by Our friends, Annelise and Gloverson Moro, needed to visit one more state to have been to all 50 U.S. states – Alaska! They invited us to go along. We met the Moros, when we lived in Singapore, and have been friends ever since. From Singapore, they moved to the U.S.A. and are now returning to Brazil. We don’t know many Americans who have been to all 50 states – in fact, Pat and I have not been to all of them. What an accomplishment!
The Moros drove to Salt Lake City and we all flew to Anchorage, Alaska where we picked up a rental car and went to our first AirBnB. The following are highlights of our trip.
Anchorage
Anchorage was our base for all but one night, when we stayed in Seward. With the rental car, we explored Alaska – north to Denali, south to Seward, and east to the Mataruska Glacier. There are not a lot of highways, so we became familiar with AK-1, AK-3, and AK-9. In all, we put almost 1,800 miles (2,897 km) on the car.
Hatcher Pass and Summit Lake
On our first day, we drove to Hatcher Pass. After lunch at the Hatcher Pass Lodge, we drove 19 miles to Summit Lake. The road was unpaved. The car was very dirty after the drive – you could barely see the license plate. Near Summit Lake, we watched several para-gliders maneuver above us.
the rapids on the Susitna River
Denali and Talkeetna
We would always check the weather before setting out. We were unsure if the weather would be clear enough to allow a good view. However, before getting to Denali, we stopped in Talkeetna, a small town, almost exactly half way between Anchorage and Denali (3 hours in each direction). During the winter, this is a staging area for climbers wanting to go climb Denali. In the summer months, it is a touristy stop with shops and restaurants. It is also a stop on the Alaska Railway, between Seward and Fairbanks.
The tiny, funky hamlet of Talkeetna is straight out of many visitors’ mental picture of life in small-town Alaska. Located 115 miles north of Anchorage in the Mat-Su Valley, it’s a not-to-be-missed stop in Southcentral Alaska.
Said to be the inspiration for the fictional community of Cicely in the TV show “Northern Exposure,” it’s no surprise Talkeetna rings so true with visitors. Its artistic, outdoorsy, and creative residents cling proudly to the character of their community and their mountaineering history as the jumping-off point for climbers hoping to summit North America’s tallest peak – Denali. A turn-of-the-20th-century gold-mining center, Talkeetna has retained much of its early Alaska flavor. Log cabins, a roadhouse, and clapboard storefronts line the streets.
– https://www.travelalaska.com/destinations/cities-towns/talkeetna
After the stop in Talkeetna, we drove north to see Denali. We had no intention of entering the main gates, but wanted to stop at the Denali View – South. We have several friends who have been to Denali, but have never had good viewing because it is often obscured by clouds. As you can see, we had unobstructed views. What a beautiful sight!
The best views of Denali are from the terrace at Mary’s McKinley View Lodge Cafe. We stopped there for lunch and sat on the deck, looking at a great view of Denali. The namesake of the place, Mary Carey, also wrote a book about her adventures in Alaska, Alaska – Not for a Woman, which we bought in the gift shop at the Lodge. It’s an interesting read and gives a great feel for life in Alaska not to long ago.
Coastal Trail
We like to hike, or take long walks. Literature on Anchorage mentioned the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, an 11-mile, paved trail along the coast. We walked parts of this trail at 2 different times – once starting at the south end (Kincaid Park) and again from Earthquake Park, “the site of some of the worst damage from the 1964 earthquake.” On our first walk, we came upon a moose and her “baby” (although, as big as it was, it is hard to call it that).
On another walk, we went down to a rocky beach. The trail also skirts the end of the main runway at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC). Just off the trail, on a hill overlooking the runway, someone had left a chair. My father would have loved sitting there, watching the airplanes takeoff and land. In his memory, I sat there and watched several planes land.
Annelise and Pat walked a short way from Ray and his chair. A landing plane flew over, very low and very loud!
Mataruska Glacier and River
On our last day in the Anchorage area, we drove to the Mataruska Glacier and River. Our GPS was aimed to place called Glacier View. We stopped for lunch at the Grand View Cafe. Surprisingly, Annelise and Gloverson, were able to speak Chinese with one of the owners, much to everyone’s delight.
