the States" and have had absolutely no problem.  Before leaving home, I wanted to make sure that the phones would work in Alaska, so I called the Wal-mart in Anchorage from here in Florida.  They assured me that Tracfones work in Alaska, and that they sell them there at Wal-mart.

We enjoyed a fine free breakfast at the Quality Suites.  I walked a few blocks to pick-up our rental car (see previous post "Reserving a Rental Car.")  And on a bright beautiful summer morning - our first morning in Anchorage - we were in .... Wal-mart!  I started explaining my phone problem to the sales clerk, and I could tell she knew what I was going to say before I said it.  She walked me over to the Tracfone aisle, and pulled a Samsung phone complete with wall charger, and car charger for $8.  The phone came with 10 minutes of talk time, and 60 days service.  The phone also included double minutes for life.  She also pulled a 60-minute recharge card (120 minutes for me) for another $20.  She activated the phone for me while I waited, added the extra time, and wrote my new phone number on a little slip of paper for me.

So, within 20 minutes I had a new, basic cell phone with 130 minutes and 5 months of service for only $28.  Glad I didn't lose any sleep over that!

Some of you have probably already figured-out the problem with our Straight Talk phones.  We don't use SIM cards.  Our phones are CDMA, and they don't work in Alaska (you can follow the links for Wikipedia explanations.)  My daughter's Verizon phone uses a SIM card.

By the way, I still have my Alaska phone with the Alaska phone number.  I think I'll keep it active ($20 every 3 months) just for fun.  I wonder what my local Domino's will say when "Anchorage" comes up on their caller I.D.     :-)

The Alaska Zoo

Polar Bears at the Alaska Zoo

We spent a nice morning at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage.  Most of the animals in the zoo are the animals that you would expect to see in Alaska.  There weren't many people there when we arrived, but around lunch-time more people arrived.

The polar bear throws her toy (plastic tube) into the water...

...and retrieves it underwater.
We could see it all through the glass.

Zoo admission was $12, which was about right for a zoo that size.  Some zoos are certainly bigger, but this zoo gave us the opportunity to see animals native to Alaska.  It was well worth the time and expense.

Before You Leave Anchorage...

As the title of this blog indicates, Anchorage was not our final destination on this vacation.  So we were eager to travel to the less-populated areas and begin our adventures.  However, Anchorage certainly has its place in any Alaska vacation.

Shopping Opportunities
If you're heading south into the Kenai Peninsula region, Anchorage represents you last best opportunity to shop for about 150 miles.  So - if you want to buy some snacks, fresh fruit, forgot your cell phone charger, or just want to pick-up a new paperback book for the trip, Anchorage is the place to do it.  Anchorage is a pretty big city - about 300,00 people (40% of the Alaska population.)  They have most of the major chain stores: Wal-mart, Target, Sam's Club, Best Buy.  You won't find many of these shopping opportunities in the Kenai Peninsula.

If you have a car on your trip, it's also a good idea to put together a "possibles" box of non-refrigerated food items.  "Possibles" include: peanut butter, crackers, a loaf of bread, nuts, raisins, granola bars, apples, bagels, chips, juice boxes, etc.  You may also want a few cans of soup or chili and some microwave popcorn for the hotel room.  These "possibles" can go a long way in maximizing your fun, and minimizing a time-consuming search for food.  In Alaska, the nearest convenience store could be 30 or 40 miles away.  Let's say it's 11 AM, and you just got finished with your first hike or activity of the day.  Your second activity is about 5 miles down the road, but you need a little nutrition.  With no restaurants in a half-hour drive, you can simply fix a bagel with peanut butter and raisins, and follow it with a granola bar and some apple juice.  That should hold you over until later in the afternoon.

You also want to fill-up your vehicle's gas tank before you leave Anchorage.  My recommendation: you never want to let your gas tank get below half-full in Alaska.  (Yes, it's true - one day we all begin to sound like our parents!)

So - if you need some extra socks, or a scarf, or you want some grapes, bananas, and peanut butter on-hand, take care of that in Anchorage.

