leaving alaska on a high note
Dates: September 11, 2022 - September 15, 2022
Distance: 992 mi / 1596 km
Route: Anchorage > Glacier View > Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve > Alcan Border
It’s always strange to me how the passing of time can feel both quick and slow. We spent two months in Alaska and while it feels like we were boarding the ferry in Prince Rupert bound for Ketchikan just yesterday, it also seems like we spent a significant amount of time exploring as much of Alaska as we could.
We knew our time in Alaska would come to an end eventually, and we’re just glad we got to end our time there on a high note.
Anchorage
A fellow Scout owner and our friend, Brett, grew up in Anchorage. He happened to be visiting his folks while we were in the area and invited us to hang out with his family for the day.
Wanting to make a good impression, we stopped by Planet Fitness for showers and then made our way to Brett’s dad’s house where we met his family and hung out in the driveway with a couple of beers, enjoying the long lost friend, the sunshine.
Hanging out in the driveway at Brett’s family’s house. Photo courtesy of Brett.
Joined by Brett, his sister-in-law, Amy, and Amy’s daughter, Lily, we took to the town. Spirits were high and the good vibes between Brett and Amy were contagious. It was quite a surprise when we eventually learned that they were only related by law–they just got along so well and seemed like siblings. We checked out Anchorage Brewing Company where we sat at a picnic table outside, entertained ourselves with play-doh, courtesy of Amy and Lily, and learned more about Brett’s former life in Anchorage.
From there, we managed to hit up a few other attractions in the area, without much help from Brett’s less-than-great navigational skills. Mike and I laughed from the backseat as Amy continually begged Brett for directions to our destination. In his laissez-faire way, he was unbothered by the urgency and not too concerned about the minuscule details pertaining to getting from point A to point B.
Lake Hood Seaplane Base is the busiest float plane airport handling nearly two hundred flights per day. Hundreds of small planes sat docked in rectangular spaces, shaped by the bank. Amy and Lily play a game of calling out “bingo” whenever they see a yellow vehicle, and the bingos were flying as we drove through the airport. There were a surprising number of yellow planes, as well as more variety than expected in the bodies and designs of the aircrafts. For some reason, I expected these small planes to be much more standard in their design.
Lily, Brett & Amy at Anchorage Brewing Company. You can never go wrong with beer, paint, and play-doh.
After Lake Hood, we popped over to Potter Marsh Wildlife Viewing Boardwalk, which is sadly not a Harry Potter-themed wildlife viewing area with hippogriffs, centaurs, and cornish pixies lounging about. It’s simply a run-of-the-mill, beautiful natural space and boardwalk through marshy plains
Brett explained to us that usually when he visits home, he sees moose everywhere around Anchorage, but this time, he hadn’t seen any. So we were on a mission to find some moose–or meese, as I call them in plural form–and they told us that this Potter Marsh would be a great spot to find them.
Feeling a bit symptomatic, I hung back on a bench while the others took a walk down the boardwalk through the trees. Brett chased Lily and soon they were all out of sight. I took in the view of the flat marsh before me, which sprawled to the base of mountains in the distance. It was quite a view, but I have no photos to show for it as neither Mike nor I took any photos on this day, not even on our phones, as we were swept away in the company and enjoying ourselves.
We were expected back at the house for a homemade spaghetti dinner, which none of us wanted to delay. So after failing to spot any meese, we headed back and into the house where dinner preparations were underway. Lily and I picked up where we had left off with the play-doh, while Brett and Amy helped get dinner ready.
Brett’s step-mom, or as they call her for obvious reasons, ‘bonus-mom,’ clearly knew what she was doing when it came to spaghetti. We all sat down together at the table and began dishing out the noodles and homemade sauce. The food was delicious, and the company, more than pleasant.
Grateful for a wonderful home-cooked meal and a fun, sunny day spent with friends, old and new, we bid Brett’s family adieu and headed to the Cabela’s parking lot for the night.
Multiple people had cautioned us not to spend too much time in Anchorage–they said there were so many better places to explore than Alaska’s biggest city. In contrast to these warnings, our brief time in Anchorage with Brett and his family was a highlight of our time in Alaska. It only goes to show that it’s not always about where you are–oftentimes it’s about who you’re with. And besides that, Anchorage did have cool stuff to check out. Breweries, Lake Hood, Potter Marsh, the views around town, supposedly meese running about everywhere, and lots of good food options.
Note: If you’re ever in the area, be sure to try Biscuit Club for breakfast.
Glenn Highway take two
Because of the limited number of roads in Alaska, it was inevitable that we would find ourselves traveling the same route more than once. This was the case for the Glenn Highway. After parting ways with our friends Andy and Nadeesha back in August, we had headed east on the Glenn Highway for the first time. It was a beautiful drive then, but the second time around in mid-September with the vibrant fall colors abound, was even more stunning.
Matanuska Glacier
Wanting to linger a while longer with the views along this highway, we pulled into a spacious gravel lot beside the road and set up camp. Mike discovered we were parked at the trailhead for Lionshead View trail, so he and Granger set off for a hike.
At the entrance to the trail, there was a sign stating this was private land, owned by AT&T, and to call the number provided in order to access the property. Well, that’s different, Mike thought. Half expecting no one to answer on a Sunday, Mike dialed the number as instructed. To his surprise, a friendly woman answered and wished him well on the hike.
