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  Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States
Friday, September 19, 2008

At the end of my assignment, my GB/TB winged her way to the cloudy, cool state of Alaska to add one more adventure to her "Been There. Done That. Seen That." list.

So, as I wrapped up my work and said good bye to all of the great people who had become my family over the past two months (actually four), my GB/TG covered the streets, museums, and trails of Anchorage discovering things even I had missed!
In a few short days the other consultants had incorporated her into the group and the hotel staff were serving her favorite wine varietal and addressing her on a first name basis. Let me add that the staff at the Marriott Residence in Anchorage is stellar. Do include them in your travel plans. They aim to please and treat you like you were at home. During my stay this time they were home to the management staff of Target. Between staffing and stocking, Target is getting ready to open two sites in Alaska next month.

Labor Day Weekend, a time we both try to slide by without acknowledgment, we started out with a quick trip to the top of Arctic Pass first stopping for lunch at Moose Run Golf Course

The Visitor's Center with grass roof

. It was lovely and a little thrilling. We watched a couple of Raptors disappear from sight as they took off from the AF Base and then saw a young male moose, in velvety antlers, disappear along a dry creek bed into the woods. How do those 1400 pound animals disappear so quickly?

A few days later we set off on our first road trip to Homer. As luck would have it the sky was clear and the sun was brilliant. We saw everything there was to see on the trip down to the Kenai: spectacular views, majestic mountains, Beluga whales, grizzly bears, Mount Redoubt, the bucking salmon, Californsky Street, and Susie's Restaurant. When we arrived, we stopped at Gary and Susan's and got our first view of their cottage designed by an architect featured in the book Small Houses. What eye candy and such a welcome feeling. GB/TB was an immediate hit and we talked our way into the evening before we realized we needed gastric fortification.

We settled on Wasabi's and I was soon thrilled to be seated facing the most incredible view imaginable (no, not my three scintillating companions - or their handsome builder) fringed with non other than Sandhill Cranes that were so still they could have easily been mistaken for lawn ornaments! I ate my Poke in culinary bliss accompanied by one of Alaska's best brewed beers. We will long remember the food, the company, and the view.

With such great local tour guides we jumped in the car and headed to the Spit-Fire Grill for dessert

Fishing Bear

. The sign said "Closed" but my three companions sent me to the door to beg for one last taste of dessert. Michael Hiller acquiesced and I motioned to my companions who dashed from the car into the restaurant. We sat in a 12 x 12 foot area, overlooking the boat harbor, slurping home made ice cream, NY style blueberry cheesecake, chocolatey mousse, and pyramid shaped chocolate dribbled macaroons vowing to return the next day for the brisket, cobb, or grilled cheese sandwiches. If you want to sample some of Micheal's creative and well prepared food you have to hit the Grill during the summer months. He was closing the next weekend for the winter.

We headed back to Two Sister's who treated us as if we were long lost relatives returning home for a visit. The following morning GB/TB got her first taste of the FABULOUS Two Sister's Bakery where we tried one of everything. Seats were at a premium so we joined a lovely young woman and her mother-in-law from the lower 48 and immediately engaged in a spirited dialogue about the food, the weather, and life. Mom had acquiesced to spend the previous night in a tent and was pledging that it would be the "only" night. Her daughter-in-law and husband were working in Anchorage in the health care field and their plan was to continue traveling until they were purged of wanderlust.

After breakfast, GB/TB scouted out a hair dryer and we were soon in the car headed out for more adventures. Don't miss the Islands and Oceans Visitor Center or the Pratt when you're in town

View from Wasabi Dining Room

. We also hit several of the local art galleries and sport's shops to pass the time until our next meal. Heading back out to the Spit to our favorite, I was disappointed to find they were out of the brisket but made an instant recovery bedecking my sandwich with roasted carrots and green salad and ending with a macaroon. Gary and Susan showed up and we ate in good company and talked about the evening's plans. Leaving the Spit we stopped to watch the local fisher people as the salmon broke the water directly over their lines while trying to dodge the two harbor seals that were popping up periodically like bowling balls festooned with whiskers. Our drive back was flanked on the port side with pair after pair of loons - unusual to see them out of fresh water and so visible. Of course it was raining and foggy so they might have mistaken the setting for a haze covered lake at dawn.

With a family taking over the entire upper floor of the Two Sister's, we were forced to relocate to the Mermaid's Cove built above an antique book store. Andy got us situated and we settled in with the intention of cleaning up and going to a local play. Two hours, some beer and wine, and a lot more rain later, we ended up dishing the play in favor of the hot tub located close to the cloud shrouded stars and Northern Lights. If you're in Homer and need a place to stay another choice is Seaside Cottages. Location and ambiance is a plus. Besides you are in close proximity of the Sister's Bakery.

