Four Days in Alaska

So I had wanted to visit Alaska for a year. My daughter headed to Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula the Summer of 2019 to do an internship with the Kenai Watershed and hadn’t been back since. Having a marvelous time, she continued on with a Fall fellowship at the Anchorage Museum shortly before we all fell prey to the Covid spell last Spring . She decided to find work and stay throughout the Summer and the following Fall.

With all plans to visit Alaska in August and clear our heads of the pandemic blues, our family’s excitement soon dissipated when New York placed Alaska on the travel advisory list causing last minute panic and change. Therefore we revised the trip date to the second week of September 2020.Whether the state remained on the quarantine list or not, and whether my other two children would still be able to attend , I was determined to go the second week of the month. On again, off again, every other week Alaska joined the New York State quarantine list causing much confusion as to how much lost time I’d have at work, and had me questioning whether I should continue on with my travel plans at all. All questions ceded when my daughter called the week prior to the trip, in sudden severe back pain, with news from her MRI that she needed emergency back surgery for a severe herniated disc three days from then. I knew if I didn’t go, and continued with my plan of visiting the following week, I would forever hold myself guilty if something happened during the surgery and I wasn’t there. Knowing it would place a huge strain on my employer to yet again switch my travel date, and possibly not be asked back to work until the following Summer, I preceded to change my flight once again for the day after the next. Rushing to get a Covid test, I was set to fly to Anchorage, Alaska the Wednesday before Labor Day.

Nerves, fear, and still some excitement all brewed within my blood as I headed to this wild ,beautiful, and somewhat foreign seeming state to help my daughter whom I hadn’t seen since her stay back home the previous February. What was supposed to be a week get away with my family was now a solo trip of remaining vigilant and strong throughout the moments of feeling vulnerable, all with keeping the hope of catching a glimpse of the amazing state of Alaska at the same time.

I arrived the evening before the surgery around midnight. The large round Alaskan floor seal threw a jolt of excitement through my weary body. I was tired and anxious, but thrilled. The air was slightly cool with a light rain as I stepped out into Anchorage, Alaska to catch my Uber to the Air B and B. I phoned my daughter to ease any concerns, and then fell fast asleep.

The next morning we met around 8 am and drove through the streets of Anchorage to the hospital. I remember the excitement of the first sight of the mountains surrounding the city. My daughter said, “ Oh this is nothing!” As we came to the hospital, I grew quite vigilant. I tried to breathe in the air and then enjoy the beauty of what I could see through the hospital windows once inside as I said my prayers for her surgery.

Four hours later, my daughter was brought back to me spaced up with anesthesia, but alive and well. I was blessed and relieved and at peace.

The next few days I stayed at her apartment to help her with daily tasks like changing, cleaning,and cooking. A few visitors came with roses and raspberries, frozen dinners, and plenty of smiles. By day 3 I was given the go ahead to take the car for a few hour journey 40 miles northeast of Anchorage to Etlukna Lake. Driving North on Route 1 I had no idea what a gem of a place this would turn out to be! Driving in through winding streets I could see mountains and colorful September leaves. What a beautiful drive. I found a place to park within the trees and excitement brewed as I caught glimpses of the lake. There was a pathway through the park and trees that lead to the glistening green blue lake. As I caught my first view of it I was astounded by the snow capped mountains that surrounded. This was true paradise with a very,’ you’ve just entered Switzerland’ feel.

After helping my daughter another couple of days I was rewarded with another chance to use the car for an overnight journey down the Kenai Peninsula to Seward on route one about two and a half hours South of Anchorage. The day was rather cloudy which gave the drive down the Turn Again Arm a mystical feel. Surrounded by black mountains and misty water I felt as if I had now entered New Zealand or some other mysterious country. What should’ve been a two hour journey turned into a six hour journey to Seward due to stopping at pull offs every fifteen hundred feet for pictures. Yellow green grass fields, aqua rivers, glaciers and black mountains gave this curious wanderer plenty to see. As soon as I hit the peninsula, I was amazed at the amount of green that sprung and the vast amount of mountains that were of a rocky green brown as though I now was driving through the West in the Colorado Mountains. A brief detour through Coopers Landing and a stop at Kenai Lake was a must. I recommend this area for anyone traveling South to Seward, a most beautiful composition of blue green water you’ll see in our country by far! ( See above photo)

That evening I arrived in Seward, the fishing port in Alaska well known for Salmon and other native fish. I was welcomed by many boats in the port and a marvelous blue haze of mountains surrounding.The small town was only a few blocks with a few local restaurants and the hotel I was staying at for the evening. It was somewhat quiet, I’m guessing because the tourist season was at its end. I spent the evening in a very old hotel with plenty of ornate furniture in the foyer and old pictures that lined the hallways. The next morning was spent at a local diner and a drive to the beach to catch some magnificent views. On my way back up north I stopped to see a glacier on a mile hike but not without bringing my bear spray and hooking up with a couple walking before me so we could chat along the way. They always say you should stick with a few people in bear country and to make as much noise as possible in case there is a an encounter with a bear, as to not scare them.

My fourth adventure out after spending another couple of days with my daughter was back up north of Anchorage to try to catch a glimpse of Denali. I knew the excursion to the South point was a possible three hours. I first stopped at a lodge in a small town south of Denali called Talkeetna to see if I could get a good view off the back deck of the restaurant overlooking the fields and hills. The skies were looking quite cloudy and not favorable for a nice catch of the peak from that point. I decided to drive up further to the south point of Denali State Park in hopes of running into clearer skies and a great look at the tallest peak in North America. About another hour I spent driving up north to possibly catch a glance at this beauty. Because Denali has its own ecosystem, a cloudy day can diminish hopes of seeing this mountain even within a 30 miles distance. I arrived and it began to sprinkle. The clouds were gray so I waited in the car. I decided to get out and view the diagram at the rest stop of the State park. I began taking pictures of what I thought might possibly be the peak of Denali through the clouds. I spent about an hour and a half waiting for the skies to clear in order to see this amazing peak. Unfortunately I was unable to make out whether the forms in the sky were the mountain range or just a strange brew of clouds! Later, I studied the photos, seeing some forms that looked like the possible peaks of Denali. It will always remain a mystery whether it was truly the mountain in the photos or a tapestry of clouds though. Knowing I was not going to probably catch a clear sight of it that day due to weather, I left. Not one hundred percent dissatisfied, I left knowing it stood before me somewhere in the near distance. The afternoon was drawing to a close and I knew it was time for me to head back. I was happy I had at least done my best to try to see it. A sunny day would have made the outing complete.

All in all, this was the best unplanned trip I could have imagined. Happy to have seen my daughter and that all went well with her surgery, I felt blessed to see some amazing beauty of Alaska in four days out of a total of nine. It was more than I could have asked for.

If you ever have the chance to visit Alaska, and only have four days to venture, do it! You’ll have plenty to see and will be amazed by all. It can be done! Remember these places along the way and you won’t be disappointed!

Sincerely,

An Alaskan Rookie