Using Gift Cards Instead of Cash
An additional item - a bit too small for a post of its own, but worth mentioning - so, I'll include it in a section that features shopping.  For this trip, I carried enough cash to take care of small purchases, and most of our spending money in gift cards.  I got two separate VISA gift cards, and one American Express gift card.  I bought these gift cards at my local Walgreens (the cashier was thrilled because she met her sales quota in one transaction!)

I did this in case my wallet was lost or stolen during the trip.  If phoned-in immediately, the gift cards can be replaced with no fee or penalty.  I photocopied the front and back of each gift card, and kept those copies in a different location.  You can also check your gift card balances online or via their 800 phone number.   Almost every location takes VISA and/or American Express these days.  The cards were never turned-down during our trip.  The only downside to this was that I had to pay a $5 fee for each of the two gift cards when I bought them (not when I used them.)  I considered this a form of "travel insurance" and I would certainly do that again.  Even if you have a balance left on your gift cards at the end of your vacation, you can spend them when you get home.

Time for us to top-off the tank, and head south.

Southward - Our Three Destinations

Time to head south!

As I wrote earlier, Anchorage was never our "destination" on this vacation.  Anchorage is a big, bustling city, and we were quite surprised at just how quickly we were in the relative wilderness.  Within 20 minutes we felt far away from the city.  The drive south is breathtaking, with mountains on both sides, and the Turnagain Arm to the right, in front of the mountains.  Our daughter took several snapshots from the back seat.  Here's one.

Driving south from Anchorage

You'll be tempted to pull-off the road to take pictures, or just gaze.  There are plenty of places provided to do this - just keep your eyes open for the signs.

As we made our Alaska plans months before, we found that almost all of the activities we wanted to do were within about 45 minutes (or less) of three cities/towns: Girdwood, Seward, and Homer. So, after a morning at the Alaska Zoo and a late lunch we set the GPS for "Girdwood" and headed south.

Here's a map of our vacation area.

Girdwood is a small town that centers around ski tourism for much of the year.  While in the Girdwood area, our plans included a trip to Mount Alyeska, a hike on the Winner Creek Gorge trail, the Portage Glacier, and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

We arrived in Girdwood and checked-in to our lodging for the next 3 nights, the Timberline Drive Bed and Breakfast.  (My TripAdvisor review for this Bed and Breakfast.)  We stayed on the "suite" side, which sleeps four comfortably.  It was a nice place, and I'd recommend it, with a few small caveats.  The hosts were very nice, and told us about a hiking trail at the end of the road.

Timberline Drive B & B - photo courtesy of web-site

We walked about a quarter-mile down the road, and easily found the trail.  It led to Virgin Creek, which is basically melted glacier water.  It was our first up-close view of the beauty of the Alaskan outdoors.  As you can see below, it is truly breathtaking!

Virgin Creek Falls - about a half-mile down the trail

We hiked there until about 9 PM (still daylight in Alaska in the summer!) and came back to the room for a simple meal from provisions we'd brought from Anchorage.  We were tired from the day, and went to sleep in anticipation of our first day in Girdwood.

Girdwood: Day 1 - The Clouds Roll In

Our plans for the first day in Girdwood centered around the Mount Alyeska Resort, which is a ski resort and lodge.  From the lodge you can hike on a number of trails, and ride the tram to the top of the mount for more hiking in the summer, skiing in the winter, and magnificent views year-round.

We woke-up to cloudy skies our first day in Girdwood.  Our original plan was to ride to the top of the mountain the morning, eat lunch, then hike on the Winner Creek trail in the afternoon.  But when we got to the Alyeska resort it was obvious that the visibility on top of the mountain would be about zero.  So we changed plans: we decided to hike the Winner Creek trail (which conveniently begins at the tram station) in the morning, then reevaluate the situation at noon.

We spent a couple of hours hiking the Winner Creek trail, and enjoying all of the scenery.  I would recommend that to anyone who enjoys a good hike, but to be honest the scenery doesn't change much from one mile to the next.  In other words, if you walk a mile or two, you've seen it.  I understand there is a hand-tram across that crosses the river, but we didn't hike that far.

