If you have been following our blog, you know that we just completed another great adventure – this one to Alaska with family. (If you didn’t read Part One, this might be the time to go back and catch up). We sailed on a northbound Celebrity cruise from Vancouver to Seward aboard the Millennium, a ship we were familiar with from our 2018 southbound cruise. From there we added excursions and travel to Anchorage, Denali and Talkeetna. This part starts with our disembarkation in Seward. A video of highlights is posted here: Back to Alaska
After posting Part One, Norm sent me some pictures of their excursions, so I’ll add them here:
Flight home, over Mt. St. Helens
Vancouver, Granville Island and Lions Gate Bridge
Ketchikan Salmon
Icy Strait Point and Rental Side-by-sides
Juneau Whale Watching
Chilkoot River Rafting, Haines (from Skagway)
Hubbard Glacier
So back to Seward and our disembarkation. Jeff and Vickie were going to catch a midday bus to Anchorage and then fly back home to South Carolina. Norm, Linda and Carol were to catch a bus to Anchorage early to rent a car and then drive to Denali. Jackie and I were set with a 4 hour cruise around the Kenai Fjords from Seward before catching a late bus to Anchorage to spend the night. We would then start our land portion of the trip, catching the Wilderness Train to Denali and meeting up with Norm, Linda and Carol.
It was a drizzly start to the day in Seward as we disembarked the ship, bags in tow. Breakfast in the main dining room was actually quite delicious and as we were finishing up our eggs Benedict Norm popped in to say they were headed off the ship and on to Anchorage and would see us tomorrow in Denali. Once ashore we arranged for our bags to get held at a local hotel until our bus to Anchorage arrived. We caught a free shuttle into town and made our way to Waterfront Park and the Sea Life Center. Unfortunately we just didn’t have the time to tour the center, but we did scan the shoreline and harbor to spot whales, otters, eagles … hoping it would be like our last visit. No luck. We did learn that this was the original starting point of the Iditarod race. Oh, but look at those folks – it’s Jeff and Vickie and luggage hopping off the shuttle to do the same waterfront scan!
We walked around a bit and looked for a lunch spot we remembered. Had ourselves a splendid rockfish sandwich and beer, said “safe travels home” to Jeff and Vic and headed over to the dock for our excursion. The boat for the 4 hour cruise was a good size and super comfortable. It was almost more of a small ferry, with assigned seating around tables and next to wide, clean windows. There was plenty of outdoor space for viewing, once we cleared the harbor and headed out to Kenai Fjords to explore.
At first it seemed this was going to be a bob-around with nothing to see except clouds and drizzle, but we were treated to some gorgeous coastline, small waterfalls and soon some wildlife. Our binoculars worked great, but my camera’s long lens didn’t give me a crisp focus on all of the shoreline wildlife – not my best photos. We found a cluster of Steller sea lions who were barking and croaking at each other, surrounded by hundreds of kittiwake gulls perched on the rock faces and flying about. Bobbing in the water were two species of puffin, the horned and the tufted, with common murres diving about. Up on the hillside we spotted a couple of mountain goats just hanging out on the cliffs.
The boat ventured out into the edge of the Gulf of Alaska’s open water a bit to try and find some of the last humpback whales, but we didn’t spot them.
On the other shore, the Kenai Fjords National Park, were some picturesque islands, covered with Sitka spruce and moss. A group of harbor seals were sunning on the rocks and sea otters bobbed along the shoreline. Those darn otters are so cute. More puffins were on the rock ledges and in the water. Bald eagles perched on trees. Very colorful. Even though we didn’t spot whales, there was plenty of cool wildlife to see. Once we had a cell signal again we got a message from Vickie that Jeff might have left his backpack at a local food truck, would we please check? (In all the hustle and bustle of transfers and luggage, it is rather easy to do).
Back ashore we quickly found the spot she described, but no backpack and the food truck was closed. The harbormaster’s office was closed, too, but we got phone numbers and left messages. It was getting late, so we sat for a beer in the Stoney Creek Brewhouse and waited for the bus. I ran next door to another popular food “bus” to grab us some food while Jackie continued to ask around about Jeff’s backpack. No luck.