Our final day dawned cloudy but without precipitation and we once again were faced with a crucial life question - What to eat? We called to bid Adieu to our buddies who immediately invited us to breakfast - Gary was out fetching pastries from the Sister's where I think he has a frequent buyers card

Room with a View

. Sitting in their lovely breakfast nook we enjoying a grand breakfast, great coffee, and scintillating conversation before we wrapped up our weekend and headed for home.

A few days later we were headed out again on the route to one of my Bucket List items and one of the major reasons for my return to Alaska. This time we headed north on Highway 3. You really don't need a GPS in Alaska. There are few roads and if you are headed anywhere past Fairbanks, Homer, Seward, or Valdez you had better own a boat or plane. We started in Palmer where GB/TB turned down an opportunity to see the great Musk Ox farm finally ending up at the Valley Hotel - a quaint trip back in history. And yes, like just about every place in Alaska it sported the requisite number of stuffed wildlife. We wandered around and bought some wonderful items at The Garden Gate before going next door to eat at the Red Beet. Fortified, we set out on a picture taking expedition. Later that night we settled into our room with our window opened to the cool night air. Yours truely was on her 3 to 4 AM security watch when I heard the sound of hooves on the pavement. No, it wasn't a mid night parade but an errant moose out for a stroll down the main street in town. Around 4:30 I heard someone being dropped off as his friend shouted, "Have a good night." Good night! It was morning already! If he hadn't already had a good night it was a little late now, I thought. I awoke the second time to the sound of the illusive cranes and we roused ourselves to partake of the hotel's breakfast guaranteed to keep hunters , fisherman, and the occasional tourist free from hunger for at least 12 hours

Halibut - Dorothy please pass it on

.

Back on the road, the sun was shining and we were in high spirits. We got behind a truck that was hauling a couple of "Rent-a-Cans" that blocked the view in front of us for miles - we crossed our fingers that they remained securely fastened to the truck. Soon after they turned off at Willow - the actual starting place for the Iditarod - we looked up to see the first view of Mt. McKinley as it appeared straight ahead of us. I can't explain the excitement that lasted all the way to Talkeetna where we stopped to see the town that that was the inspiration for the series "Northern Exposure" and ponder if we should attempt the assent of the highest peak in North America. Of course, this decision was aided by a halibut sandwich and an Alaskan Ale. Clouds were moving in and having left our climbing gear back at the Marriott we remained undecided as we strolled over to the air taxi office.

What were the odds? We weighed and pondered. What the heck we thought and soon were strapped into a single engine Canadian aircraft with Bill our designated pilot. We suffered a moment's hesitation when he pointed out flares, camping gear, and sleeping bags stored in the back. Had we signed up for the wrong tour? We had that same premonition as Bill turned the plane into the narrow canyon on the approach up to the south side of Denali. YIKES. The rest is history. The sense of unrestrained joyousness as we deplaned onto the mountain is undescribable

Dining with a view

. My immediate thought was, "Now I understand why those crazy mountain climbers do it". Bill said it was the best day he had experienced all summer. We agreed as we walked around the slope taking in the snow covered peaks and brilliant blue sky. We decided that this was just about as good as it gets. What a wonderful experience it was to share with my GB/TB.

Back on the ground we headed on to the Park. How could it get much better we asked? Well, as we settled in to our riverside room, we didn't have to wonder too long because 4:30 AM came very quickly. As luck would have it I connected with Don, a young guide, who ushered us onto our awaiting bus in front of 100 Japanese tourists who unfortunately did not have a seat on the bus. Don stayed behind to solve the problem and we quickly got on our way. Soon we were watching snowshoe hares, a hawk eye owl, ptarmigans - also turning winter white - and a young moose traversing the road. As the morning sun began to dawn, the scenery was unimaginable and changed constantly as we made our way over the miles into the Park. I can only say that the millions of acres of park yielded landscape and wildlife that we will never forget. The fall colors were dazzling. The grizzlys were out in mass, some with cubs. An hour into the Park we spotted caribou herds and a wolf pack that had given birth to young this past spring . A golden eagle and several hawks along with the other regulars were spontaneous sightings along the way as was a huge bull moose who was only visible because his huge rack was catching the sun's rays as he rested about 50 feet off the road in the forest

The Red Beet: European style dining

. We willed him to move but what can you do with a stubborn moose?

I could go on but suffice to say that we ended the day at a restaurant high on a cliff looking out over the miles of brilliant fall colors and the surrounding mountains. As we sipped our drinks what should suddenly appear (it would feel so right to say reindeer because the venue is right) but a brilliant double rainbow to make the perfect ending to a visually spectacular day.