On the Winner Creek Trail

While on the topic of trail hiking, I will confirm the rumor that the mosquitoes in Alaska are huge, plentiful, and aggressive!  (The running joke is that the mosquito is the Alaska state bird.)  Of course, if you're thinking about a trip to the "Big Wild Life" you probably won't let a few insects get in your way.  But - it's best to be prepared, before you start down the trail.  We don't like the artificial chemicals in most bug sprays, so our choices were limited.  We had good success with Repel spray, which is eucalyptus- and lemon-based.  Costs about $5 at Wal-mart.  Highly recommended.

Effective against Alaska mosquitoes!

By lunchtime, it was obvious that the clouds were here for a while.  So, we switched our plans, and went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to see more animals native to Alaska.  You can read about the AWCC on their web-site.  They take-in injured and orphaned animals, and also accommodate breeding programs.  The animals are somewhat tame, as you can imagine, but they're doing a good job there, and it is a good opportunity to see these animals in a close-up environment.  (And of course, a "tame" grizzly bear still has big claws and big teeth!)  The AWCC is definitely worth a couple of hours.  (Also, we had a coupon from our Northern Lights book!)  As you might have guessed, the large photo from top of this blog is from the AWCC.

A bear at the AWCC.  (Zoom lens, through the fence!)

Bison at AWCC.  Part of a breeding program.

While in the area (Portage, a few miles south of Girdwood) you can also see remnants of the 1964 Alaska earthquake.  The entire area experienced a tsunami, and was under several feet of water.  The salt water killed many of the trees, which are gray, and still standing.  You can also see remains of cabins in the area.  (Look closely at the picture at the top of this blog.  You can see the gray trees in the background.)

We had tickets for a 2 PM Portage Glacier boat tour the next day, and the tour departed from a dock near the AWCC.  So, I set the GPS and decided to drive a few miles to the dock, just to make sure I knew where I was going.  (I try to do this when I need to be somewhere at a specific time.)  We found the dock with no problem - I even stepped into the office to confirm our reservation.  Less than a mile from there we found the Begich Boggs Visitor Center, which provided us with our first glacier "experience.)   We walked all around the area, (used the restrooms!) and generally enjoyed the scenery.  Here are a couple of photos.

Chunks of ice - large and small - float toward the rocks.

Thought that was Portage Glacier in the
background, but it's not!  More on that later.

Well, we'd had a big day our first day in Girdwood and still hadn't been up the mountain.  Time to head back to the B & B and get ready for another big day tomorrow.

Girdwood: Day 2 - Rock and Ice

We were greeted the next morning by much clearer skies.  We could see the tops of the mountains from our B & B room.  So - off to Alyeska Resort!  We got an early start, because we had a 3 PM glacier "cruise" down in Portage the same day.

A tram ride is available get to the top of Mount Alyeska.  There's plenty of free parking, and the ticket window is at the back of the hotel (mountain-side.)  The Alyeska Resort tram ride is $20, and the tram/lunch combo is $30.  We decided to buy the combo, and eat on top of the mountain.  You can see the lunch menu online.  We had a coupon for $10 off two ride lunch combos.  There were 3 of us, and the ticket clerk extended the offer, making our tram ride/lunch $75 - a real bargain.  (We also had a Northern Lights coupon, which we did not use.)

Here's a video of part of the ride to the top.  Sorry for the shaky camera work -- someone saw a moose, and I was hoping for a picture.  Didn't see it, myself :)

The tram ride was smooth and picturesque, and the views from the top were breathtaking.  We hiked around for about an hour on the well-marked trails, and took pictures standing in the snow.  We talked to a member of the ski patrol, who was very friendly and gave us some info about the winter activities.  We had a nice lunch - well worth the price - which include fresh fish and our first taste of reindeer sausage.  We definitely saved money by buying the combo.  There was plenty of hot coffee.  The restaurant is cafeteria-style, and reminded me of a college dining hall.  But, it fits-in the ski resort atmosphere, and table-service would have seemed out of place.  (There is a fancy restaurant on top of the mountain as well -- didn't seem to be doing much business.)

View from the tram ride.

...as the tram pulled-in to the station.

The view from the top.  That's Turnagain Arm (a bay) in the distance.