After a 3 hour bus ride to Anchorage we hopped off the bus, with luggage, and tried to get our bearings to walk to our hotel – in the rain. Kinda got turned around a bit, but checked into a nice room, crashed and then up early to catch a cab to the train station for our trip on the Wilderness Express car of the Alaska Railroad headed to Denali. This was really special. The upper floor of the rail car was an observation dome and our assigned seats were in front of the bar. The lower floor was a dining room for breakfast and lunch that would be served (this is a 7 – 8 hour trip). Out of the station we rolled, leaving Anchorage behind and winding along the mountains of the Chugach State Park and across the Knik River. It was still cloudy and rainy, so we didn’t see the peaks of the mountains, but what we did see was spectacular. Little ponds and grassy marshes that should be perfect for moose (none), river crossings of grey glacial runoff and forests of dark green spruce stunted by permafrost.
We climbed to over 3,400 feet, but you hardly noticed it (until your ears popped). We did notice there were large areas of brown spruce and were told that spruce beetles have been pretty devastating to the forests the past few years. There was no Wi-Fi aboard and very spotty cell service, but somehow Jackie got a call from the Seward harbormaster that yes indeed they had Jeff’s pack, so Jackie connected them with Vickie and they were set to work out the details of sending it home.
Breakfast was a hearty mix of scrambled eggs, taters and reindeer sausage, served with china and tablecloths. Almost felt like the Orient Express. Lunch was equally delicious, though we had only one drink since our limitless drink package aboard the cruise ship had expired.
We had a short stop in Talkeetna and along the Susitna River. This was where we would spend the night on the return trip, so we peered out at the small town. It really acts as a basecamp for the many climbers who head to the southern side of Mt. Denali. We pulled out and headed north, crossing Hurricane Gulch on the longest and highest Alaska Railroad bridge, many of us crowded on the viewing platform for photos. The train passed through a flag-stop stretch that meant folks who had no other means of access besides the train would put a flag out on a pole to indicate they needed to board.
Arriving in Denali we caught our shuttle to the Denali Bluffs and it wasn’t long before we were checked in to our room. It faced Denali and even had a small balcony, although the temperature was dropping as the rain was clearing. Carol’s lodging was in a nice cabin a few miles back, but when she learned that the bathhouse was a short walk away and she should watch for bears, that arrangement quickly changed to a different lodge and cabin with Norm and Linda. One with a bathroom included.
Connecting with Norm, Linda and Carol was tricky, since Norm had only a weak signal and that was through Facebook messenger. But we did share plans for the morning and opted to eat dinner in the lodge dining room with some local beer and barbecue (I know, what do Alaskans know about good barbecue? But it was just right). We were early to bed so we could catch the Wildlife Tundra Tour bus in the morning. Jackie bought sandwiches to go and we had water and a snack box on the bus, so we were good for food. Now for the wildlife. And views of Mt. Denali.
You may have read that a portion of the roadway into Denali was wiped away in a landslide of the soil and permafrost – actually, the road crossed a moving rock glacier. Replacing that section, which is less than halfway into the park, will be a couple of years to complete. That meant our trip was only about 6 hours, out and back. But that was plenty of time to see some caribou, brown bear, Dall sheep, golden eagles and ground squirrels. Moose not so much. Mt. Denali not so much either – it was hidden in clouds. Still, it was scenery that you won’t find anywhere else, as the glacier-scooped tundra valleys and sharp mountain peaks are spectacular. Fall was just starting to turn the leaves and grasses golden and red, a nice contrast with the green spruce. In a case of the movie Endless Summer’s line “you should have seen the waves yesterday,” Norm and Carol confessed that on their first day in the park (while we were on the train) they actually had a moose cross the road in front of them. Norm supplied the photo as proof. Darn!
For dinner, Norm drove us up to Healy and 49th State Brewing. This was an interesting spot for a few reasons. First of all, it looked like a huge warehouse with an outdoor beer garden, but inside it was extremely busy and lively – especially for a Sunday night. Most of Healy’s 1,000 residents must have been there. We had another delicious meal (huge plates of halibut tacos, crab toasted cheese and seafood chowder) with flights of beer and Carol’s gin and tonic. She had a heavy pour in an old fashion glass, so Jackie had to help her order more tonic in a TALL glass.
Maybe the most intriguing part of the scene was the green and white bus in the beer garden. If you ever saw the movie or read the book “Into the Wild” you would know it is the one that Chris McCandless lived in, just about 40 miles from Healy. This one was a reproduction used in the movie. The original was removed by helicopter and moved to Fairbanks due to visitor safety concerns.
We had time the next morning to drive back into Denali on our own and we were determined to find moose. We all diligently looked among the spruce, in tundra fields and down along the rock-filled dry creeks and several beaver ponds. We did see two beavers swimming around, but no moose. We were driving through areas marked “caution, moose rut in progress” but no luck. Then, as we have learned, we stopped where others stopped and jumped out to see what they found. Yes, there was a moose walking between trees. A bit far off, but a bull with a nice rack. And further along we spotted others, all just a bit farther off than we could easily capture on camera.
