Alaska

My adventure to Alaska took me into a winter wonderland, with magnificent mountain ranges, powerful Moose foraging for food, proud Bald Eagles soaring through the air, and the Aurora Borealis lighting up the night sky with neon colors.

GETTING THERE

The main gateway to Alaska is the airport in Anchorage ANC. It has direct flights from all across the USA. Some travelers arrive on cruise ships, and others drive up through Canada. Anchorage was a stunning city, with water on two sides and the eye-catching Chugach Mountains encircling the rest. It combined city comforts with pristine wilderness, and the beautiful Coastal Trail rimmed the waterline. Anchorage was packed with wooded parklands, filled with tall trees and every branch covered in snow, which looked like icing. There were miles of nature trails, where some people hiked, some skied, others snowshoed, and some mountain biked.

AMAZING EXCURSIONS

It was on a trail, while hiking around a frozen lake that I came face to face with two Moose! I watched in awe as the massive mother walked away across the ice covered water. Her hungry teenager did not follow, instead it stayed near me, eating the fresh tree buds which appeared in the sunshine. I stood for hours watching it, and also warning others, who came up with dogs off leash. The moose could not distinguish between harmless dogs and wild wolves, so it would attack any dogs that got near it or barked at it. So I stayed on the trail, warning passers by. Most knew how dangerous moose could be and chose to turn around. Every now and then the teenager made a short high pitched sound, calling for its mom. I met eight more of the huge herbivores while hiking, each moose was very special to see and I was honored they allowed me close by.

Another day, near the Chugach Mountains, I looked up and saw a large bird, with a big wing span, soaring through the air. It was distinctive with its white head and white tail glistening in the sun and suddenly I realized it was a Bald Eagle flying majestically through the air. Another day I found a cluster of bald eagles standing watch, high in trees, there were about 12 of them, young and old.

Both day and night were filled with mesmerizing sights in the sky. The morning sunrise colors were simply breathtaking. The pastel blues and pinks shimmered off the snow, reflecting everywhere. Sunset sparkled with golden highlights among the pastels. Late at night, during times of peak solar activity, the Aurora Borealis danced in the sky, with neon colors of green, yellow, purple, and red.

Flightseeing tours took off from Lake Hood Sea Plane Base, and flew through the sky, offering tourists outings to see panoramic views of dramatic landscapes, animals in their natural habitat, and blue ice glaciers, with ice so compacted it appeared a brilliant color of blue. I went glacier hunting to Girdwood, Portage Lake, and Prince William Sound, and I also saw the rugged Kenai Peninsula.

Anchorage's main winter festival happened during my stay. It was fun and festive, and included world championship dog sled races, a snow sculpture competition, and the ceremonial start to the famous Iditarod Race. There were some other interesting events too, like the reindeer run, the outhouse races, and the blanket toss! I also attended a fascinating fur auction, where people were walking with entire animal pelts around their neck, head, paws, tail and all!

The Alaska Public Lands Information Center in downtown Anchorage was a great place to visit. It had immersive exhibits and interactive displays about Alaska's animals, parks, terrain, earthquake faults and much more. It also had free interesting nature movies in a nice, large auditorium.

The historic Alaska Railroad left from Anchorage, carrying passengers to Glaciers, Fjords, and also to the state's large interior region, offering spectacular sights along the way.

ALASKA'S INTERIOR

I went north to Fairbanks FAI, which had gold rush vibes from years gone by, combined with modern conveniences, but only a handful of tall buildings so its natural beauty remained intact. The Chena River flowed through the city, and met up with the Tanana River nearby.

I took an excursion to Chena Hot Springs, about an hour and a half outside Fairbanks. There was a resort which had a large natural hot spring, which was developed into a spa area. The stars were captivating this far from the city and the resort offered a tour to see the Northern Lights. In addition, the Aurora Ice Museum on site had intricate sculptures, large and small, made of ice and snow, including an igloo which I went inside! The museum was maintained at temperatures below freezing to ensure the carved ice didn't melt. Sparkling lights were strategically placed, bouncing color off the ice and making the museum look vibrant. A bar inside even served drinks in cups made of ice!

Nearby, I met some friendly Alaskan Huskies and learned about dog mushing. There were dozens of dogs, each had their own little dog house, some stood on top looking out, others lounged around, all were well groomed and well fed. The crew took us out dog sledding, and the dogs were so excited to go on a run together. We went on a trail through the snowy woods and it was exhilirating. There was even an adoption wall for people who wanted a retired Husky.

I also took an excursion to a Reindeer ranch, to walk through the forest with a velvety soft reindeer and learn about the animals. In addition, I made a stop at a town called North Pole, which had a store called Santa Claus House. It was packed with holiday ornaments, yummy treats including many varieties of hot chocolate, and there were also some reindeer to meet.

Alaska was a seafood lover's paradise. I ate the biggest, freshest King Crab leg I've ever seen, literally it did not fit on the giant plate! Also a lot of delicious Salmon, hot smoked Sockeye was my favorite, Halibut fish and chips, so many different types of jerky including reindeer, elk, buffalo and salmon. For dessert I topped it all off with Birch Syrup Caramels, which taste sweet and earthy, and Alaska's famous sweet and savory berries.

I met many people in Alaska who returned to visit time and time again. They said summer was incredible to see the white Beluga Whales arrive in Anchorage and the Bears at Katmai National Park, feeding on Salmon as they migrate from the Pacific Ocean to the rivers inside the park. I will definitely come back again.

My journey to Alaska was filled with the best nature has to offer - marvelous snow covered mountain ranges, impressive scenic inlets and waterways, wild animals living in the vast wilderness, and colorful light shows in the sky. It offered so much diversity between Winter and Summer, that it's a destination to visit more than once.