Our goal was to see Alaska.
We saw Alaska, and are glad we did.
We have posted lots of pictures recently, some of which I will include in this blog, but I wanted to give friends a better report on our trip to Alaska last week. We are still getting over the constant motion on trains planes and buses, feeling the solid ground underfoot is strange.
We began planning months ago, and discovered that the Alaska Railway put together packages that included many beautiful places and interesting stops. We even watched a video of some of the train travel by independent videographers, and it was very appealing.
We wanted to get a good taste, an overview, of Alaska.
We did not want anything to do with large tour groups, or cruise ships. We knew everything would be expensive in Alaska, and decided it was worth it. I don't know how to do Alaska on the cheap.
Alaska Rail offered several options. We chose what they call the Gold Star Option, which means most of the rail travel was essentially first class in domed cars, some meals and drinks, hotels and specific tours were included. Our trip was June 21 to 28, beginning and ending in Anchorage, a town we wanted to see because it had been home to our old friends.
We flew in one day early and stayed at a less expensive hotel, a decision that saved about $300, and used that extra day to explore Anchorage, an interesting town in a beautiful setting.
Highlight: the Anchorage Museum, with a world class exhibit of native Alaskan cultures and more, only two blocks from our hotel.
Lowlight: The Anchorage Hilton did not have shuttle from the airport ($25) or to the train station. Our room was not ready when we arrived, or when we came back later as instructed. The desk clerk sent us to the wrong room, without luggage which they temporarily lost when we checked it, meaning we were grumpy and tired on our first night. (The good news, cheerful and helpful bellmen saved the day. Big tips.)
Note: Our first day in Alaska was Solstice, the longest day of the year, which means we had almost 20 hours of daylight every day.
Day Two: we took a cab to the train station and Alaska Rail made us feel better. They had tickets ready, clear instructions, and checked our bags through to the hotel we would stay in that night.
The trip was a short one to Girdwood but we saw eagles, moose and bear and mountains and rivers along the way.
At the Girdwood stop, we were picked up by a knowledgable and cheerful guide for a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center at the top of Turnagin Arm. She walked us through the center, explaining the animals and why they were there (rehab or re-establishment). They included wolves, musk ox, bison, moose, reindeer, wolves, fox, coyote and both black and brown (grizzly) bears. We had plenty of time before being led back to the train stop for lunch which was waiting for us.
Then she handed us over to our next guide, Jack, who would be our river guide and host for the next several hours. We put on waterproof boots and reboarded the train for a short ride to a drop off for us, the rubber rafts and guides.
We were at the Spencer Glacier where we began an afternoon of river rafting and stunning scenery.
The train pulled up alongside the river when we gout out of the boats just long enough to pick us all up and head back down the tracks to Girdwood, and the Alyeska Resort, a first class hotel that serves the areas' only ski resort. We had no time to look around.
After a very long day we had a quick meal and got up early to catch a shuttle back to the train stop. While standing by the tracks a railroad employee showed up, took charge of all our luggage and checked it through to our next htoel -- in Seward at the end of the line.
All along the route there was wildlife, stunning scenery and mountains and rivers everywhere.
We arrived in Seward just in time to walk one block to the marina and the beginning of a six hour offshore boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park. The captain was clearly an expert naturalist as well as captain, and she talked about the wildlife, the geology, and the park as we rode out into the Gulf of Alaska to look for whales.
She found Orcas and we watched for a while, and then went further out to see even bigger whales. The weather was cold and rainy, but we were inside most of the time except when we chose to go out for picture taking.
They served lunch while under way, and we looked up and found we were at the face of a stunning glacier, the kind that drops directly into the sea. It was amazing how close we were and the mass of ice before us.
On the way back we came in close to landforms rising from the seabed, covered with thousands of birds including Puffins and all sort of sea birds.
It was almosy 7 p.m. by the time we reached the Seward Windsong Lodge, a beautiful place nestled in the woods just on the edge of town. By this time we were pretty worn out and decided to take a break from the scheduled tour of Seward the next day. We slept in, checked our bags through to Anchorage, and spent the free day wandering around the town, the waterfront, and learning history in the local museum/library.
The trip back over to Anchorage was again in a domed car, with meals and drinks and scenery and animals all along the way.
We ended up back at the Hilton for the night, unfortunately. The air conditioner would not work so we had to leave the window open. Turns out Anchorage downtown on Saturday night never quiets down even when you are 11 stories up.
Sunday we were back up at the crack of dawn, and on the train heading for Denali National Park in our first class train. We rode through Wasilla, but Sarah was not home and we did not see Russia from her porch. The then on through Talkeetna and hurricane gulch and the Chugach Mountains.
A lot of our arrivals were "late" by normal standards, but the sun rarely went down in Alaska during our trip before midnight and we got used to constant day. It made for long days.
The Grande Denali Lodge is located on Sugarloaf Mountain just outside the national park border. It was peak season for the park, and tours run anytime there is daylight. Ours began at 6:45 a.m. and took us about 40 miles inside the park, a shortened tour because of winter road damage. The ride into the park was as spectacular as you would expect, with eveyone wondering if we would get to see the big mountain. 70% of the time it is hidden behind clouds and that had been the case for some time.
When we got to the end of our road we actually could see portions of the mountain side white in the distance, with clouds hiding the peaks.
The tour guide suggested "photoshopping" our pictures if we chose by snapping a picture of a post card from a clear day.
A local tribal member met us in the park for a talk about the native cultures, and we visited one of the pioneer cabins along the way once used by railroad builders and hunters.
On Tuesday we had the morning to check out the park Visitor Center and get back on the train for our last trip to Anchorage.
The lodge took care of our bags and checked them through for us.
One more grand train excursion through the wild country and we were back in the Hilton for our last night. They could not find the reservation for a while, which was about what I had come to expect.
On Wednesday we got a cab to the airport, where the efficiency of Alaska Airlines was a welcome contrast to the confusion of the Hilton.
One night spent at the San Francisco Airport, and we had an easy drive home.
Observations:
Alaska Airlines was a pleasure to deal with. They have gone iPhone crazy (check in online) but it works, the staff was helpful and even the airport food was decent. We would use them again.
America Rail Tours that put together the package, travel, small tours, hotels, was well cordinated and planned. We would use them again.
The best hotel, probably, was the Alyeska Lodge, where we barely had time to sleep. Apparently a room for the night costs about $600.
The worst hotel was the Hilton. No shuttles. Poorly trained desk clerks, who made mistakes that costs us time. No shuttle service, which costs even more money.
Our favorite hotel was the Seward Windsong Lodge. Quiet, Nestled in the spruce trees and cheerful and helpful staff.
Alaska Railway is a gem, an example of how a passenger railroad could be run if American cared less about cars. Food wasn't terrific, but certainly adequate. The staff was always ready to help, explain, answer or even entertain. Charming young people from all over the world.
The ability to get up and move around, visit with your neighbors, and take pictures or just watch for wildlife, made it great. We met a lot of interesting people.
Hard to compare the different tours since some were on river rafts, some on the ocean and some in small buses. All were good. All worthwhile. We learned something everytime.
We crammed a lot into seven/eight days and perhaps should have done a bit less. But then a dinner companion said he and his wife were setting out to see every national park in Alaska, a trip that would take at least two weeks, and one of the bids from a tour company had been about$30,000. He found a better way. So did we.
Our goal was to see Alaska.
We saw Alaska and are glad we did.
More pictures.
On the river at Spencer Glacier.
