oliviatamccue

The town of Homer is an unparalleled beauty, so under-mentioned in travel books or magazines.  It is the capital of Halibut. 

If you like fishing, it is the place to be.  If you don’t like fishing, it is a great town to stop by to enjoy its beauty, its restaurants, and its ambience.  Driving along the Homer spit is a treat to the eyes.  I rate it as the most beautiful town on our itinerary.   

We spent the morning exploring the beach, the shops and what we could do if we returned.

We stopped by the Potter Marsh, a bit like the Wetlands in Hong Kong but so much grander.  The bald eagle gliding right above was pretty unforgettable, so smooth, so powerful and so graceful.  

We already missed Alaska and would love to go back one day.

Our children awaited us at home!

We checked out Alyeska resort in the morning, to drive to Kasilof river for fishing.  Oh Alyeska, we did not give you the time you deserved.  If we ever come back, we will plan no activity on our itinerary to enjoy your beauty and your offerings. 

Along the highway to Kasilof river of the Kenai Peninsula, we drove by a pair of moose, and one other that had the look of the king moose with a large number of horns and beautiful fur.  So magnificent!  

Our fishing guide was a strong man.  He came and picked us up in a black truck and a trailer carrying the fishing boat.  It was a cool day, with intermittent showers.  We were in our T-shirts when we hiked up the glaciers of Harding Icefield, so we felt that a few layers of clothing should be more than enough for the fishing outings.   The guide pretty much asked us to put on everything we had.  As such, I had my sport pants then ski pants on top before adding the fishing pants that the guide provided .  The fishing pants came with a boot, a bit like a wetsuit, and on top of that, we put on the water-resistant hiking boots.  Then two layers of Uniqlo down jackets before adding the rain gear.  I thought that would have been enough even to watch Aurora!  It was until we were on the fishing boat, drifting through the fast-moving Kasilof river with the rain on our face, to fully appreciate the protection of layers and layers of clothing. 

My husband and I had zero experience in sockeye salmon fishing, nor much knowledge of the fishing tools.  Our fishing guide picked a spot to park the boat.  We got out and walked at the knee-deep flowing river on a cloudy day.  The guide gave us some fishing tools and a quick lesson.  For the first hour and a half, we casted hundreds, if not thousands of times.  Our fishing rod caught some rocks but no salmon.  Our fishing guide got 100% hit instead –  two salmon with two casts!    The flow of the river, the legs standing in the river, the cloudy sky, the seagull, the other fishermen, and the repeated motions all resonated.  It was serene, hopeful, peaceful, and of course tiring.  We slowly got the handle of the fishing motion.  Simply put, the weight at the end of the fishing rod keeps the rod down, the river flow moves the fishing rod, the hook along the rod can get to the salmon as they swim upstream, and our fast flip on the rod helps to strengthen the hold of the hook in the salmon.   Once that idea sunk in, we did our casting more intentionally and had more success in the second half.  My husband and I each caught one and let one escape.  My catch got me sitting in the river, I was soaked but well protected with the heavy layers of clothing. My pixel 3a cell phone was not as protected, and it took a few weeks to finally recover.   Our fishing guide filleted our catches, put them in bags.  The salmon heads and bones belong to the river and made meals for the seagulls.  

On our way back, we saw a bunch of beautiful bald eagles to bring another crescendo to a perfect day.  

We drove straight to Homer, to get the salmon fillets to the specialty shop to bag, freeze and UPS the fish home.  It probably cost a lot more to ship them, than to buy the same amount from Costco.  The joy of getting 24 bags of our own Alaskan Sockeye catch arriving at our home, a couple of days later, was priceless.  The fish was so fresh that it tasted so different. Not only did the family enjoy them, we gave them as souvenirs to our neighbors and our friends to share the experience.

After a hearty halibut and salmon meal at the fresh catch cafe, we checked in at the Lands’ end hotel.  Its facilities were nothing compared to Alyeska resort in Girdwood.  Being at the land’s end, it has among the best views in any accommodations I have stayed in – its unparallelled view of coastline, and the long stretches of snow-capped mountain ranges were simply eye-catching.   

We were almost at the end of our Alaskan itinerary. Coming up Homer and Lands’ End.

Many explore Alaska glaciers and its wildlife in the comfort of a cruise ship, often with a bowl of hot soup and good food.  That was exactly what we planned for the day.

