Monthly Archives: August 2011

Saturday was Road Trip Day as we made our way via tourist bus from Healy just outside Denali, through Denali, and back to Anchorage by way of Wasilla.  You know Wasilla, I’m sure, as it was a former mayor of Wasilla who brought international attention and fame to Alaska’s much-envied educational system.  But I digress.

The skies didn’t exactly open up to a sea of cerulean blue, but at least it quit raining for most of this segment of our journey.  Unfortunately, Mount McKinley was still hidden by overcast in the distance, and refused to make even the hint of an appearance.

By the time we got to Houston the rains had started up yet again.  No.  Not that Houston.  The other one.  In Alaska.  Just north of Wasilla, home of Alaska’s most famous Wasilla High School graduate.  But I digress . . . again.

At any rate, we rolled back into Anchorage around 6:00 P.M. and, with the foresight and intelligence thrust upon us by virtue of the fact that neither of us had ever attended Wasilla High School, we had reservations at our favorite Anchorage eatery.  This was our third trip to The Glacier Brewhouse, having gone there twice before on our first stay in Anchorage earlier in the week.

Now, if you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know that any restaurant that beckons us back three times in one week has got to be a lot better than merely great.  The Hearty Alaska Seafood Chowder here is an absolute winner.  Their pizzas are among the best outside my own kitchen.  Their White Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake is by far one of the best restaurant cheesecakes you’ll ever try.  And on top of all that, they brew their own beer—this meal had me trying their exquisite India Pale Ale.

Here are a few shots taken of our road trip and our meal at the Glacier Brewhouse:

The weather in Healy was the worst we’ve encountered yet on our trip through Alaska.  Low clouds shrouded the nearby mountaintops.  Rain ranged from nearly constant to merely frequent.  Mount McKinley, or Denali as it’s sometimes called, was completely hidden.  Nature’s colors were muted beneath the solid overcast and, unfortunately, my pictures reflect that.  Despite all that, the trip to Denali National Park and Preserve was a fun one.  Along the way we even saw one mama moose and her calf, although I didn’t try to photograph them through the windows of the moving bus.

The visitor center at Denali National Park was one of the better such venues I’ve seen, with a lot of interesting displays and information on everything from the geology of the park to the abundant flora and fauna.

As for our accommodations, we stayed at the Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge, which is run by Princess Cruises.  It’s a charming place, with a log-style veneer, comfortable beds, and the usual amenities.  The only real complaint I would have is that the walls and ceilings are far from soundproof, and the people residing above us walked to and fro with the gentle footsteps of a stampeding herd of angry bull elephants, in heat, on a bad day, with thorns in their feet.  Meanwhile the plumbing let us know in no uncertain terms each and every time a neighbor was flushing their toilet or jumping into the shower.  My recommendation is to make sure you ask for a room on a top floor.

Despite the challenging lighting and resulting muted colors, below are the photographs I took of this segment of our journey.  Interestingly, there was enough light to take shots well after 9:00 P.M. despite the cloud-darkened skies.

Our foray into the Alaskan interior was pretty eventful both Wednesday and Thursday.  On Wednesday, we hiked a couple miles along the Chema River to Fairbanks’ Pioneer Park.  What an incredible deal!  Entry is free, and you get far more than you paid for in return.  Pioneer Park has many old structures that were relocated from various places around Fairbanks and reassembled in the park.  Each structure has a little plaque denoting its individual history.

Also residing in the park is the S.S. Nenana, a paddle steamer that plied the waters of the Yukon, Nenana, and Tanana Rivers from 1933 until its retirement in 1955.

Near the S.S. Nenana is an unnamed hero of the Panama Canal, the Davidson Ditch, and a veteran of projects in far away Hawaii.  It’s a rusted out steam shovel that has seen better days and deserves better preservation than it’s received to date.  But at least this little piece of history is available for viewing today.

As for paid attractions, Pioneer Park hosts a tour-guided railroad and a small but rather unique aviation museum, both of which I can highly and enthusiastically recommend.

On Thursday we began our long, arduous North Pole trek.  We hopped a bus, took off to the east southeast, and forty minutes later found ourselves in North Pole, Alaska.  You thought I meant the North Pole.  Nope.  I’m talking about that other North Pole.  This is the North Pole that gets all those letters mailed to Santa Claus every year during that very special time, and the main attraction and claim to fame is an establishment known as Santa Claus House.  This small town comes replete with Holiday-themed street names and streetlights disguised as enormous candy canes.

And, as usual, here are the pictorial highlights for both Pioneer Park and North Pole check out the first photograph for the sunrise and sunset times for August 3 in this part of Alaska):