One last stop at the marvelous visitors center and it was time to leave the park and head to Talkeetna. We were scheduled for a late flightseeing trip on board a small plane that would take us up and around Denali for a bird’s eye view. With the rain continuing and the low cloud ceiling, it was doubtful. Yep, halfway to Talkeetna we got a text that the weather would not allow flights and ours was canceled. Darn, that was to have been the last special treat on this trip. Denali was not going to reveal itself to us this time.
The rain continued on and off and by the time we crossed the swollen Susitna River and arrived at the Susitna River Lodge and Cabins we were just a little concerned about flooding. Riverside is nice, but not when the firepit for your cabin is half submerged in the riverbank. The cabin was cozy and welcoming, but only had beds for 4, so Carol was once again lodged elsewhere in town. She was a good sport about staying one night in a motel that was more like a small dorm room, but at least she had her own bathroom. (Can’t feel too sorry for her, after all she had an aft facing balcony suite onboard Millennium). Still, that river looked awfully close and portions of main street were already closed off due to flooding.
It didn’t stop us from shopping the small cottages in town and stopping in Nagley’s General Store to say hi to the mayor. Some years back the town appointed a friendly local cat as unofficial mayor and his successor lives in the store. Yes, there he was, greeting anyone willing to scratch behind his (her?) ears. That’s just the kind of place this was, quirky and charming – and wet.
Denali Brewpub was on our list of places to try, so we found a table under a canopy next to the firepit and ordered up some beer and food. I did want to have something from Mountain Pizza just next door, but nobody else was in a pizza mood, so I deferred. Good thing, since the sweet potato fries served with my deep fried halibut were amazing. Big wedges of roasted sweet potato that were crisp on the outside and creamy inside. Nice dipping sauce with just a little heat. Yum. Across from us was another possibility: a food truck that advertised Halibut Tacos, but we were quite content with our meal. I noticed a walk-up window for pastries at the Talkeetna Roadhouse and was hoping to snag some, but it said “sold out, come back Friday.” This was on a Monday, so maybe I am out of luck all week.
The rain tapered off and the river didn’t rise any further, so we were in for a quiet night. We thought. Round about 4:30 in the morning we heard a loud ‘boom,’ then silence. Nothing else, no lightning, no thunder, no rescue sirens. Hmm. We all heard it, but nothing more. In the morning Norm picked up Carol in town, barely a half-mile off, and they came back with the answer. The Halibut Taco food truck had exploded. Flattened. No fire, no significant damage to nearby buildings. We had to go drive by and check it out, but felt bad for the owners. Many in town were helping sort through the damage and I suspect that the mayor was helping with some of that halibut! The local news reported it was a propane leak and no one was injured in the blast, but pieces did fly across the street.
It was time to head to Anchorage and catch our flights back home. The low clouds lifted, revealing the towering mountains we were driving through, and lush marshes and fields were dotted with aspen and spruce, but no other wildlife that we could see. Downtown we returned the rental van and caught two cabs to the airport. We said our goodbyes, checked our bags and had one more task before leaving. A longtime family friend lived in Anchorage and I was anxious to catch up, even for just a quick drink. Cassie was the sister of my good friend Laurie, who had just passed away this spring and it had been too long since we met up.
She was expecting our call and met us at the airport for a short drive to Midnight Sun Brewing (of course a brewery, what did you expect?). There we had a flight, toasted old friends and caught up on family news. Her husband Russ, who is also a teacher, caught up with us and we all enjoyed some good eats – it was Taco Tuesday, so of course we obliged, along with a cup of beer cheese soup with toppings and a delicious roll. One last drive through a local park known to host a moose or two (no sighting) before dropping us at the airport and our trip back to Atlanta and we bid farewell.
Red-eye flights back east are really not special at all. The time difference, seven hour flying time, completely full capacity, tight seats and minimal cabin service really didn’t make flying fun at all – even with Delta. That’s ok, we slept most of the day we got home, trying to adjust and recover from this amazing Alaska adventure. I hope the pictures help you get just a peek at the uniqueness of this state that has a scale like nothing else. Even though we didn’t get to see the largest mountain in North America, Mt. Denali, it was still worth the trip. Planes, trains, buses, ships, boats, vans, cars, taxis, transit and hiking – what an adventure.
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Adventures with Doug and Jackie 
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