Overall, it was a great morning.  We probably could have stayed longer, but we had a boat to catch and a glacier to see!

We had a 30-minute drive back to the boat dock in Portage for our Portage Glacier Cruise.  The cruise is operated by Gray Line, and we made reservations several weeks in advance.  We had a Northern Lights coupon (buy-one-get-one.)  I believe we had to mail-in the coupon in advance.

In order to see the Portage Glacier, you have to take the boat ride.  When the visitors center was built, Portage Glacier extended out into the lake.  But it has receded "around the corner" of the mountain, and is not visible from the visitor's center.  (Yesterday, we thought we were looking at Portage Glacier, but we weren't.)

The tour lasted about an hour.  We went around Portage Lake, then on toward the glacier.  The captain said he wasn't allowed to get too close, but we got pretty close to the glacier.  We also saw several glacier-melt waterfalls on the opposite side of the lake.

Portage Glacier - from the boat

Overall, the trip was very nice.  There were about 50 passengers on our ride.  There's an open-air observation deck above, and a glassed-in viewing area with chairs below.  A naturalist makes comments over the PA system, and answers questions.  A real nice operation overall.

We did get to see the glacier "calve" - that's when part of the glacier tumbles into the lake.  We heard it first - like a thunderclap.  Then we saw the ice break-off right before us.  Quite the sight - and the boat rocked for several minutes.

Calving of Portage Glacier

So - a real good day in the Girdwood-Portage area.  We saw things we'd never seen before!

South to Seward: Exit Glacier and Resurrection Bay

We packed up the next morning, having spent 3 nights in Girdwood.  The next leg of our adventure would take us south to the city of Seward, Alaska.

Our first stop was Exit Glacier, just north of Seward.  Exit Glacier is located in Kenai Fjords National Park.  There are several well-marked trails - some paved and some a little rougher - that lead to various parts of the glacier.  We walked all the way to the face of the glacier and stood about 10 feet from the ice.  We hadn't planned to walk that far, but I'm glad we did.  We had seen Portage Glacier from the boat the day before, but standing only a few feet and feeling the chill from Exit Glacier was a totally different experience.  One again, we did things we've never done before.

Exit Glacier from a lower trail

Hiking near the glacier

We then drove into Seward.  Make sure to stop by the Chamber of Commerce in Seward for maps, information, and friendly advice.

We had reservations for a 3-hour cruise that afternoon.  We selected the Kenai Fjords Wilderness Cruise from Major Marine.  There are several tour-boat operators in Seward.  Some offer full meals of steak and lobster, but that just wasn't our style.  We opted instead for a cruise into Resurrection Bay that focused on wildlife viewing, and we were not disappointed.  The fare was $69 per person, and we had a buy-one-get-one Northern Lights coupon.

The Kenai Fjords

This was another great Alaska tourist experience.  Our captain quickly piloted the boat into Resurrection Bay where we saw seals, sea lions, puffins, and yes...humpback whales!  We saw 7 of the "humpies" - leaping out of the water and waving with their tales.  Maybe a leisurely surf-and-turf is more your style, but we were happy with hot coffee, a fast boat, and lots of Alaska wildlife.  Highly recommended.

Sea lions on the rocks

A humpback whale - about 40 feet long

Our home on the road for the next four nights would be Teddy's Inn the Woods, our favorite B & B on the trip.  Teddy's is actually north of Seward, between Seward and Moose Pass.  Another great day in Alaska.

Seward: Day 2 - A More Relaxing Day

If you've been reading this blog so far, you know that we've been in motion since landing in Anchorage!  Our second day in Seward was a day to rest, relax, and take a slower pace.

We started the day with a great breakfast at Teddy's.  We enjoyed the atmosphere at Teddy's so much that we spent the entire morning there.  Then we drove to Seward for a visit to the Alaska Sealife Center.  We enjoyed seeing the animals, and learning about the ocean creatures in Alaska.  We spent about 2 hours at the Sealife Center.  We had a buy-one-get-one coupon from the Northern Lights book.