The next day we headed home through Wasilla (my lips are sealed) and then traveled on to Seward where 13 foot waves prevented us from up close viewing of the fjiords. We took in the Sealife Museum and spotted a sea otter playing in the harbor but missed the whales and glaciers. Ray's and the Smoke House satisfied our culinary requirements and we drove on to Exit Glacier where the rain was so heavy it made getting close impossible without your own personal watercraft. We voted and decided to leave our taxidermy paradise and head back to the luxury of the Alyeska Princess where we sampled the fruits of Jack Sprats and GB/TB got to check out the Double Muskie's Pepper Infused Steak. The staff at the Princess couldn't be more accommodating and pool/sauna/workout area was in the 99th percentile. We couldn't see the tops of the mountains because they were shrouded by the clouds that had settled in and taken up permanent residence but we figured we were somewhere in paradise.

Our drive back into Anchorage didn't yield any Dall Sheep but we capped things off with a trip to the Native American Hospital to see the exhibits on each floor and peruse one of the best gift shops you will ever have a chance to visit

Rent a Can

. I'm still thinking about a beautiful hand carved box made by Rose. Then a quick trip back to Pia's for one last look at her Norweigian sweater's where we helped two male shoppers buy a couple of sweaters that their wives are going to love. I'm thinking Pia better put us on commission.

It was almost time to eat again so we drove on to our airport friendly accommodations where once again we had to thank the staff at Marriott for the great rate. We had to clean up and head back downtown for the dinner we had planned at Simon and Seafort's to bid farewell to Gary and Susan and my dear "old" friend Rhonda, with whom I shared summers in Wyoming, and her husband Dean.
Within minutes of being seated, the 6 of us were engaged in animated conversation. Dean and I comiserating about the danger of ladders and Gary telling him that he was certain they had met on the golf course in another life. The women talked politics and marketing strategies. We all hated to end the evening but GB/TB and I had to get on a plane back to Michigan the next morning. On the was back to the hotel we decided we had to make one more stop at the Millinieum Hotel which had been recommended by a pilot on the plane trip out. I had said, "Every building in Alaska has it's taxidermed animals. How can this one be any different?" Well, eat my words. It is the ultimate sportsman's dream. Every animal is the biggest of it's kind. Quite a place we thought as we overheard men getting out of vans talking about the one's that got away.

So sit back and enjoy

South Side of Denali

. Listen for the engines of Bill's plane. There are way too many pictures but you'll be able to decide if this trip needs to be on your Bucket List. If you do, don't forget your camera with at least a 10X telephoto. My Point and Shot has served me well - especially since my GB/TB taped the bottom suggesting strongly that it wasn't a good idea to glue it shut permanently again. A trip like this needs a state of the art camera. I am doing my research but also carefully weighing functions versus ease of carrying. The ability to throw my pint sized camera in my purse means I always have it when I need it which can mean the difference between a picture or NO.

I'm home trying to rip up carpeting, remove moldings, get in some golf, take care of appointments, going on SBR's with the neighbors, and getting ready to head to Europe in October. All I know at this point is that I'm on a solo assignment but haven't a clue as to where. My buddies in Italy are rooting for me but you know what will be will be.

Let me add there is nothing better in life than to be on the open road exploring new places, meeting new people, and learning new things with you best GB/TB.

SEEN IT!

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Outside the Park	Double	Smoke Shack Dining	The Millennium
Too Close for Comfort	Susie's	Mt Redoubt	Cranes are coming
Cranes	Cranes 2	Cranes 3	Gary in the Kitchen
The Miller's Cottage	Alaskan Lawn Furniture	Heading to Palmer	Bares
Summer View of the Matsu	Fall View	Valley Hotel	The first glimpse!
Getting Closer	Later view	Flight 1	Moraine
Moraine 2	McKinley	Flight 2	Flight 3
Flight 4	Flight 5	Flight 6	Flight 7
Does Bill Know Where He's Going?	Has He Done This Before?	Flight 8	Flight 9
Flight 10	Flight 11	Flight 12	Flight 13
Flight 14	WOW, check out those Italian sun glasses!	Flight 15	Magpie
The Park	Park 2	Park 3	Park 4
Park 5	Park 6	Park 7	Park 8
Park 9	Grizzly	Park 10	Park 11
Park 12	Park 13	Park 14	Park 15 with an obstructed view of Denai & caribou
Park 16	Restaurant with a view	View	Rainbow
Sunset from the riverside room	Seward Hotel - Taxidermy Paradise	Seward Hotel 2	Seward Hotel 3
Less Expensive Accommodations	View from Ray's Boat House	The Harbor	Smoke Shack
Smoke Shack Chef	Truth in Advertising	Exit Glacier	Wasilla
Alyeska	Alyeska Wildlife	Alyeska Sculpture	The Millennium 2
Evening hike	The Motley Crew	Samari Sushi Sculpture - for you June	Base View
Only in Alaska	Amanita muscarias	Oosik with Ivory Caps	Cranes Departing: THE END

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