Saturday, May 30, 2009 - Anchorage to Seward

We had a busy first day in Alaska!  It's unbelievable how beautiful it is here - I can only imagine what's in store for us the rest of the week.  We were told the mountains received a fresh dusting of snow last night and they were breathtaking.  

After breakfast we headed for the Saturday Market in downtown Anchorage.  The market grounds overlook scenic Ship Creek and Cook Inlet.  We met some interesting and friendly folk there one being a teacher (formerly from Minnesota).  He and mom hit it off and when Rachel and I met up with them he had us in stitches and assured us the plans we've made while we are in Alaska were all worth doing!  

We later called Avis and they had a van for us just a few blocks from where we were in downtown Anchorage.  Yippee!  We are relieved that we now have a much larger vehicle.  There is a 60% chance of rain in Seward tomorrow so we rescheduled our Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise for Monday.

The drive to Seward was spectacular!  We made many stops along the way - the first being Potter's Marsh.  Rachel and I walked out on the boardwalk soaking up the sights and sounds of this peaceful marsh.  We spotted a few bald eagles on our walk back to the car.  The panoramic views we were able to see throughout the day were spectacular! 

There were tons of cars parked along the Seward Highway alongside the Twenty Mile River so I got out of the van to see what everyone was doing - they were in the water netting for smelt.  It was drizzling rain, about 50 degrees and some were having picnic lunches alongside the river.  

By the time we reached Seward we were ready for dinner.  We stopped at a restaurant that overlooked the marina.  As we were eating Rachel spotted a charter boat unloading fish into a cart.  We saw that they were just a short walk from the restaurant so after eating we walked over to see the fish that had been caught.  One of the "big fish" was a 120 pound halibut.  Rachel and I received a lesson on halibut today...Did you know that a halibut is white on one side and dark on the other?  Did you know that the halibut has two eyes on the dark side?  They do look very strange.  

We are staying in Seward for two nights and our hotel overlooks Resurrection Bay.  Tomorrow we plan to visit the the Alaska SeaLife Center (Alaska's only public aquarium) where we will see puffins, octopus, seals, sea lions and more as well as Exit Glacier.

Pics are coming!

We are here!

We arrived this morning at 12:05, got our luggage and headed to Avis to get the van - they oversold vans so we ended up with a Highlander.  We are calling Avis this morning to see if we can trade for a van (if one comes in) as we are totally out of room in the Highlander because of all the luggage.

Looking out our hotel room we see snow capped mountains so I'm anxious to get out and see the sights.  Later this morning we are headed to the Anchorage Market & Festival to see what that has to offer.  Jordan has requested a Eskimo yo-yo, totem pole and a Sarah Palin t-shirt.

Will post more and pics later.

Ready and waiting

We are all packed and waiting for our ride to the airport! I am really excited but dreading the long flight to Alaska. We have a 3 hour layover in Atlanta and then we fly to Salt Lake City where we will meet up with Rachel. From there we have a 5 hour flight to Anchorage and will arrive at 12:05 AM Alaska time - that's 4:05 AM EST. I promise I won't call anyone to let them know we arrived safely.

Tomorrow we leave!

It's hard to believe we leave tomorrow! I am 80% packed, mom is packed and Rachel will begin this afternoon after she gets off work. I am going to head to the pool at 9:00 to get my last dose of "Vitamin D" before the trip. Mani's & Pedi's late this afternoon then I think we are ready to rock or fly!

Luggage is out

When I realized we leave in four days I almost panicked and decided it was time to get the luggage out of the closet. I took three bags out - not sure I'll use them but with Delta allowing me to check three (bags) I feel like I'd be letting them down if I don't take all the luggage they allow.

We'll probably look like the Clampett's once we hit Alaska!

We leave in one week!

Wow, it's hard to believe we leave for Alaska in one week - I am psyched and can't wait to get to cooler weather. Wonder if they have igloo hotels?

Land of the Midnight Sun

Two nicknames Alaska is know for are The Last Frontier and Land of the Midnight Sun. Both intrigue me but the latter, Land of the Midnight Sun, has me eager to get there. Knowing we will have 20+ hours of daylight each day just blows my mind. Rachel will probably have a hard time sleeping (unless we have room darkening shades in our room) and I tend to be "nocturnal" so I will enjoy the almost endless daylight hours on our trip!

Photo ops

There are so many photo ops in Alaska that I feel I need to purchase some extra memory cards for all the pics I plan on taking. The two hour drive from Anchorage to Seward along the Seward Highway has 35 suggested stops of spectacular views as we will pass between the dramatic shoreline of Turnagain Arm and the jutting peaks of the Chugach Mountains. We will continue through the Kenai Peninsula counting down the mile markers as we approach Seward, which is nestled between Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Mountains.

Mom is used to me saying "stop" or "photo op" when we travel - I trust Rachel will be as patient as mom is when I need to get that perfect shot. I'm sure Rachel will break out in laughter when we have to stop six times between mile marker 47.2 and 37.7 - does seem kind of overkill, doesn't it?

Delta, Delta, Delta, can we help ya, help ya, help ya?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I'm really getting aggravated with that automated lady on Delta! I can't stand her! I think it's okay to "hate" a machine, isn't it? She is very annoying and sometimes I'm rude to her.

Earlier when I talked with Delta I was told if you travel first class you have access to the Crown Room Lounge - I wanted to confirm that as we have a three hour layover in Atlanta. The bad news is you need to fly international to gain access to the Crown Room Lounge with your first class ticket. We had that privilege when we flew to London.

Isn't Alaska "almost" and international flight?

The countdown begins - 2 weeks until we leave!

We leave for Alaska in two weeks! I'm getting excited about the trip and need to start thinking of packing and making sure I have enough memory cards for my camera. I plan on taking tons of pictures and will post highlights of the trip each day (as long as we have internet access.)

One plus of flying first class is we get to check up to three bags for free! Not sure I need to take three bags but it might be good to have them for any purchases we make.

The book

Mom and I put together an itinerary we now call "the book" which is quite lengthy. It's filled with all sorts of information - flight schedules, car rental reservation, hotel reservations, Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise reservation, things that are on our list do see and do, daylight hours table, our theme song North to Alaska, Fun Alaska Facts, Learn to "Speak Alaskan", and much much more. You will see many of these things posted at a later date.

Rachel

If you know my sister Rachel, you know "decision making" is not one of her strong points. It took her three months from the time we decided we were going to purchase her ticket. Rachel will be leaving from Dallas and joining us in Salt Lake City. I'm glad she is going as we will have a blast as she laughs over nothing, and she is one of my best friends.

Planning the trip

Not many people plan trips the way this trip was planned. On December 31, 2008 my mother's 48,000 Delta SkyMiles were going to expire and if you know me that was totally unacceptable! We talked about going to Hawaii for lunch, New York City, Louisville for a Christian Ladies Convention, or Texas for my sister's birthday. None of these really excited me as the flights to and from NYC, Dallas and Louisville are usually reasonably priced. I suggested Alaska and checked to see how many SkyMiles we needed to take to take this trip - much to my surprise it was 45,000 miles to travel from Ft. Myers, Florida to Anchorage, Alaska FIRST CLASS!

With the minutes ticking away we decided to book the flight! I used 45,000 of my SkyMiles as well - we each paid $10.00 to book our tickets and we both opted for the travel insurance at a cost of $15.00. Going first class to Alaska for $25.00 is a "real deal" in my book!