Alaska Sealife Center

Alaska Sealife Center

We spent the rest of the day walking around Seward and enjoying the atmosphere.  We had a nice seafood dinner, and watched the charter fishing boats display their catches.  One place that is well-worth a visit is Bay Traders True Value Hardware - a two-story hardware, clothing, fishing supply, and all-purpose gear store in downtown Seward.  If you need a hat, a sweatshirt, some gloves, a pair of jeans, or a flannel shirt, this is the place.  We also picked-up a couple of souvenirs.  Yes, the coffee mug was made in China, but it said "Alaska" on it, it was cheap, and it serves the purpose.

Back to Teddy's for another leisurely evening and a good night's sleep.

There's Hope tomorrow!

Finding Hope on a Day Trip

I mentioned in the very first post of this blog that I teach school.  In fact, I have been a teacher for 28 years - all in the state of Florida.  Based on years of service, I can start collecting retirement in 2 more years.  Of course, I have to retire to do that!

We are considering a move to Alaska at that time, and I will likely resume my teaching career.  If you've read this blog, you know that Anchorage (or another city) would not be attractive to us.  However, a small town would be.  This, and the prospect of another relaxing picturesque day, led us to Hope, Alaska.

To get to Hope, we drove north (back toward Anchorage) then turned on the Hope Highway.  The trip took about 45 minutes from our B & B.  The drive was nice, and had many beautiful views of the water on the way.  We parked near the center of "town," which is a cafe, an RV campground, and a couple of stores.  There are public restrooms there, but the toilets don't flush.  (We got used to this in Alaska.)

The Seaview, in Hope, Alaska

We walked down to the water along the marsh and the shallow part of the river (using those waterproof shoes.)  We spoke with a friendly resident, who invited us to walk through her yard to see the river.  We visited the museum, which consists of a room with local gold-rush artifacts and several "period" buildings (schoolhouse, cabin, barn, etc.)  No charge, but donations accepted.  Outside a "prospector" had a tent set up, selling buckets of dirt to tourists.  Running the dirt through the sluice box yields a few flakes.  We saw a couple of moose munching in a house's flowerbed.  Just another day in Hope.

Walking along the riverbank in Hope

We spent about 2 hours there and saw the entire town.  Lots of Alaska history there.  On the way out of town, we had a good late-afternoon meal at Tito's Discovery Cafe'.  Then, out of a teacher's natural curiosity, we drove by the school: new, impressive, and probably plenty of room for the small Hope population.

Scenic view from the Hope Highway

We enjoyed our time in Hope, and the town is on our short list for future relocation.  It is pretty remote, and to get there, you have to really want to get there.  But you can be in downtown Anchorage in 2 hours.

Our day continues in the next post.

Hiking at Ptarmigan Creek - To Bear, or Not to Bear ???

We made it back to Teddy's around 5:30 PM, which left us with plenty of daylight in the Alaska Day.  The Ptarmigan Creek Trail is less than a mile from the B & B, so we pulled-in to take a walk.  It is a very nice trail, good for a casual walk.  We hiked about two miles in along the creek.

We met two people on the trail.  The woman we met at the trail entrance was in a hurry.  She was looking for berries, but was concerned about bears on the trail.  She walked briskly ahead of us for a few minutes, then retreated back to the parking lot.  About a mile down the trail we met a worker who had been making improvements to the trail.  He said he hadn't seen a bear in his two weeks working on the trail.

All this leads to the question you ask yourself every time you hike in Alaska: Will I see a bear, and do I want to?

Let's face it - seeing a bear is on the top of most Alaska tourists' lists.  But locals will tell you that bears are best viewed at a distance, with respect.  Alaskans carry bells (often sleigh bells) and whistles to let the bears know that they are on the hiking trail.  (Presumably, the bear does not want contact with humans.)  Bear spray (hot pepper spray) is also a prudent choice, and can be purchased locally.  We had neither, so we stayed on well-used trails, and clapped our hands and whistled a lot.  Next time I go I will have all the "bells and whistles" and bear spray, too!

As a lifelong Florida resident, I have heard many tourists express the desire to see an alligator in the wild.  My answer is always, "No, you don't."  Seeing a 6-ft. reptile with teeth might be exciting to a tourist, but it can be a real nuisance to a resident.  An alligator in your local lake or pond usually means that you have to be careful every time you step outside your door, and you'll probably need to call the game warden before too long.  That's probably the same with bears.

