The Last Frontier

[Overlay]

Headed way up north to Alaska for a week at the end of this month to address the primary obstacle remaining on one of my bucket list items (to at least set foot in all fifty states). Any members from there (now or previously)? Any "must-see" tourism or eatery suggestions in the Anchorage/Seward/Homer area? (I wanted to take a drive up to Fairbanks, but couldn't talk my wife into it.)

[Greyfox]

I wanted to take a drive up to Fairbanks, but couldn't talk my wife into it.

I haven't been to Alaska yet. But maybe some day I'll get there.
From anyone who I've spoken to, you are missing the best part of the trip by not driving there.
The scenery along the way is spectacular.
A good friend of mine went by bus up there several years ago through the Yukon and returned by boat down the coast.
He said that it was a trip of a lifetime.

Enjoy yourself Overlay. You've earned it. :ThmbUp:

[Clocker]

I lived there long enough ago that any recommendations on eats and stuff would no doubt be obsolete.

Anchorage is on a small flat plain between the Chugach Mountains and the Cook Inlet. As the locals say, the best thing about Anchorage is that it is so close to Alaska. Walk around downtown, check out the Art Museum (some good native stuff there), that's about it. You can drive up into the mountains and be at a trail head in about 15 minutes. Take a short stroll, not even a hike, and in a few minutes you will think you are in the wilderness.

There are 2 roads out of town, one north, one south. The one north eventually goes to Fairbanks. The drive is long and flat and boring, and Fairbanks has nothing to see or do. I've been in more interesting towns in North Dakota. About half way to Fairbanks is the road to Denali National Park and Mt. McKinley. Access to the park is limited. As I remember, you can drive in a couple of miles, but to really see stuff, like bears and such, you have to take a park tour bus.

Mt. McKinley is an impressive sight when you can see it. It is over 20,000 feet, and the highest mountain in the world (except ocean volcanoes) measured from its surrounding base. As such it creates its own weather system. On a clear day, you can see it from Anchorage, about 150 miles away. On a cloudy day, you can't see it from inside the park. There might be a couple dozen clear days a year when people say, "Look, the mountain's out".

Other than that there is little north of the city unless you are going camping, fishing, or climbing. All of which require getting well off the main highway.

Got to go attend to some PPs. More later.

[Tom]

Have a safe trip, Tim.
Say Hey! to Sara. ;)

[Overlay]

There are 2 roads out of town, one north, one south. The one north eventually goes to Fairbanks. The drive is long and flat and boring, and Fairbanks has nothing to see or do. I've been in more interesting towns in North Dakota. About half way to Fairbanks is the road to Denali National Park and Mt. McKinley.
Thanks for the information. After the Alaska trip, North Dakota will be one of the four remaining states that I still won't have visited yet (along with South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho). I'm planning to hit them all on a single driving swing after our currently projected relocation (next year at the earliest) from Alabama back to Oklahoma, where we previously lived from 2006 to 2011.

[TJDave]

There are 2 roads out of town, one north, one south. The one north eventually goes to Fairbanks.

Take the one south. Hwy 1 goes down the Kenai to Homer with side trips to Whittier and Seward. Take them. The Kenai peninsula scenery is beautiful.

WARNING...On your trip you maybe fortunate to experience that perfect day where weather and scenery combine to make you believe you're in heaven. You may then be tempted to buy that piece of land and build your dream home.

Don't. ;)

[Clocker]

Chapter 2: The Road South

The road south out of Anchorage is the Seward Highway. It sounds like you will be up there before Labor Day, which is a pain, as traffic on the Seward Highway is very heavy until after that. Lots of locals going fishing and camping on the Kenai, and lots of tour buses full of GORPs (local name for Groaty Old Retired People).

As you drive south, the Chugach Mountains are on the immediate left and the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet is on the right. It is a very scenic drive. There are a number of observation areas along the Arm, where you can pull off. Occasionally you can see whales along here. Also, the Cook Inlet has a very high tide, and when that tide flows into the Turnagain Arm, it creates a bore tide, a wall of water that can be several feet high and moves very rapidly. Check locally for tide tables.

