And it was fun.
Travel is one of my favorite things, but I had never visited Alaska before. That has now been corrected.
The first question everyone asks is, ‘Did you take a cruise?’ The answer is no. I know many people love cruises, but that is not my preferred experience. We tackled the great big state in a car! A rented Chevy Equinox, to be exact.
We traveled with another couple, friends from church who likewise had never been to Alaska. I highly recommend traveling with people you love and respect, because it is close quarters and when things go wrong, as they always do at some point (like Fairbanks!) you need people you trust. We’ve always been blessed with outstanding travel companions.
Itinerary
Anchorage: Talkeetna: Denali: Fairbanks: Seward: Girdwood
We spent fourteen days in Alaska, landing on a Monday evening and leaving two weeks later on a Monday morning. Everything starts in Anchorage, but the best advice we received from those who have gone before is ‘get out of Anchorage as fast as possible.’ We spent one full day recovering from the day of travel and walked around a bit but I can tell you, Anchorage is nothing to write home (or write a blog) about. I feel like the biggest adventure in Anchorage was finding a good breakfast — which we did — and ate delicious reindeer sausage and chinook salmon scrambled eggs at the 817 Diner.
On the morning of our second full day we went back to the airport by Uber (which is only about fifteen minutes away) and rented a car, and drove to Talkeetna, about two hours up the road. Correction, we stopped at Wal-Mart first.
Talkeetna is a vibey hippy kind of place where there are some neat shops and decent eateries, but we spent most of our time hiking trails. There were lots of great trails. On one of them we saw a bear, at a distance, on the edge of pond. We were all armed with bear spray, but never did we use it.
We spent three nights in Talkeetna in a wonderful AirBnb. The most surprising serendipity in Talkeetna was the Alaska Birch Syrup tasting room. Birch syrup tastes to me like ribbon cane syrup from my childhood. If you know, you know.
On Saturday morning we turned north and drove through the snow to Denali National Park. A beautiful drive, although as the snow fell and collected on he roadway, I began to wonder if we made the right decision to come in September (short answer: we did — so many fewer people to deal with and the only thing we really missed was the train ride, which we thought was a good swap for the dazzling colors of the fall foliage). In Denali we saw a bull moose, in the snow, scraping against a tree. Very cool. we also saw grizzly bears, a mom and two cubs, again, at a safe distance through binoculars.
What we did not see that day was Mt. Denali, or Mt. McKinley, or whatever the name is now. It was hiding in the weather.
We did not stay overnight near the National Park, as there were really no available accommodations. Instead, we pressed further north and drove to Fairbanks. The drive from Talkeetna to Denali was about 2.5 hrs and the drive from Denali to Fairbanks was about 2.5 hours and the drive inside the park was about 2 hours. It as a long day of driving at slow speeds.
The VRBO we reserved was a horrible, unsafe, deceptive bit of devilry so we bailed on that and sought refuge at a local hotel. Fairbanks is very north, very cold, and the people are very hard edged. The city has a terrible mental health, addiction, and homeless problem which is very noticeable, very disturbing. It is not a pretty town. However, we did do some fun things, like visit the North Pole – a real place just north of Fairbanks. We also drove out to Chena Springs, which is a natural sulphur hot bath. On the Sunday we were there I went to church at the First Baptist Church of Fairbanks, and though small in number, about seventeen folks I counted, it was a very hospitable and kind congregation. A high point of Fairbanks was the Museum of the North on the campus of The University of Alaska.
We did see the Aurora, but it was a rainy, cloudy night so they were just kind of a puke green glow.
On our second Tuesday, we left Fairbanks and drove back to Anchorage, about a six hour journey. Another long day, but we were able to see most of Mt. Denali that day as the sun shone just a bit. We only stayed in Anchorage long enough to sleep and eat what was maybe the worst meal we experienced: the dreaded IHOP breakfast. The man who seated us spoke a language known only to himself.
Wednesday morning, then, the second Wednesday, we drove around Turnagain Arm to Seward, which is located near Kenai Fjords National Park. I think if there were a place on our itinerary I would have liked more days, it was here. I loved it– the location, the marine wildlife, everything. The entire village is surrounded by amazing mountains. Our first day we walked the beach and watched salmon fishers snag what I think were Coho salmon. So many fish. Harbor seals and otters watched us as we watched them. The next day we sailed on a marine tour out into the National Park and saw a great many wildlife include eagles, dall’s porpoise, seal lions, seals, and mountain sheep. No whales, sadly, but we did see the Aialik Glacier up close and personal. The captain cut the engines and we could hear it calving, cratering off in large hunks crashing as peels of thunder into the cold gray sea. It felt as though we were at the end of the world, the very place where God drew the line.
The next day, as if it rival the others, our little party of four went on a white water rafting expedition with a tour guide. We did not get many pictures that day because we were so busy paddling! It was far from a lazy float, and more like a days labor, but oh my, the joy of the adventure. We saw so many bald eagles that I lost count.
Finally, we finished at Girdwood, a resort community in the mountains. Here we healed our sore muscles with an amazing Nordic spa experience at the Alyeska Resort. We also visited a wildlife conservatory for rescued animals where we saw all kinds of things, like a three legged porcupine. From Girdwood it was about an hour drive back to the airport, to return the filthy and well-used rental car and fly home.
People
We met many interesting people. More than I could include here. One was Shawna–in Fairbanks who told a riveting tale of her father being beaten up and severely injured by a moose attack in their driveway. I know it seems wrong, but the way she told it was actually hilarious, but ended in, ‘His shoulder has never been right since then.’ We also met a man in Fairbanks who had driven from California to the shores of THE ARTIC OCEAN sleeping mostly in his own tricked out truck. I was so jealous. What a man.