This big fella was trotting straight toward
me.  Good thing I was at the AWCC.
And yes, there was a fence!

I saw many bears while I was in Alaska: black bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, even polar bears!  I saw them at the Alaska Zoo, and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  (I did see a black bear crossing the Seward Highway, which was neat.)  I am satisfied that my personal "bear experience" was in a controlled setting, and I think I'll be okay if I never see a bear in the wild.

At the zoo in Anchorage.  Wild animal or not?
You can debate it, but I'm good with it!

Now, where can I find some sleigh bells in Florida?

Okay - Gotta Tell You About Teddy's

After completing this blog, I plan to write-up our lodging reviews on TripAdvisor. (My TripAdvisor reviewer name is "Expecting Quality.")  I use TripAdvisor every time I plan an out-of-town trip.

But I would would be remiss if I failed to make special mention of Teddy's Inn the Woods in this blog.  We really enjoyed our stay at Teddy's and will definitely make plans to stay there on future Alaska trips.  Is it possible to miss a place where you've only spent a few days?  If so, I miss Teddy's.

Here is a link to the TripAdvisor page for Teddy's complete with photos.  Here is my TripAdvisor review of Teddy's.

Don't get the wrong impression: Teddy's Inn the Woods isn't a luxury hotel.  It is basically a one-bedroom apartment over the garage, at their family home located between Moose Pass and Seward.  When staying at Teddy's you will be the only guests.  The location is very peaceful, and the hosts are very friendly.  And did I mention the breakfasts?  Judge for yourself.

Overnight french toast, fresh strawberries,
and reindeer sausage.

Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, and bagels.
Teddy's husband smoked the salmon.

The first couple of days we had wonderful pastries and waffles.  When Teddy asked us what else we liked for breakfast, we just said, "Surprise us," and she really outdid herself the remaining two days.  Teddy delivers the breakfast herself, and you can eat inside, or on either deck.  We ate on the deck facing the woods, and it was a real treat.  We found ourselves spending at least an hour over our morning meals, and just relaxing on the deck.  When we returned in the evening, it felt like home.

The apartment could sleep 6 comfortably, but I think it would be best for a two-person getaway.  I'm just not sure children and teens could really appreciate it.  But we sure did!

Cooper Landing: Striking Gold !!!

For our final day on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula, we had a day planned in Cooper Landing.  After another great breakfast at Teddy's we headed north, then west on the Sterling Highway.

Our first stop was Prospector John's for a little gold panning.  Sure, this is a "touristy" activity, but we were tourists.  So - why not?!?  The web-site makes the business look bigger than it is.  In reality, it is a small building (about the size of my tool shed) and an outdoor area that could accommodate about a dozen gold-panners.  There were only four other people there at the time (a family - 2 adults with kids) so we had plenty of room.  An enthusiastic 20-year old young lady took our payment (around $20 for a bucket of dirt with my Northern Lights coupon), handed me a shovel and bucket, and guided me to a pile of dirt on the boardwalk.  I shoveled the bucket full, and she guided us to the sluice box area.  She spent about 10 minutes with us, showing how to wash the dirt and find the gold!  Later she showed us how to pan for gold, which is a tougher chore.

Yes, that's GOLD !!!
(Okay, you have to look real close.)

It took us about an hour to go through the bucket, and we found a few flakes of gold.  Prospector John himself put our treasures in a glass vial, added a garnet (I think he felt sorry for us,) and pronounced our find worth about $3.  We had a good time working together, and could honestly say we had panned for gold in Alaska!

Our treasure (with the "charity" garnet.)

Note: after one bucket, we had our fill.  We were offered additional bucket for only a few dollars more, and we declined.  I'm glad we did.  The family of four apparently had purchase several buckets of dirt.  Mom and Dad were obviously tired of panning, and the kids lost interest during the first bucket.

So, we had fun panning for gold.  Unfortunately, the next part of our day wasn't nearly as "golden."

Cooper Landing: Striking Out !!!

