Alaska: Anchorage and More

Alaska, General:

One of the best ways to see Alaska is in the air. Whether you just get to do this on your flight into Alaska, or you get a chartered ride somewhere, the views just cannot be beat. It was still light outside when we got into Anchorage, just after midnight. Including the three hour driver into the O'Hare airport (it normally takes less time, but there was some flooding so we had to take a longer way in) it had taken us close to 16 hours to get here, but it was worth it. 
Alaska is huge. Area wise, it about three times larger then Texas. My husband even got my mom and I T-Shirts that had a to scale picture of Texas over Alaska and read: "Isn't Texas Cute". Being that I am from Texas, and my mom lives in Texas, we were mildly offended. Anyway, my point is this: what we saw of Alaska barely scratched the surface. 

Not only is Alaska big, it is also remote.  Most of the time we couldn't get a strong enough phone signal to send e-mail, or look up where to go. There were also multiple times that we heard our GPS say: "Lost Satellite Signal". The only other time this has happened to me was in Chicago when among buildings so tall that it blocked the signal, and while going through tunnels.

Anchorage/ Turnagain Arm:
We stopped and slept at the Lake Shore Inn. This was not a bad hotel, but it seemed pretty average. Please note, there was no lake view from this hotel, but the staff was friendly and helpful, and showed us which restaurants within walking distance were open 24 hours a day, so that we could get dinner right off the plain. Incidentally, we went right to bed. 
Sight seeing took us just South of Anchorage on Turnagain Arm. This stretch of road had some amazing views, where Mountains met a great arm of the Cook Inlet. The inlet looked very much like a river delta with its huge mud flats. Early explorers would go up the inlet thinking there was a river that would take them inland. There really wasn't one, and the explorers would have to turn around and go back out towards Cook Inlet; hence, the name "Turnagain".
Our first stop, was at Potter Marsh. This was right across the road from a gun range. So we kept hearing shots ring out. Still, there was a lovely board walk. In the Marsh, there were blue winged teals, Canada Geese, turns, and even a moose! The board walk was just high enough to keep us safe from this enormous creature, who did not seem bothered that there were at least four of us chasing it (from the safety of the board walk) to get good shots of it. We stopped at a few other places including Windy Point and Beluga Point. The sand and mud that spread out along this shallow arm of the inlet created a scene that just seemed so alien and serene. It was hard to tell where the land turned into water.

We didn't see any wales while on the Arm, but according to some tourist literature, we were at the right spot to potentially see something. Beluga Point for example is famous for the tide quickly going out, leaving beluga wales stranded  on the revealed sand bars. Fortunately for belugas, most of them are able to survive being stranded long enough for high tide to come rushing back in (according to one of the park's displays).

High tide and low tide at Beluga Point can make waves of water that can be up to 6 feet tall, in the right conditions. We were lucky enough to see the tide going out, but I did not witness the wall of water as high as some pictures we were able to find, but the flow of water was still fairly impressive. 

We turned around on the Turnagain Arm when we hit Girdwood: a small ski town, with a giant ski lodge.  In town, we stopped at a place called the"Great Alaskan Tourist Trap". I just loved the name. They had so many books on Alaska in there, from story books for kids, to nature books for everyone else.

Circling around on Our Last day:

We headed back into Anchorage on our last day, in order to head back home. Before heading to the airport, we all visited the Elderberry Park, where we entered the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Here you get great views of the Cook Inlet and its mud flats. While we walked part of the trail it is also possible to rent bikes here to bike this trail. 

Finally we made it back to the airport. Here we heard stories other people had of there trips and tails of living in Alaska. One woman talked about life on the local military base. Because of the bears they are not allowed to put there trash out until the morning of pickup. There is a $300 fine for anyone who puts there garbage out the night before. 

Other people told us fishing stories about there trip to the Kodiak's. While they did talk a little about the fish they caught, most of the stories featured how many giant grizzly bears they saw: bears fishing alone, mother bears with there cubs. Many people while fishing here get a good look at the bears. For the most part, if you do not bother them, they won't bother you. This is not to say that these grizzle bears aren't dangerous. Do not go up to a bear or its cubs no matter how cute it appears. They told us, when fishing in bear country, be smart and use common sense.


Food:

Some of the best chefs in the United States summer in Anchorage, so it is no wonder we were able to find a great place to eat. Our favorite restaurant of the trip was one of the last places we ate at: Simon and Seafort's Saloon and Grill. This restaurant is hidden away, but finding it is worth it. If had not been for Yelp, we would have never found this place. It is within walking distance of Elderberry Park, and has a great view of the Cook Inlet. Here you can watch plains come in and out of Anchorage. My husband and I shared a fish curry, and my mom got a salmon dish. All were excellently prepared and plated. We also had Crispy Crab wantons as an appetizer and a salmon chowder soup. For desert we had Chocolate Indulgent Cake. My husband is an expert when it comes to chocolate deserts. This is by far the best cake we came across on our trip. It seemed so fresh, covered with a hot chocolate syrup. Chocolate lovers should not pass this up. They also have a wide variety of drinks. I had a Jamaican Mule: Ginger Beer, Vodka, and Pineapple Juice. 

The first place we stopped to eat was actually along the Turn Again Arm. It was called Indian House. Apparently a few years ago, it had actually been an Indian Restaurant (Asian Indian, not Native American). So much of the reviews were about it were from that time. The bar tender told us that it had a major remodeling a couple years ago to make it more for Alaskan tourists. The decor featured things that made one think "Alaska we are here!", with many Alaskan Antiques. The food was pretty good. We all shared. There is a good Caribou chili that had a very smokey flavor to it. The fish in the fish and chips was very fresh, and the Salmon dip was excellent; no salmon from a can here. 
At most bars that cater to tourists you can find beers from the Alaskan Brewing Company out of Juneau, Alaska. Indian House had a flight of these bears. On this flight we had (from right to left): 

1.  Hopothermia: I love the clever name; a double IPA where its double alcohol content covers up some of the hoppyness.
2.  White: A light refreshing beer with subtle citric notes.
3.  Summer Ale: A smooth crisp beer, my favorite out of the four.
4. Amber: The bartender's favorite beer. It is a sweeter caramel colored beer. 

Next to the Great Alaskan Tourist Trap in Girdwood, was an Ice Cream Shop. Most of the Ice cream they served were not churned in Alaska. They did have one Alaskan brand of Ice cream, Alaskan Supreme Ice Cream Inc. We sampled

Fireweed. Taken by:
Arvind Jujare

some of these: One that I really liked was the Alaskan Wildberry ice cream. It contains wild raspberries, moss berries, and Crowberries. I asked the clerk what the most popular summer flavor was: she told me it was Fireweed and Honey. She told me that hot summer days locals come in and this flavor often sells out. It is sweet, and taste of honey and a peppery nectar taste that was foreign to me. "An Ice cream made out of a weed?" one might ask. This is actually a beautiful pink flower that grows just about everywhere we went in Alaska. It dots the roads and trails across Southern Alaska. The sales clerk showed me where some was growing just outside the store; apparently many Alaskans use the pink flower to make jellies.