We also met Brandon, our river guide in Seward. He told us riveting tales of bear in the backcountry and fishing trips and drunken Czechoslovakians set loose in the Alaskan wild. He described ‘ice climbing’ frozen waterfalls and I have decided that is something I need to do.
Most of the people we met were not from Alaska. I think it was fewer than a handful of people who are from Alaska. Several people were from other countries, including a brilliant young scholar from Serbia. There were many people who were transplants from Minnesota and Washington State. The weather in September reminded me a lot of Western Washington.
Clothes And Weather
I think we hit the ideal ‘shoulder season’ for Alaska. Most of the restaurants were still open, shops were open, and all the tours were still for the most part available. It did rain just about every day we were there. I was glad I brought my Columbia Rain Coat and my puffy Eddie Bauer coat. My Tilley hat performed fantastic, and I wouldn’t have wanted to not have that rain protection on my head.
No one dresses nicely in Alaska, so jeans, t-shirts, heavy coats, and hats are a must. And gloves, especially in Fairbanks. My Merrell hiking shoes were fantastic, but they are bulky so I wore them on travel days, as we only use carry on suitcases and never check baggage. If you avail yourself of washing machines at hotels and AirBnB, then three jeans, five shirts, and a hoody or sweater should do. Bring one pair of shoes for non-hiking days.
Years ago I was all on board the Eddie Bauer bandwagon. Their products were durable and attractive. That sheen is gone, as the last three purchases I’ve made have been disappointing. I bought my puffy jacket three years ago for our trip to Iceland, and it has done nothing but shrink because feathers keep coming out of it. In Alaska, every day I wore it, I looked like a molting bird.
What I noticed was a lot of folks in Alaska wearing Patagonia outerwear. It is speedy, but seems to be worth it. I purchased a couple of items and will be field testing them over the next year.
I did have to buy new gloves in Fairbanks because mine were insufficient. My fingers were freezing. How important are gloves in Fairbanks? The outfitter we visited had a wall from floor to ceiling that stretched out for at least fifty feet of nothing but gloves. I’ve never seen that many choices before in my entire life.
When I go again, I will get much better binoculars and maybe a digital camera. The iPhone camera is not sophisticated enough to get the kind of photos Alaska deserves. Plus, I saw several people with lenses that were the size of an umbrella and I think I might have committed the sin of envy in those moments.
Vehicles
One of the things I look at is vehicles people drive in places. For example, everyone in Lisbon I think drives a Toyota. In Alaska, there are few luxury vehicles, and there are many, many, older trucks — twenty, twenty-five-year-old trucks. Not a lot of newer vehicles in Alaska. People are functional, utilitarian, and not impressed by flashy. If a vehicle is sturdy and dependable, they tend to hold on to it. Very few electric vehicles, I think I only saw two cybertrucks in our twenty plus hours of driving around.
Food
Other than the unfortunate IHOP, we really never had a bad meal. Fairbanks was mostly brown food — deep fried deep fried and not a lot of seafood — although I had a delicious salmon at the swanky restaurant in Chena Springs. Elk and reindeer are very mild meats, and I enjoyed a delicious reindeer potato soup in Seward. Halibut, salmon, oysters, and cod were in abundance and delicious.
Was it fresh? You would think so, but one of the things we learned was that most Alaskan fish has worms, so none of it is fresh. It has to be frozen immediately, or smoked, or overcooked to kill the worms. So, there really is no such thing as fresh Alaskan fish.
But there is so much of it and they really know how to prepare it.
The cost of the food is what was shocking. When we could, we would buy from a grocery store, such as Safeway or the local IGA in Talkeetna, and even there it was really high. Meat wasn’t that much more expensive in the store, but everything else was exorbitant. At restaurants Mrs. Greenbean and I often split entrees and still it would be over $100 for two people.
Here are some notable restaurants you should visit if you go to Alaska. Orsos in Anchorage had a halibut dish which might be worth the flight up. The best breakfasts we had were The Cookie Jar in Fairbanks. Surprisingly the meal at the lodge in Chena Springs was very very good, as was the atmosphere, or maybe we were really, really hungry after soaking in sulphur hot springs for four hours.
Vying for top spot in our culinary adventures was a fantastic meal, and wonderful environment, was at Rays in Seward. We had the best seat in the house. But in truth, other than IHOP, we never had a bad meal. The food was all very delicious. Every restaurant seemed to carry a Philly cheesesteak, cheese curds, clam chowder, and salmon. I only saw oysters in Seward.
Change Anything?
No, I wouldn’t change anything for our fourteen day trip. However, if someone didn’t have that much time, say seven days or ten days, I think the journey to Fairbanks is something that could be eliminated. Talkeetna, too, though amazing and fun and quirky, offers trails and there are abundant trails in Girdwood, Seward, and just about everywhere in Alaska. Maybe three nights in Talkeetna with a day trip from there out to Denali and back.
I also think perhaps in hindsight that I could have saved some sore backs, although it would have increase costs, to have dropped off the rental car in Fairbanks and flown to Seward. But that is all hindsight. I wouldn’t change a thing about our fourteen days.
Juneau was on our list, but it was practically closed. If I ever go back, I will see Juneau, Kodiak Island, and Wrangler-Elias National Park for certain. That kind of an itinerary will require a lot of plane rides, but having just enjoyed this trip so much, I think I will be back, but I’ll bring more money.
Pictures
Here are some photos from our trip, although, I must say, pictures do not do it justice. The land is so vast, beautiful, bold, and there is a slight tinge of danger to every adventure.
