33. Alaska - Part 2

Month: June 2017

Location: Anchorage

The mosquito infested trail

It was overcast in the morning as I walked towards the waterfront which had a walking and biking path along the ‘Tony Knowles Coastal Trail’.  When I say waterfront, it’s not like the beautiful riverfront of Pittsburgh or Chicago, but an underdeveloped property with lot of vegetation.  That means it was a mosquito infested area and I soon realized that being on a bike was a much better proposition than walking.  However, the trail is parallel to the train line and the trains passing by were indeed a spectacle.  There are few better modes of transportation than the trains in Alaska and years ago I had been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel on one.  While most of the world has moved away from the golden age of railroad travel, Alaska still holds on to that proud tradition.

The place to be for brunch in Anchorage

The trail went on for miles, but I had other places to get to and so I returned back to the starting point and went for brunch to one of the more popular destinations called ‘Snow City Café’.  The place was full and with a long wait.  Fortunately for me I had reservations and while I waited for my table it was interesting to hear conversations of my fellow patrons, who had arrived as students from other places in the nation and had never left.  I could see why since this is a gorgeous place, though the winter months may persuade me otherwise.  After brunch I walked back to my hotel and called for my car.  It was time.

The beautiful 'Seward Highway'

With my trusted phone navigation, I drove outside the city and got on the ‘Seward Highway’ that takes one to the fantastic ‘Kenia Fjords National Park’, which I had visited last time.  As one gets outside the city, the highway runs right next to the ‘Turnagain Arm’ of the ‘Cook Inlet’ and during the times of high tide, the water is but a few meters away from the road.  Beyond that are the magnificent mountains and as the road twists and turns, it is one of the most beautiful drives anywhere in the world.  I still remember how spellbound I had been when seeing it for the first time.  I had noticed then that between the road and the water was a train line and if there ever was a reason to take the train, this was it.  My buddy I were to drive the next day to Seward and I had persuaded him to let me take the train a part of the way.  So early next morning he had dropped me off at the train station in Anchorage.  The idea was for me to take the train part of the way to a station called ‘Girdwood’, where he would pick me up.  The interior of the carriage had been quite a sight, and was nothing like one expects in a train.  It had rained all the way there and there wasn’t much I could see outside.  But whatever I had seen, had been enough.

A tale of 2 pictrues

As I approached my exit, I looked out and spotted a small road going towards the ‘Girdwood Station’.  Back when I had arrived by the train, I was surprised to see that the station was nothing more than a shack.  And I had no phone service.  Clearly I hadn’t thought this through.  Fortunately a gentleman had seen my predicament and given me a ride to a nearby gas station area which had a few shops.  One of those had been a place called ‘Alpine Bakery’.  I had a “Cake Doughnut” and Latte while waiting for my buddy and had even taken a picture of those.  I pulled into that gas station and found the bakery and ordered the exact same things as last time.  I took another picture and put them side by side to show to the barista.  I am a sucker for revisiting memories and this was a good one.  With the backdrop of the mountains, how could it not be?

Going up the trolley

About 3 miles away was ‘Alyeska Resort’, a high-end hotel, from where you could take a trolley up into the mountains.  Years ago when I had first come here, I had been mesmerized right from the moment I had stepped on board that trolley and all through my time on the mountain.  It had been the single most unique experience of my life and the most beautiful sight that I had ever seen in nature.  I parked my car and walked up the path towards the resort, which looked like it was preparing for a wedding.  I got a ticket for the trolley – which I felt was a bit expensive – and then rode it up to the peak.  It was amazing to see the resort get smaller, though it wasn't just that.  All around me, some of the more spectacular vistas were emerging.  On one side were glacier capped mountains and on the other side was a view of the ‘Cook Inlet’.  Adventurous people can also reach the top via a trail and I saw a few hikers on a narrow path.  The trolley was full of people as well as a cart of food products for the exclusive fine dining restaurant on the top.  Well, if we were to be stranded up there, at least we wouldn’t go hungry!

At the top of 'Mount Alyeska'

As we emerged on the top, the ground at certain places was covered by snow.  Plus it was uneven in places, which combined with the high altitude and the cliff edges gave one a sense of vertigo.  But there was no denying the fact that such views are just not seen every day…well unless you are working at the restaurant I suppose.  I walked around a bit, being tentative around the edge, though there were a few brave souls who were tempting fate in exchange for a good picture opportunity.  The wedding party was here as well and some of them were also carrying bottles of beer, which would not be the wisest strategy next to a cliff.  One of my favorite things about this place had been a gift shop with an outdoor 360 degree balcony that gave the visitor the best views of the valley.  Back when I had come here, I had chatted with the shopkeeper and had even purchased a “Goodnight Alaska” children’s book.  I found that they still had the book, but the shopkeeper was gone.

The breathtaking view

I could have stayed here forever, and I did walk around the balcony several times, before deciding it was time to go back down.  With a final look around me, I entered the outgoing trolley and began my journey back.  This is a place which is truly mesmerizing, one which you may not think about for years.  But then one night you dream about it and all the memories come back.  Visiting Alaska is not the easiest thing to do, especially with the long travel.  So it is unlikely that I will pick Anchorage again for my next trip here.  But I do have a feeling that an indescribable longing for this place will bring me back someday.  I know I will return.