Whittier is the port of embarkation.  There was a 10-minute Whittier tunnel that connected Girdwood and Whittier.   It is among the longest highway tunnels serving both rail cars and all kinds of automobiles.  Its traffic is controlled by a set of traffic lights and is operated on a strict schedule.  If we missed our tunnel schedule, we would also miss the cruise ship schedule.  We were the first in the queue with more than half an hour to spare.  Driving through the long and dark tunnel for minutes and minutes raised some uneasiness close to a sense of anxiety.  Our relief was apparent when we  literally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.  Whittier is a small town with eateries and shops along the pier; and there is one apartment building that houses the majority of the locals in the town. It was relaxing to stroll from one side to the other of the town; 

We had a great seat at the cruise ship, and were soon served with a bowl of hot chowder.  Just as the tour was named for, 26 glaciers awaited us.   These glaciers were often a stretch of whites that looked grander than the Aialik glacier of our kayaking tour a few days ago.  The wildlife added to the wonder.  We saw whales (again), tons of happy sea otters, and some families of seals, plus some more that I no longer could remember.  

The Harvard glacier is probably the biggest of the 26 glaciers.  We stopped to observe the waterfall, the glacier calving and its thundering sound while the cruise officer fished up some ice cubes.  This one-day 26-glacier tour was a perfect setup to appreciate glaciers and wildlife, no more, no less. 

We had our second day of comfort food for our dinner, and quite enjoyed the salt-and-vinegar flavor of the cheap chicken nuggets from the local grocery store.  

Coming up Catching Salmon at Kasilof River.

It was a morning of shopping activities, from the shops near the Anchorage port to the open markets over the weekend.  The suspension of cruise business has taken its toll on the local shops, the streets were pretty quiet and most shops did not have much going on.  From very expensive musk ox yarn, to eating reindeer tacos, to checking out the local artswork, it was an easy and enjoyable stroll, perfectly setting us up for a more relaxing tempo at our next resort at Girdwood.  

Girdwood is less than an hour of drive from Anchorage.  We have been up and down this highway a few times. It was such a scenic drive and at different times of the day, it shows a different version of beauty.  We often stopped for picture moments.

Alyeska Resort, at Girdwood, is among the best resorts we have been to. Its daily rate matches its beauty.   At the entrance, a pair of totem poles reminded us of the indigneous history, a polar bear statue overlooked the lobby area from the second floor and the leather sofa at the lobby added further the sense of luxury.  During these summer months, the Gondola ski lift and winter activities were mostly replaced with other outdoor activities.  We tried to check out the bike rental, only to be told that it was sold out.  Our hotel room gave a view of meticulously manicured gardens, stretches of the refreshingly green forests, as well as the quiet gondola stations.  

We went to enjoy the indoor rustic swimming pool, where a few families were having a good time.   Good restaurants in Alaska equal more than an hour of waiting time.  The nearby Jack Sprat restaurant is a hip place.  When we arrived, it had a live band playing music at the rooftop and gathered an audience who was enjoying the music while waiting.  The restaurant could no longer take any more diners, nor take-out.  The other restaurants also had tons of diners waiting – another evidence of more tourists this summer than usual.  We ended up getting chicken nuggets,  pistachio muffins and other comfort food from a local grocery store and consumed our meal on a bench enjoying the beautiful garden at our resort.   

Next day was the 26-glaciers cruise ship day. 

We had the most expensive and most expected tour coming up.  On the itinerary, we were to fly a couple of hours to the world famous Katmai National Park to watch grizzly bears catching salmon jumping up the waterfall to spawn.   

The day started with some light showers and the sky was cloudy.  The young driver, picking us up from the hotel, gave us no indicator of what was about to come.   After everyone checked in, we were informed that the flight to Katmai needed to be cancelled due to unstable weather.  That dashed our hope of watching grizzly bears feeding themselves salmon over the waterfall.  No-one complained much as safety is millions times more important.  We were disappointed and wondered when we could come back in future years to try again. 

Instead, we spent the day visiting Alaska Heritage Center and gained a new level of respect for the indigenous tribes, their dwelling, their respects, their culture and their way of living.  We learned that they had the habit of backing in a homestead to show their friendliness; we learned that they used the soft squirrel skins as diapers for babies and that many of their homesteads were underground.  We enjoyed the performance of their games to spare the winter, and to train the children’s fitness.  It was not hard to see that much has been taken away from them from the caucacians.  It was both their land, their culture and their abode.  Natives have been given free medical service within Alaska and probably other benefits, yet this gives little comfort compared to what has been taken away from them.  

The heritage center was a place to remember in Anchorage, and that sense of resentment, from the native of having their land taken from them, was a strong reminder of the many exploitations of colonization.  
The Wild scoop ice cream was a more pleasant place to remember.  I tried the Spruce Tip flavor.  That tree fragrance, along with the tint of bitterness at the end, was among the most special ice cream I have ever tried.  If you ever plan to visit Anchorage, don’t miss your chance of trying the ice cream.

Coming up next the luxurious Alyeska Resort at Girdwood.