After lunch we headed back toward Anchorage, with a stop at a Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site overlooking the glacier and river. We also took a short (1 mile) hike and got an EarthCache (GC2BDR4).
and moving very fast
Musk Ox Farm
On our way to the Mataruska Glacier, we passed a sign for the Musk Ox Farm, and decided we needed to stop there on the way back to Anchorage. Pat has been interested in the yarn made from musk ox, called quviut, but it is extremely expensive. After the tour of this farm, we understand why it is so expensive.
Whittier
A side trip to Whittier, AK, made for an unexpected experience. Before 1943, Whittier was only accessible by water and, during World War II, the U.S. Army constructed a military facility and began constructing a railroad and tunnel to allow soldiers and supplies to get to the rest of Alaska. The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is 2.5 miles long and only wide enough for a train to pass. Eventually the tunnel was paved, to allow a single line of cars to drive through the tunnel. (See the history of the tunnel)
The surprising thing about this whole visit was that we didn’t know anything about this tunnel. We drove towards the town and all of a sudden we were at a toll booth and a long line of cars and campers in front of a very small tunnel opening. We waited about 45 minutes to get our turn to drive through. Since it’s one-way going in, each direction is open for 15 minutes each 1/2 hour. We had to wait longer because a train came along.
Once through the tunnel, we found the town small but interesting and found a restaurant for dinner, then went to a nearby beach. The beach was beautiful. We watched a family successfully fishing.
Russian River Trail
We drove to the Kanai Peninsula in hopes of seeing bears catching salmon in the Russian River. The hike from the parking area to the Russian River Falls, was about 2 miles each way and was not strenuous. This was the time for salmon running upstream to spawn. As one website says, “where the fish are, bears will follow”, but not always! We did get to see a lot of salmon in the pools below the falls, with a very infrequent jump attempt up the falls, but no bears.
Restaurants
Glacier Brewhouse – This restaurant was so good, we went there for dinner twice.
49th Street Brewing – The first brewery we visited in Anchorage. We ate lunch on the upper, outside deck.
Moose’s Tooth – The first time we stopped for dinner, there was a 1+ hour wait to get a table. Both the inside and the surrounding areas were packed with, primarily, young people. We left, but vowed to return another night. Two days later, we got there and were told there would be an hour wait. We stayed, but only had to wait 40 minutes. Turns out, it was probably worth the wait – the pizzas and the beers were very good. Worth a visit.
Seward
For our last night in Alaska, we drove back to the Kanai Peninsula to spend a night in Seward. We stayed in a small cabin at a camping facility called Bear Necessities. This place is run by a couple from Tennessee, who had live for 7 years in the Caribbean, but fell in love with Alaska.
set your tent )photo by Gloverson Moro)
We walked and drove around the city. One walk was on a paved trail along the waterfront. After dinner, all of returned to this trail to see the eagles Gloverson and Annelise saw earlier – the bald eagles were still there!
Exit Glacier National Park
Just outside of Seward, is the Exit Glacier National Park. Inside the park, there are numerous trails that lead to different views of the glacier. At several places within the visitor areas, signs indicate the end of the glacier at different years. It is amazing to see how much the glacier has shrunk since the 1960s. We hiked the lower trail, Glacier Overlook Trail.
toward the entrance to the park
Kenai
After leaving Seward on our way back to Anchorage for our flight to Salt Lake City, we went to Kenai. We had heard about “dip-net fishing” at the mouth of the Kenai River, so that is where we set the GPS. At the entrance to the Kenai Beach, on South Spruce Street, we picked up a free 1-hour parking pass then drove to a very crowded parking area, where we were lucky to find a spot. We then took a path down to the beach to see what can only be described as a “spectacle”. Cars, trucks and campers were parked along the beach for as far as you could see. Whole families were there to catch fish, eat and party. What a sight! People catch enough salmon to get them through the winter months. People with “dip nets” (large fish nets), wade out into the water and hold their nets under water until a salmon swims in. The salmon are gutted and cleaned right on the beach, leaving the guts on the sand for the tide to wash them away, returning the nutrients back in to the water.
to be washed away by the tides.
Restaurants
The Cookery – We went here for dinner to celebrate the Moros anniversary. The food was very good.
Ray’s Waterfront – We enjoyed lunch at Ray’s on our last day in Alaska.
We just had a blast in Alaska with our good friends, Pat and Ray. Now reading about it, it made me want to go back soon! Thanks!!!!!!
What a great adventure! We’d love to go to Alaska one day & will use your info as a template. Only been to 34 US States so far so a few to go…🙏. In meantime see you all in Istanbul in October!