Hello From Alaska!

Hello from the Far North!

The Road Show has taken off for the 49^th state! Alaska is huge and wonderful! We started out in Anchorage, where we enjoyed some of the downtown area –especially Humpy’s for lunch and Artique for art-and stayed with a new friend who lives in the hills east of the city. The views are spectacular-far off and close up!

I saw a moose on my morning walk, which was quite exciting. She was checking me out, so I moved on rather quickly!

We then drove down the Seward Highway stopping at Girdwood (The Bake Shop and the Double Musky are must do’s here) and ended up in Miller’s Landing, a small community with a boat ramp, camping areas, and several B&B’s and homes, just south of the town of Seward on Resurrection Bay. Bald eagles are easily spotted, and we saw sea otters playing in the water just off the beach.

We stayed at our friend’s cabin on the bay, and once again my Camp Northland years stood me in good stead –the outhouse was just down the path through the trees….This cabin was really lovely!

Although with 19+hours of daylight, we didn’t need a flashlight in the wee hours (hah.)…..

Seward is the farthest north ice-free port in the US, so it was very important during WWII and for shipping. You can see the remnants of the army fortifications in various places around town and in the bay. Now it is a recreational area and cruise ship port, and a site for a maximum security prison if you don’t behave….It is also the terminus for the Alaska Railroad and the traditional start for the famous Iditarod sled dog race. It has a nice main street area and a slightly more commercial port area.

We ate at Thorn’s Showcase Lounge (go for the fried halibut chunks and bar ambience), The Breeze Restaurant for breakfast, got coffee at the Resurrect Art Gallery and Coffee House. Outside of town, on the road to Exit Glacier, we stopped in at The Salmon Bake (“Cheap food and lousy beer”) for halibut, salmon, and Alaska microbrews. It’s in a log cabin building and has some rustic atmosphere.

We took a boat ride through Kenai Fjords National Park, looking at the sea lions, humpback whales, puffins, even an orca who killed a porpoise just off the stern of our boat. We also saw Holgate Glacier from the water, and watched huge chunks calve into the sea.

DH and I took the Exit Glacier hike-through the pine and cottonwood forests up to the edge of the glacier. They won’t let people actually go up to the glacier and touch it any more, as someone did that and was killed when a piece fell off and hit her. The husband was telling her to “back up a little more” so he could get a better picture. Hmm.The winds coming off the glacier were quite strong and very cold. They are called “catabatic” winds.

We had to say goodbye to the cabin and head back to Anchorage.

We stayed one night and got on the road for Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs. It was a long drive (400 mi.) through beautiful scenery: Mountains, forests, marshy bogs, farm land. We stopped at the Musk Ox farm to see those woolly creatures. We looked for Mt. McKinley, but it was hidden in the clouds. Only 30 % of people who come get to see it. We hope we beat the odds. Saw 2 moose on the roadways; We drove by Denali National Park and plan to go back there next week.

Made it through Fairbanks and on to Chena Hot Springs. The springs were discovered in 1905 and there have been camps here ever since. It is now a year-round full-service resort with lots of activities, and of course, the hot springs.

It has an ice museum that is very interesting-and cold! We're here another night and then on to Fairbanks, Denali, and Talkeetna before heading back to Anchorage and home. Hope to get some photos on Flikr soon.

Kayaking and Family Reunion

We've stayed pretty close to home lately, except for the Family Reunion, which is a little later in the post. We did our annual kayak race with our good friends early in June. This time we traveled west to Junction (where West Texas begins) to conquer the South Llano River. We stayed at a lovely purpose-built B&B called the South Llano River Lodge. They cater to those come to the area to enjoy the river-either fishing or kayaking. Our hosts, Walter and Susan, were quite welcoming and friendly, and we enjoyed the ranch setting.

We did about 5 miles on the river-we drove up to a park and put in the boats and floated down past our B&B to the first bridge. Along the way we saw a few tubers, and a couple of horses cooling off in the water.


Cows expecting lunch.

The water had a good current and few rapids. Some of us went back for more the next day, and some got to enjoy the fishing. We had dinner at the County Grill and Isaak's Restaurant. Both are BYOB and serve hearty portions. The County Grill had amazing chicken fried steak (according to those who ate it-I'm passing along their recs).
Isaak's had a mounted jackalope-always sad to see that another wild animal has become someone's trophy on a wall.
The weather was great and we had a lot of fun!

Then we traveled to the Windy City and points north for our first formal family reunion. I saw cousins I hadn't seen in many many years! (Let's just say the cousins are grown up and have kids that are older than they were when I last saw them!) I got to see college friends and go to the Chicago Botanic Gardens, which are amazing. It's a huge place, and each section flows to the next with carefully planned walkways and sightlines.

The rest of the weekend was spent at Geneva Lake, WI. We stayed at the George Williams College Campus, in Williams Bay, which is on the west end of the lake. It is a great place for a conference or reunion, as they have many housing options and meal plans. We had a private dining room for each of the 2 nights and even the cafeteria had excellent breakfast food! I heartily recommend this place! We took a boat ride on the lake and our driver/guide pointed out the beautiful summer homes of the rich and (sometimes) famous. We loved the s'mores around the campfire and the egg toss competition! The camaraderie was great and everyone got along-it was just so great to see the patriarchs and their families together again!This is not supposed to be a hyperlink to anything, and I dont know why it's writing it like this.
Geneva Lake is not that far from Chicago (about 60 miles) but it can take hours in the rush hour traffic-everyone rushing to their weekend places! We drove through farm land, horse country, small towns and lakeside communities with boats in every yard. We stopped at a Brat Stop, all things meaty and tubular. And lots of cheese, too.
DH and DS got caught up in stormy weather and almost didn't make the reunion. But hours on the phone with American Airlines got them 2 seats the next day and they made it in time for most of the fun.
We spent our last night back in the Chicago 'burb where I grew up, and had dinner with long-time friends and family. We drove past my elementary school and my old house. The house looked bigger and the yard looked smaller than I remembered. I remember being able to walk "uptown" and go to 31 Flavors (Baskin-Robbins) and get an ice cream cone for 12 cents. (2 scoops: 25 cents with tax). I didn't even recognize uptown any more. Ok. Enough of the geezer talk....
Safe travels to everyone this summer!
More from the Road Show later this month!