Anchorage, as a city, did not give much of an impression.  It has been our travel hub, and we have been back and forth of the city quite a few times.  The road to Anchorage could well be more impressive than the city.   As we drove up from Seward,  the Turnagain Arm was quite a spectacular view.

We made a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) to watch a variety of wildlife up close and get to know them better.  We spent a few hours, on our tired legs, watching the moose, musk ox, caribou, reindeer, grizzly bears, black bears, bald eagle, owl, porcupine and more.  

The ghost trees in AWCC were a good reminder of the great 1964 earthquake, one with a magnitude of 9.2 and lasted over 4 minutes.  It was scary to read about it happening.    It also left me wonder how these disastrous happening (or the 1918 pandemic) could often be called the “great” earthquake (or the “great” pandemic)

The Springhill Suites was located near the Alaska Native Medical Center with a lake view.  Natives made up quite a proportion of its occupants, and some were staying in the hotel to wait for surgery at the Medical Center.  The hotel felt like an outpost of the Medical Center more so than a hotel. It was not totally welcoming, and was quite a downgrade from the Bear Lake Lodge in Seward.  

No complaint as a travel hub, esp. We were finally able to take care of our dirty laundry.  Also, our dinner at Simon & Seafort’s downtown was arguably the best meal so far.   

Coming up Katmai bear viewing (or maybe not).

It was our third morning at the beautiful Bear Lake Lodge.  Every morning, we met up and chatted with other travellers while enjoying the breakfast freshly made by our innkeeper.  We met retired couples, young couples, and other travellers, all in good spirits, looking forward to exploring Alaska.  Alaska is so vast that we hardly have the same itineraries with each other. It felt like we were living our lives in a novel in this wonderland. 

The Aialik glacier kayaking, the day before, gave my arms the biggest fatigue of the last decade.  Our legs were still strong. We saw the huge Harding Icefield from the boat trip the day before. We were ready for a hiking day up the exit glacier.   The Harding Icefield offered a spectacular but strenuous day hike from the exit glacier area to the top of the cliff.  We were casual hikers and had no particular destination for the day, and were hoping to be back in time to get to a good seafood restaurant for dinner.  (Finally we got to Wednesday when the restaurants reopened after closing on Monday and Tuesday).   

At the trailhead, the icefield was far up; and we hiked a relatively easy glacier overlook loop trail as the Icefield started to come up closer.  After a few hours up, we were at the Marmot Meadow with a better view.  The fellow hikers told us it was within reach to get to the top of the cliff to look down on the glacier.  Mid-way up, there were more floral varieties as well as plenty of poisonous indian pokes along the way, and more mosquitos too. 

The young hikers walking down from the top often encouraged us, so we continued to journey on.  It took us more than an hour of strenuous hike to cover a distance of 0.8 miles to the top of the cliff, overcoming icy paths and a few slipperies.  There were a few fellow hikers up there taking pictures. It was so beautiful up there.  We felt rejuvenated  and grateful that our knees were still with us after over five hours of hiking, at times pretty strenuous.

It was Wednesday, all restaurants were back in business.  We treated ourselves to a nice dinner of Thai Salmon and Alaska crab leg at the Chinook seafood restaurant.  After dinner, we strolled over to the nearby fish cleaning station, and had a good chat with a local couple who were cleaning tons of salmon.  The lady told us that her huskies love the frozen salmon head as a popsicle snack, and how she and her son loved the winter in Alaska.  In the few Alaskans we ran into, they all seem to be so grounded and have so much energy in their lives.

We had a blast at Seward and the Bear Lake Resort.  We consider the possibility of finding a summer job here in future years!

Coming up Wildlife Conservation Center.

We woke up in the morning.  Wimbledon was happening, and we caught some match play.  Margie, the innkeeper, was busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen upstairs and the fragrance of food made the best alarm clock ever .  During our stay, we had fresh-oven baked bread pudding, waffle, and egg pudding as our breakfast.  

After the MICA-led glacier tracking the day before and a long drive, we took it easy for the day.   We had time to socialize with the host, Pat, about her ice cream truck business. Pat showed us the inside of the ice cream truck,  and I was so intrigued with the meticulous design, with the cleanness, subtlety and complexity that demonstrated the kind of effort required to run a business. 

There was a salmon weir,  where the salmon spawned before its end of life, on the same street as our lodge.  

So many salmon were swimming upstream, that at the beginning, it was not easy to spot.  When our eyes got used to their colors and patterns, it was quite a scene, to see the salmon lining up, and swimming against each other side by side upstream towards the weir.  There were some that did not make it and there were some that clearly had wounds over its body.  A local alaskan warned us to also watch out for bears and said that she ran into bears almost everyday.  That gave us a good scare. Bears eating salmon were something on our itinerary later, but we definitely did not want bears to be within striking distance.  

