Showing posts with label Fairbanks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fairbanks. Show all posts
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Great Alaskan Road Trip: Home!
We are back home in Homer. I can't believe I actually did that trip...1,200 miles, on my own with the kids in the mountains of Alaska. Wow. We are all glad to be back to our own beds tonight, but both kids want to move to Fairbanks and live on the riverboat. Photos to come tomorrow after I download and edit them.
Great Alaskan Road Trip: Day 6
This morning we left Fairbanks under a quadruple rainbow and headed south to Talkeetna, detouring back into Denali one last time to stretch our legs. There were other people at the Mountain Vista trail this time, so we were able to go for a short walk. The mountain was again hiding all of itself but a sliver, but we did see another bull moose on the way out. The whole drive took us about 7 hours, but we took our time and made several stops.
Talkeetna is our new favorite getaway spot. Main Street is lined with shops and restaurants, and biking, walking, and riding ATVs are all acceptable ways to get around town. We checked into the Talkeetna Roadhouse and are staying at their Trapper John's cabin about a quarter of a mile off the main drag (and on the same property as the roadhouse owner's home). A true trapper's cabin, it comes complete with pelts on the walls and a kitchen with all vintage appliances.
We walked down to the community-built playground (which was further than we thought), designed by the same company that just did ours in Homer. It was similar yet very different, and felt much more Alaskan-themed than Homer's, but I don't think I could choose one over the other.
We headed to Mountain High Pizza Pie for dinner and intentionally ordered too much so we have leftovers for tomorrow. Then it was back to the cabin for jackets to help keep the killer mosquitoes at bay before heading on a short walk.
The roadhouse proprietor told us to head down the street from the cabin and around the end of the village airstrip to pick up a trail through the woods by the river. I felt like I was back in Kodiak, where we would cut between the airstrip and the float plane lake to get to the diner. As soon as we got to the end of the airstrip, a plane started taxiing for takeoff. To say the kids were surprised as it flew right over our heads is an understatement.
Our hike through the beautiful birch forest was short lived thanks to the mosquitoes. We are all tired anyway, so the kids are tucked in bed while the Alaskan summer sun streams in the cabin's kitchen window and the resident roosters crow at 8:30pm.
Tomorrow it's breakfast at the roadhouse and then back to Anchorage with stops for groceries and running shoes, and then on home to our much-missed Dad, dog, and beds. Adventure Girl says she wants to keep traveling around, and Little Man wants to play in his own room with his own toys.
Photos: quadruple rainbow leaving Fairbanks, one last glimpse of hidden Denali, Talkeetna, playground in Talkeetna, Mountain High Pizza Pie, Trapper John's Cabin
Talkeetna is our new favorite getaway spot. Main Street is lined with shops and restaurants, and biking, walking, and riding ATVs are all acceptable ways to get around town. We checked into the Talkeetna Roadhouse and are staying at their Trapper John's cabin about a quarter of a mile off the main drag (and on the same property as the roadhouse owner's home). A true trapper's cabin, it comes complete with pelts on the walls and a kitchen with all vintage appliances.
We walked down to the community-built playground (which was further than we thought), designed by the same company that just did ours in Homer. It was similar yet very different, and felt much more Alaskan-themed than Homer's, but I don't think I could choose one over the other.
We headed to Mountain High Pizza Pie for dinner and intentionally ordered too much so we have leftovers for tomorrow. Then it was back to the cabin for jackets to help keep the killer mosquitoes at bay before heading on a short walk.
The roadhouse proprietor told us to head down the street from the cabin and around the end of the village airstrip to pick up a trail through the woods by the river. I felt like I was back in Kodiak, where we would cut between the airstrip and the float plane lake to get to the diner. As soon as we got to the end of the airstrip, a plane started taxiing for takeoff. To say the kids were surprised as it flew right over our heads is an understatement.
Our hike through the beautiful birch forest was short lived thanks to the mosquitoes. We are all tired anyway, so the kids are tucked in bed while the Alaskan summer sun streams in the cabin's kitchen window and the resident roosters crow at 8:30pm.
Tomorrow it's breakfast at the roadhouse and then back to Anchorage with stops for groceries and running shoes, and then on home to our much-missed Dad, dog, and beds. Adventure Girl says she wants to keep traveling around, and Little Man wants to play in his own room with his own toys.
Photos: quadruple rainbow leaving Fairbanks, one last glimpse of hidden Denali, Talkeetna, playground in Talkeetna, Mountain High Pizza Pie, Trapper John's Cabin
Friday, June 8, 2012
Great Alaskan Road Trip: Day 4
Day 4? Really? That's it? Seems like we have been on the road much longer, with all we have seen already this week!
Today we drove just over 2 hours to Fairbanks. The drive was peaceful and beautiful, with a two-lane highway and nearly no other traffic. My favorite was the Skyline Drive portion of the Parks Hwy. right outside of the city, with enormous views of rolling green hills and snowy mountains in the background. No photos, since I kept missing the viewpoint turnoffs. Being driver and navigator at the same time is not my normal road-trip method.
We fit in a lot today, starting with a visit to Pioneer Park, complete with playground time, carousel ride, and train trip around the park grounds. We left because we were HOT. It is in the mid-70s here, the warmest day of the year.
Then it was off to run around on the trails at Creamer's Field, which was the perfect place to expend some extra energy. The field was full of sand hill cranes (and the forest was full of mosquitoes). The helpful woman in the Visitor's building set me up with a map and directions to cooler activities for the kids, should we need more indoor ideas.
