Road Trip in Alaska: Potentially Stupid Questions from a Tourist (Anchorage: car rental, camping)

[murlough23]

Alright, folks. We're in the middle of our road trip (I'm writing this post from the All Seasons Inn in Fairbanks), and so far, I've been loving every minute of it.

Well, maybe not every minute. The hour-long tunnel of trees on both sides of our stay in Glennallen was pretty boring... but still far more interesting than your usual "boring" drive in California. And aside from that and maybe part of the drive between Anchorage and the Mat-Su area, pretty much every mile of road has been eye-poppingly spectacular. We've taken a good 300 pictures in about 3 days.

We expected rain during the whole trip due to it being forecasted for everywhere we were staying, but we only saw significant rain in Anchorage when we arrived on Sunday, and that was really just a trickle, with enough looming clouds to block out the sun. That was a day to just get oriented, and we lost a lot of time due to stupid Alaska Airlines putting my wife's bag on the next flight from Seattle... so we thought for an hour that they had lost it. I decided not to base my first impressions of Alaska on our airport experience, and thankfully, we enjoyed what we could see of Anchorage the first day. We had dinner downtown and poked around in a few bookstores. Just driving around Anchorage struck me, with the trees hiding so many of the buildings in the Hillside area and whatnot. I already knew I was in for something beautiful.

Monday, we drove down to Seward, taking the side trip to see Portage Glacier along the way, and marveling at the magnificent views across Turnagain Arm, and of the snow-capped peaks further inland as we crossed over to the Kenai Peninsula. My wife started getting annoyed at how many times I commented, "Look, that's a pretty lake", which should give you some indication of how often I was saying it. Even driving back really late at night, this was a gorgeous trip, with the sun setting over Turnagain as we drove straight towards it. We were tired, but awestruck.

Seward is a lovely town... very chilly, but I embraced that facet of it, being a Southern California boy who needed to get away. We met up with an Internet friend of mine who drove over from Homer, along with her boyfriend, and explored the SeaLife Center and walked around town a bit. My wife totally fell in love with the puffins! We didn't have time for an evening cruise there, but just looking out at the water was enough for me to be in awe of this tucked away little alcove of a town. Exit Glacier was also spectacular... we were too lazy to take the upper trail to it, but we got some great pictures from our lower vantage point all the same.

Yesterday, we did the aforementioned drive up to Glennallen from Anchorage. Boring at the beginning and end, but totally worth it for the middle stretch, where we crossed through the mountains and got a glimpse of Matanuska Glacier. I was quite amused at how many little espresso shops there are along the way. That might be to the chagrin of some purists who just want to see nature, but it was good when we needed a bathroom. Construction delays weren't too bad. We were the first car to get stopped for 20 min. with a long line behind us, but we had a good view of a snowy ridge up above a dip in the highway, so we just enjoyed the quiet and the mountain air for a bit before the road worker turned "Stop" around to "Slow" and let us continue.

There ain't much in Glennallen, but we stumbled across a tiny hotel/restaurant in Copper Center last night that was worth the time it took to drive down there. Also had our first moose sighting last night, right at the Glenn/Richardson Highway junction.

Today's drive from Glennallen to Fairbanks was expected to be long, and it was, but the mountain views and the expansive lakes were delicious, with the snow patches almost reaching road level and the dizzyingly wide river valley opening up on one side of the road. (Does anyone know how high-altitude those mountain passes get?) We took the advice of those who had traveled the road before and brought a sack lunch, so we could stop and eat whenever we felt like it and not be at the mercy of the few roadhouses along the way.

We arrived in Fairbanks this afternoon, and we're trying to get in touch with a military friend of my wife's who lives in North Pole to see what a local would recommend for dinner, but so far we haven't been able to contact her. We might just walk downtown and check it out on our own. I don't have huge expectations of Fairbanks, but at this point we appreciate the convenience of a larger city, before we press on to Healy and Denali over the next couple days.

Maybe tomorrow we'll visit a nearby Bird Sanctuary, or Pioneer Park, or the Chena Hot Springs area if time allows, before hitting the long highway again.

Thanks to all whose advice has helped us so far. I'd say that Seward is the destination to beat out of what we've experienced so far, but anything could happen between now and Saturday! More updates are forthcoming, when we conclude our trip and return home on Sunday.

[Alaskan_Adventurer]

Hey Murlough. Thanks for the update on your trip. Glad to hear you are having a wonderful time. I am surprised it took you a few days to see your first moose, lol. I swear I almost see them daily right here in town. Hopefully you will see a bear or two, at a distance of course.

[murlough23]

Originally Posted by Alaskan_Adventurer

Hey Murlough. Thanks for the update on your trip. Glad to hear you are having a wonderful time. I am surprised it took you a few days to see your first moose, lol. I swear I almost see them daily right here in town. Hopefully you will see a bear or two, at a distance of course.

We saw a few quite close up... at the Alaska Zoo. I'm fine with bears only if there is a barrier between them and me.

[JavaPhil]

That's a fairly universal kind of feeling. Bears are awe inspiring, but give me a big wrought iron fence between me and the bear.

[murlough23]

OK, so those of you who said there wasn't much to see in Fairbanks were right. I enjoyed being able to walk downtown from our B&B - I like that the city's core is fairly compact, and the Chena River running through town is beautiful. But beyond that, the city's a bit of an eyesore. I can see how it would work very well as a hub for outdoor activities (we should have allowed more time for kayaking or other Chena River activities), since the stuff to do in town isn't as fun if you don't have kids (i.e. Pioneer Park).

However, Fairbanks made the most sense as a stopover after driving the Richardson Highway, so I have no regrets. (Though it sucks that my wife's friend completely flaked on us.) Now we're at a B&B in Healy with a gorgeous view of the nearby mountains, which I'm assuming are one of the barriers between us and Denali. We'll be visiting the park tomorrow. Hopefully the discomfort of being on a bus for 8 hours will be offset by what we get to see there.

[RN2travel2]

It is so great to hear you are enjoying your highly anticipated trip to Alaska! I have only been here for 4 months so am still a tourist myself but have made the trip you are making and in the long run I had the time of my life. I have to laugh about your not seeing a moose until Glennallen as I have decided all the moose have moved into Anchorage. Have seen only two moose that were not in anchorage one at Denali and one near Kenai. I see them daily in Anchorage. Bear is another thing we have seen here in Anchorage, up in Far North Bicentenial Park we have seen a sow and a couple of cubs (blacks). Also spent 30-40 minutes watching a sow in Seward one day got lots of great pics of her.

I hope your continued trip lives up to your expectations and you take home memories of a lifetime!

[rotorhead]

Some days it seems like moose are thick as flys in ANC. Heres a shot I took of one devastating the landscaping at Providence Hospital.

One night the security camera caught a photo of a moose up on the helipad, three floors up the parking garage! Wish I'd have gotten a shot of that.

[RN2travel2]

OK, I gotta know as I have been trying and trying. How do I attach a picture on this site???

[Sweden]

Originally Posted by RN2travel2

OK, I gotta know as I have been trying and trying. How do I attach a picture on this site???

What have you been using this far? Imageshack is a very good website (when it isn't in the mood of annoying you) that you might want to check out.
ImageShack® - Hosting

Use the forum size. I'm not that good at handling the website, but there are ways to change the pictures (size-wise and such).

Ask Rance otherwise Good luck!

[RN2travel2]

Thanks I will try it!

I have just tried to attach from my picasa site and it just does not work!