The view from the top of Lionshead View trail.
Granger would speed ahead up the steep incline, dash back to Mike, and spring forward again as if she were the end of a yo-yo and attached to Mike by an invisible string. Mike was convinced that her hike was at least six times longer than his.
Upon his return to the start of the trail, he called the friendly woman a second time, who was curious to hear how his hike went.
Happy girl on the trail.
Back at camp after the hike, we sat outside enjoying the view and perfect weather. At some point, a vehicle of men pulled up next to us in a white SUV. The five of them got out of the car and walked towards us, clearly wanting to talk about the rig.
Their accents were heavy–our guess was either Russian or Ukrainian–and they told us they were visiting from Portland. We didn’t catch their names, but one of them was a fellow Scout owner and had seen our YouTube videos. After a friendly but brief chat about the camper and our respective travels in Alaska, we said goodbye, and they continued on their way.
Find the red and white tower next to the building with the blue roof. Directly above the tower is the gravel lot where we camped. We are the tiny speck to the right of the tower.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
The next morning we followed the Glenn Highway until the town of Slana, where we turned south towards the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
Note: “Wrangell-St. Elias is a vast national park that rises from the ocean all the way up to 18,008 ft. At 13.2 million acres, the park is the same size as Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined!” Read more about the home of nine of the sixteen tallest peaks in the US at nps.gov.
It was a perfect fall day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the leaves yellow and orange, and the mountains stood tall and sturdy in the distance. It’d be cool to ride the bike on this road on the way out, I thought. And as it so often happens, Mike read my mind and asked “do you want to ride the bike the rest of the way?” Absolutely–why put it off until later when I can do it now?
Mike slowed the truck down and veered into the next pull-off along the side of the road. He began unlatching the straps on the bike while I went to grab my helmet and gloves out of the truckbed storage, unsuspecting of what I would find.
As I unsheathed the helmet from the red cloth bag, I noticed the bag felt damp. And once it was removed, I was shocked to find mold growing inside of my helmet. A quick check of my gloves and Mike’s helmet and gloves revealed that they all had succumbed to this dire fate.
Note: In the deluge of rainy days we experienced during the previous weeks, we made the mistake of putting the gear away when it was still wet and forgot to take them back out to air out. Lesson learned.
Determined to ride, we wiped out the helmet and gloves with Clorox wipes and let them air out. Unfettered, but also unsure of how sanitary or safe this solution was, I eventually tugged on my Clorox-smelling helmet and slightly damp gloves.
I rode the rest of the way to where we would set up camp. Seventeen miles of gravel and pot-holey road, cold fingers, gorgeous views, and feelings of independence made for my longest and most rewarding ride to date on the bike. I’m so glad I didn’t let a little mold get in the way.
Definitely got my boots wet on this crossing. The gravel below the water was very loose causing me to slide around quite a bit.
When most people think of camping, they don’t usually think of sleeping in parking lots or road pull-offs. They think of campfires, spending time in nature, and the tranquility of having nothing else to do besides being right where they are. Though we camp every night in the camper, we often don’t feel like we’re out camping. But that wasn’t the case for the three days we spent in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, which rendered these few days some of our absolute favorites in Alaska.
Farewell Alaska
Fairly fatigued from my motorcycle rides and failed attempt to overpower a river (see video below) the days before, our last night in Alaska passed unceremoniously. We camped near the Canadian border in a free campground where I slept the evening away and Mike occupied himself with a book.
As we headed to the border the following morning, it was another marvelous day. We wondered where all this sunshine was when we were back on the Kenai Peninsula, but appreciated it nonetheless.
Proof of the perfect weather we had for these few days.
We took in our final views of Alaska and proceeded to get in line at the border. Having now crossed back and forth between Canada and the US many times, we know how pivotal a role the agent you get can make. They can be friendly and curious about your travels or they can be unnecessarily serious—at least in our opinion.
Fun side story: For example, we once had a border agent close down his lane to come over to the lane we were in and love on Granger. He told us he also has a griff named after a Harry Potter character—Hagrid.
We pulled up to the window attended by a young, stern looking woman. We smiled and said ‘hello’ and she asked for our passports. While she was looking them over, Granger sat up in the back seat, mostly hidden behind the tinted window. Noticing this, the agent, looking even sterner now, asked curtly if we could roll the window down. We complied and explained it was just our dog and that we’re also traveling with a cat. With a few more questions and continued lack of any positivity or warmth, she sent us on our way.
Our final days in Alaska were a perfect end cap to our two months of traveling this beautiful land. After spending eight weeks in this massive state, we felt like we had gotten a decent taste of what Alaska has to offer, but we knew going into this that it would be impossible to experience everything.
Behind the scenes of the first photo of Matanuska Glacier.
The cool thing about this lifestyle is even when we fall in love with a new place, it doesn’t usually feel sad to leave it. Not only do we know that we can come back if we want to, which in this case we very much do, but we also always have something else down the road to look forward to.
When the time came to cross the border and leave Alaska in the rearview mirror, we felt ready to do so. We were excited to spend more time in Canada, to get back to the lower 48 to visit with loved ones, and eventually to begin heading south into Mexico and beyond.