We then checked into our most luxurious lodgings of the trip, Pike's Waterfront. My Alaska TourSaver book coupon got us a deluxe riverfront room, two nights for the price of one. Cushy beds, PBS on the flat screen for a little kid downtime, and a tiny balcony overlooking the Chena.
We drove around downtown Fairbanks after dinner and came back to Pike's to trade in our wooden coins (for Alaskans only!) for free ice cream cones in the lobby.
Tomorrow we're using another TourSaver deal to ride the Riverboat Discovery, three hours on the Chena River with a stop at Susan Butcher's sled dog kennel and a tour of an old native village. After that, naps are in order, followed by a visit to North Pole (a real town, 15 miles away) to visit the reindeer and the Pagoda Chinese restaurant for dinner takeout on the recommendation of a few locals today.
As for the 600 miles from "the end of the road" to Fairbanks, travel has been very easy. We must be just a bit earlier than the RV invasion, because we haven't had much company headed north since leaving the Wasilla area (and we did not see Russia from there). The highway is mostly one lane each way, with plenty of stopping places, both scenic and for gas and food. I wish I had a copilot so I could enjoy the scenery a bit more, but we are taking the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Denali in August (another TourSaver buy one get one; getting much more than out money's worth from that book!), so I'll get to enjoy more mountain views and wildlife then.
Photos: Pioneer Park (formerly Alaskaland), swings you would only find in Alaska, Creamer's Field, free ice cream meets overtired boy
Today we drove just over 2 hours to Fairbanks. The drive was peaceful and beautiful, with a two-lane highway and nearly no other traffic. My favorite was the Skyline Drive portion of the Parks Hwy. right outside of the city, with enormous views of rolling green hills and snowy mountains in the background. No photos, since I kept missing the viewpoint turnoffs. Being driver and navigator at the same time is not my normal road-trip method.
We fit in a lot today, starting with a visit to Pioneer Park, complete with playground time, carousel ride, and train trip around the park grounds. We left because we were HOT. It is in the mid-70s here, the warmest day of the year.
Then it was off to run around on the trails at Creamer's Field, which was the perfect place to expend some extra energy. The field was full of sand hill cranes (and the forest was full of mosquitoes). The helpful woman in the Visitor's building set me up with a map and directions to cooler activities for the kids, should we need more indoor ideas.
We then checked into our most luxurious lodgings of the trip, Pike's Waterfront. My Alaska TourSaver book coupon got us a deluxe riverfront room, two nights for the price of one. Cushy beds, PBS on the flat screen for a little kid downtime, and a tiny balcony overlooking the Chena.
We drove around downtown Fairbanks after dinner and came back to Pike's to trade in our wooden coins (for Alaskans only!) for free ice cream cones in the lobby.
Tomorrow we're using another TourSaver deal to ride the Riverboat Discovery, three hours on the Chena River with a stop at Susan Butcher's sled dog kennel and a tour of an old native village. After that, naps are in order, followed by a visit to North Pole (a real town, 15 miles away) to visit the reindeer and the Pagoda Chinese restaurant for dinner takeout on the recommendation of a few locals today.
As for the 600 miles from "the end of the road" to Fairbanks, travel has been very easy. We must be just a bit earlier than the RV invasion, because we haven't had much company headed north since leaving the Wasilla area (and we did not see Russia from there). The highway is mostly one lane each way, with plenty of stopping places, both scenic and for gas and food. I wish I had a copilot so I could enjoy the scenery a bit more, but we are taking the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Denali in August (another TourSaver buy one get one; getting much more than out money's worth from that book!), so I'll get to enjoy more mountain views and wildlife then.
Photos: Pioneer Park (formerly Alaskaland), swings you would only find in Alaska, Creamer's Field, free ice cream meets overtired boy
Sunday, June 3, 2012
On the road again...
Wow. A year ago right now, we were in the middle of our journey from Connecticut to Alaska. The past year has flown by, and we feel completely at home in Homer. So much so that I do believe we will be back for good once our Coast Guard ride is over. Sorry, Mom(s). But I think you knew this already.
The past month has been a whirlwind, with the end-of-school activities, playground build, and lots of crazy ship logistics. Today was our first regular weekend day in longer than we can remember. The highlight of the past few months for me has definitely been the playground build. Now we not only have a fantastic new place for the kids to play and spend time with their friends, but we also have lots of new friends of our own, met alongside table saws and paint brushes.
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| It started as a forest of posts, 18 of which I helped set myself! |
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| Last day of work |
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| Complete, huge, and awesome. |
We are finally greening up around town, with new baby moose wandering around and dandelions everywhere. Two sets of moose twins were born in our neighborhood. And after spending a winter's day at minus 26 degrees, 55 is t-shirt weather for sure.
Monday the kids and I are headed north for what we are calling our Great Alaskan Road Trip. The LT (soon-to-be LTCDR-select!) can't get away from work, so we are going it alone. We will be spending time in Denali National Park, Fairbanks, and Talkeetna along the way. We haven't been further north than Anchorage, other than our drive in from Tok, so we are really excited to explore new-to-us parts of the state. I downloaded the Blogger mobile app, so I should be able to give daily trip highlights along the way, just like we did last year with our drive from CT to here. If you have been through or to any of the places we are headed, please leave us suggestions of your favorite pit-stops and attractions!
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