On the shore of 'Portage Lake'

People have a fascination with glaciers, which can only be understood once you have seen one.  A few miles away was ‘Portage Lake’, where resided ‘Portage Glacier’.  I drove to the lake and by the time I arrived at the “Visitor’s Center” it had turned into a gorgeous afternoon with clear skies complimenting the crystal blue lake.  I learnt that there were several options open for me, including a couple of hikes or I could take a 1 hour cruise to see the main glacier.  I decided to do the cruise and was told that I could get my ticket on board the ferry. Since there was some time to spare, I decided to do one of the shorter hikes which led to a viewing area for another of the glaciers.  However, after a while I realized that there wasn’t enough time to go to that viewing area and be back on time to catch the ferry. So I abandoned the trail and rushed back and drove to the pickup point.

Approaching the glacier

The ferry was docked and at 4:30 pm they let us on board.  We were all assembled on the top deck and it was very pleasant as we set off.  There was a lady providing commentary and pointing out some of the sights.  The thing I found fascinating was how one loses a sense of scale in Alaska and things which appear closer and smaller are actually further away and a lot larger.  This was evident from a beach, which looked like it was only accessible by a canoe.  There were people over there that looked like ants when seen against the backdrop of the mountains.  I also saw a few dogs there, though I have no idea how they made it there in a canoe!

Beats having to fight someone
for a spot on the plank!

As we got closer to the glacier, it started looking more imposing and the blue color that every glacier reflects could now been seen clearly.  Plus there were icebergs in the water and while there was no chance of us going down as ‘Titanic’, I could still hear them knocking against the side!  The crew was volunteering to take pictures and so I posed against the glacier while wearing a flotation ring!  Glaciers are a marvel of nature and the fact that they are disappearing is both alarming and sad.  In fact, this one has receded quite a bit over the last few decades and there were pictures on board showing that.  We were on the way back and no one had come to collect my money for the ticket.  So I went downstairs and asked a crew member who was surprised that I did not already have a ticket, complaining about their lax policies.  I agreed with him since I could have easily sailed for free and I wondered if there were others doing that.

A stop at 'Midnight Sun Brewery'

We docked and then began my long drive back to Anchorage, though I did not mind because of the scenery.  I wanted to make a stop on the way at a place called ‘Midnight Sun Brewery’.  This was another of Alaska's craft breweries, and a famous one at that.  I had stopped here the last time and it had been a hidden place in an isolated alley.  As I parked the car it all came back to me and it was just the way I remembered it.  I got a small beer and then headed back to the hotel for the rest of my evening.  I wasn’t planning on going to multiple places and so just had a drink in my hotel before heading out for my final dinner in Anchorage.

The view of Sun that refuses to set

Popular opinion was that ‘Simon & Seaforts’ was the place to go for food while here.  It is a restaurant close to the waterfront, and I got seated at a table with a nice view.  There were 2 things that I absolutely wanted to try before leaving and this place had them.  One of them was “King Crab” and while I have always been intimidated of handling such items in the past, I just had to do it.  I was glad that I did, because it was as good as advertised, and besides a few blisters on my fingers, I did not embarrass myself in front of the other diners.  Now there was just one thing remaining.

"Baked Alaska" in Alaska

I had been fortunate in my childhood to have been exposed to various cuisines and dining experiences.  Some of my earliest memories were of this one place that we used to visit, where they capped each meal by rolling out a dessert cart.  But one day they brought out this amazing creation which was set on fire in front of us and after the flames had subsided, the server cut into the item to reveal a still frozen ice cream underneath.  How was that even possible?  Although at that age I had no idea what Alaska was or where it existed, a dessert bearing its name quickly became one of the most anticipated items on the menu for me and my mom and we always scanned the menu to see if a restaurant served it.  There was no way that I would ever leave Alaska without having “Baked Alaska” and this version came with “Fireweed ice cream’, which you cannot get anywhere else.  As the sun tried to set late at night, I had accomplished everything that I had set out to do.

Till I return

There wasn’t much anything remaining for next morning, and so I decided to head to the airport early.  I was connecting through Seattle and had a 45 minute layover, with a terminal change.  This was making me nervous, but I decided to put my faith in the hands of the airlines.  I dropped off my rental car and as I passed through the security, I noticed that there was an earlier flight to Seattle, which would give me some extra time before my next one.  So I asked and to my pleasant surprise, they had a seat for me.  However, this flight was running behind schedule and so there were a few people who were sweating on their connections.  As soon as we landed, they rushed out and in the haste, one of them grabbed my bag instead.  Fortunately they realized that and were waiting on the ramp for me, but now would have to wait till everyone deplaned before going back in.  Well, sometimes haste can backfire.

That was the only drama though and I got back home as anticipated.  This was one of the 2 big trips that I would be doing as part of these travels.  But it was so much more than that.  I had really wanted to return back to Anchorage and 'Mount Alyeska' in particular. Perhaps I wanted to confirm that I had not dreamt of it, and that it really does exist.  And now that I am back home, I want to return.  I guess that’s how it always goes.