At the end of the Arm is the Portage Glacier. This is a must see. There is a very good visitor center there, and I highly recommend taking the time to watch the movie. From there you head back up the other side of the Turnagain Arm and then over Turnagain Pass and south on the Kenai Peninsula. Two major potential destinations are Seward and Homer. The former is so-so, the latter is highly recommended. Homer is (was, years ago?) a real fishing village.

Rather than try to provide any more detail, I will refer you to the ultimate must-have for leisure driving in Alaska. BUY THIS (http://www.amazon.com/Milepost-2014-Kris-Valencia/dp/1892154315/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407105441&sr=1-1&keywords=milepost+alaska+2014). Period.

[TJDave]

Homer is (was, years ago?) a real fishing village.

Was, yes... Now, not so much. I had a cabin near there 20 years ago. Went back in 2011 for a visit and found a much different vibe. I like Seward better. Touristy, yes... but more upscale.

[sandpit]

Knocked out Alaska on my honeymoon 21 years ago; only have Hawaii left to hit.

Got my personal nonsense out of the way, so here's what I saw in my two weeks there. First of all, we stayed in B&Bs the entire time, which added tremendously to the trip since we learned which places the locals liked vs the standard touristy spots.

Flew into Anchorage and spent a couple of days there, going to places like Chugach SP and Eagle River. My wife and I are art enthusiasts, so we went to the Anchorage Museum, where there are some phenomenal pieces of work by Sydney Laurence, one of the best artists in American history.

We then ventured south to Seward and Homer, the latter which we absolutely loved. We took a Kenai Fjords day boat trip from Seward and saw all kinds of marine wildlife. A trip to Exit Glacier is well worth it as you can walk right up to it; very cool to hear the glacier cracking deep inside its depths.

Homer was interesting; it has the world's longest spit, essentially a big sand bar. There was a restaurant called Land's End that was very good. The highlight was a trip on the Danny J, a small boat that took us out to Halibut Cove...a little place accessible only by boat that has a marine animal rehab center and a delicious restaurant called The Fishery.

We came back to Anchorage and took the train to Fairbanks, which was a dump, as others said. We took a looooong bus trip the next day up to the Arctic Circle; it was really fun to see the Alaska pipeline and cross the Yukon River, the third longest in North America. The highlight was stopping at a little settlement called "Joy", a little homestead about an hour north of Fairbanks. The family was very friendly and I got to hold a wild fox there.

We stopped at Denali on the way back from Fairbanks, and took the bus fairly deep into the park. Went through an area full of grizzlies, and stopped for a mom and her two yearling cubs. One of them climbed up on the hood of the bus. Fantastic experience. We got lucky because the mountain was out that day, and there are no words to describe how massive it looks.

Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. It was an incredible way to kick off our marriage, and thankfully we have had a fantastic 21 years since. Best of luck!

[Clocker]

We got lucky because the mountain was out that day, and there are no words to describe how massive it looks.



Nice post.

I have never seen the mountain up close and personal, but even from 150 miles away in Anchorage, it is massive. And in the unique northern light, when the mountain is out, it seems like it glows in the sun.

[Mike at A+]

Headed way up north to Alaska for a week at the end of this month to address the primary obstacle remaining on one of my bucket list items (to at least set foot in all fifty states). Any members from there (now or previously)? Any "must-see" tourism or eatery suggestions in the Anchorage/Seward/Homer area? (I wanted to take a drive up to Fairbanks, but couldn't talk my wife into it.)
We took a 14 day cruise out of Seattle to 8 ports in Alaska for our 25th anniversary. You're gonna love it. In Anchorage, try to hit a place called Crush. It's a wine bar that also serves small plate tapas style dishes. In Juneau, Red Dog Saloon is the tourist trap, opt for The Hangar Inn instead for upscale pub food. In Kodiak, try to find Pickled Willy's. Not a restaurant but a seafood store that gives free tastes of their offerings. First time I ever had king crab tails. Consistency of a lobster tail but the taste of crab. They ship to all 50 states and are very reasonably priced. We bought 5 lbs of king crab tails (out of shell). And if you hit Victoria, BC, they have a great Chinatown and a place near the government buildings that has an oyster "happy hour" called "Buck a Shuck". Awesome oysters and some excellent local microbrews on tap. In Homer, not much to see but we did hit the Homer Brewery to taste some beer and pick up some pint glasses. They also had a craft market with jams, jellies and baked goods that was nice. Lots of little shops too.