As you can tell by reading this blog, I try to be positive all the time, and especially on vacation.  Going to a place I've never been, I have to be flexible and adaptable.  And so far, we've had an excellent trip.  Each and every experience has been positive, entertaining, and friendly.  This is the longest and most expensive vacation we've ever taken, but so far we feel like we've spent our money and our time wisely.

That is, until now...until we took a river rafting trip with Alaska River Adventures.

Before I go on, let me say that when I'm on vacation, my time is more valuable to me than my money.  I am in Alaska a certain amount of time, and once that time is gone, I have to get on a plane and return home.  Fifty, or even 100 dollars here or there isn't going to make that much difference in the long run.  But if I waste a day, or even a half-day when I could be doing something else, then that's a problem.

We had reservations for a 2 PM "Scenic River Raft Trip" with Alaska River Adventures.  We were pleased to see that the company shared a parking lot with Prospector John's.  So after we finished gold-panning, we stopped-by the office, verified our reservation, and presented our Northern Lights coupon (buy-one-get-one -- saved us $54.)  Then we went down the road to Wildman's and got a good sandwich for lunch.  (We did not take a shower or do our laundry at Wildman's, but we could have!)  We were back at Alaska River Adventures by 1:45 PM as instructed.

We were provided with waterproof gear, boots and life jackets.  There were about a dozen of us there.  We waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Finally about 2:20 PM a family of four arrived, and they checked-in and geared-up.  Then about 2:35 PM a young couple arrived, and they checked-in and geared-up.  So, about an hour after we were told to be there, we walked about a quarter-mile to the dock.

There were 20 travelers all together, with two guides, and two inflatable rafts.  It became quickly obvious to everybody that we weren't going to sit in the rafts, we were going to sit on the side of the rafts.  So, there were 11 of us packed into a raft that would comfortable seat about 6 or 7.  The side of an inflatable raft slopes downward, and we were all sort of leaning the entire way.  I'm pretty tough, but my back was very sore after the trip.

About 10 minutes into the trip, our guide (about 20 years old) announced that we wouldn't see any bears or moose or elk or anything else like that on this trip.  Wow!  Okay, so there's no way that they can guarantee you'll see wildlife.  But they knew this before we started!  They could have told us!  My wife and I would have probably decided just to skip the boat ride, forfeit our payment, and found something else to do that day.  But now we were a half-mile from the dock, crammed on an uncomfortable raft for 3 hours.  A little voice inside said, "Jump, jump" and I almost did, but my wife was with me.  I could have made it to shore with no problems...not like there were any BEARS to stop me!

Another ten minutes into the trip, the guide starts pointing-out buildings along the river.  I'm not kidding...buildings!  After 30 minutes, everyone was bored to tears, and engaging in small talk.  Where are you from?  What kind of work do you do?  A few minutes later the guide starts pointing-out fish in the water. How embarrassing.  Actually I felt bad for the young man.  He had $540 in fares in the boat, and he was trying his best.

In all fairness, I guess to somebody who had never been on a river anywhere, there might be a little entertainment value to the trip.  But, we like to canoe and hike, so this was downright boring to us.

I think on the trip we saw an eagle, a vulture, and maybe a crow.  That was it.  And fish.  The only mammals we saw were humans fishing along the banks.

After three hours of this, we all piled into vans for the 20-minute ride back to our cars.  Along the Sterling Highway, we saw a black bear and her 2 cubs standing in someone's front yard.  The driver/guide hit the brakes, made a U-turn, and pulled into the driveway.  Of course, in the minute that took, the bears had moved-on.  One passenger, in desperation, hung over the seat, stuck her camera out the passenger window, and got a blurry photo of a bear's backside (or as we say, the south-end of a north-bound bear.)  Then, she passed the camera around so that we could all see the picture.  People gave the lucky photographer their e-mail addresses, and she promised to e-mail them the photo.  That, my friends, is pitiful.

We got back to our cars, stripped our waterproof gear, and couldn't get out of the parking lot fast enough.

So, travelers, be very careful when committing yourself to more than an hour of time.  On vacation, your time is valuable.  Spend it wisely.  And remember to ask, "Will I actually see anything interesting?"