The weir was across the road, so we walked across to see the salmon spawning. Many salmon did not make it up the first trials, some made it only to be pushed back down by the strong current, a few hit the poles heads-on.  Their perseverance and hardwork was simply humbling to watch.  Up the weir, two volunteers caught a portion of the salmon from the weir to sell them to recover the cost of the research.  Can you believe that there are roughly 5 millions of sockeye salmon around the area? That was like tens of  millions of pounds of meat supply for the world every year.  Simply amazing.

Seward, located in the south end of Alaska, is the south terminus of the Alaskan railways.  It was an important military port during world war II, and was damaged by the great 1964 earthquake.  It is now a beautiful marina with a range of boat cruises.  Its downtown is lined with restaurants and shops, only that most restaurants are closed on Monday and Tuesday.  For a foodie, Monday and Tuesday are days to avoid in the Kenai peninsula.  

The Tokyo Olympics have been delayed for almost a year, and are about to take place in a month’s time.  The poster of Lydia Jacoby, the home-grown Olympian, was seen everywhere.  Our host went to the only indoor swimming pool in the city to swim and it was not even an olympic-sized pool.  When Lydia won the gold medal in the weeks to follow, we shared that happiness.  That jumping up and down celebration of the Alaskans was just so telling (check out  this short video that went viral on social media). 

We headed back to our beautiful lodging earlier, and did an hour of kayaking in Bear Lake.  It felt so good on the calm lake water, enjoying the forests and the mountains surrounding the lake,  appreciating more and more the beauty of living in this place. And our host Dennis told us tons of stories about fishing salmon, hunting and flying. 

We took advantage of the fully equipped kitchen and had a simple dinner of instant noodles and chicken nuggets to finish the day.

Coming up : glacier boat tour and kayaking

It was a beautiful day. We woke up ready for breakfast in the award winning restaurant.  This was the best breakfast so far.  The cabin had a binocular, to help us to find animals, we found none, but it was so comfy to be sitting at the porch of the cabin, breathing the fresh air, and watching the mountains afar.  It felt so good!

The ice trek tour took us into the Matanuska glacier.  Matanuska is a glacier estimated to be 27 miles long, 4 miles wide and 4 miles deep.  

We put on full gear including a hard hat, a well-worn hiking boot from the tour company, and carried a pair of clamping shoes.  The tour guides were two young women, both flying in to work during the summer months.   They told us that the glacier has been receding very quickly.  What surprised us more though was that the glacier started with the “muddy” soil that we stood on; when one of them threw a rock into a narrow muddy poodle, we did not hear the rock landing, that was enough for us not to dip our hiking boots into any of the poodles or crevices through the tour.   This was not a good idea to bring small kids who walked to dip into every poodle they saw.   We did our own facial mask with the muddy glacier soil, it was very cooling and we took a bag of it home at the end ;).   

As we trespassed from the muddy glacier to the icy glacier, we changed to our clamping gear and learned how to walk across, up and down with the clamping shoes.   It was not strenuous but still tiring with the 3-hour non-stop hike on clamping shoes.  There was no resting place once we were on the glacier, we kept walking, only stopping to observe crevices, observe new formations,  refill our water bottles with glacier water, or to take pictures.  The landscape changed so rapidly, on our return, we could no longer backrack on the same route.  Along the way, we could see a few other tours.  

Does the constant human footprint threaten the ice glacier more?  Does our walking on the glacier accelerate its receding? 

We learned to have a full stomach before any long drive in Alaska, and caught a late lunch back at the beautiful Sheep Mountain Lodge.   

We headed south, and Seward was our next place to be. 

The Bear Lake Lodging inn keeper greeted us as we arrived at the Bear Lake Lodging in the late hours.  The innkeeper was a black woman, and we were a bit surprised.  In our mind, Alaskans are mostly caucasians.  We later found out that she was from Virginia and she took good care of us with her friendly demeanor, her delicious breakfast, and her thoughtfulness to cater for special diet needs.   We were tired after the Matanuska glacier hike and the long drive, we wanted a quick check in and a simple room to rest, yet the lodge seemed to be a place in the middle of nowhere.   We were thrilled to discover a spacious 2-floor suite, a fully equipped kitchen, a full bathroom, a half bathroom and 2 TVs at our discretion.  On top of all these, we had a gorgeous view of Bear Lake with a dense forest in the background, a launch dock with scores of kayaks and canoes ready for use, and an airplane for our admiration.  The Bear Lake Lodge became one of the best, if not the best, accommodation in this trip. We would stay here for 4 nights with the innkeeper serving us fresh-made breakfast every morning and the opportunities to meet with fellow travellers.

More on Seward & the beautiful Bear Lake