Alaska 2026: Seward AK Front Row B&B
This is the view we woke up to from our suite at the Front Row B&B.
These are the spaces we were privileged to inhabit. We felt so blessed to find this exquisite place to stay.
The bed in our room – incredibly comfortable and also a work of art.
The common areas: uncommonly beautiful.
We had an all-day exploration and fishing trip, and when we returned, salt-soaked, sunburned and exhausted, a guest we had met was waving to us from the balcony saying, “Come on up!” We quickly cleaned up and went up to join all the other guests. The man, who stays at Front Row often, had prepared an impromptu cocktail party with some very fine wines and charcuterie boards.
His generosity of spirit blew me away. We guests didn’t know each other, but all the wine and good bites broke the ice, and we ended up having a very good time, or so the happy noise level informed me. Of all the times we have stayed in B&B’s, this was exceptional and memorable.
The common space is lovely for relaxing, perfect for dining. for entertaining, and is equipped for the pickiest, most needy guests. You can watch whales in the bay from this room, or the attached balcony.
The view of Mount Alice:
AdventureMan was so smart. He took the photo of the wine served at the cocktail party, a dry, complex red wine we both thoroughly enjoyed.
And no, I took the photos when the other guests were not around! 😄
If you want a hot breakfast, you walk a very short walk to a partner B&B where the property manager, Sarah, prepares your dream breakfast.
I needed an oat-y cereal, and Sarah went to her living area and brought out her personal stash – just exactly what I needed – oats, seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and there were fresh bananas to cut and put on it. She made this graciousness feel effortless, and she took her time with us, answering all our questions and giving us the information we needed to make our time in Seward most productive. Conversations with Sarah substantially improved our understanding of the quality of life and current issues in Seward.
Our last morning in Seward, we still had some wonderful smoked salmon spread from our meal at Highlight, so AdventureMan asked her if she could put it in an omelet. She said she could, and whipped up one of the most beautiful and tasty omelets ever, using fresh-cut chives from her garden.
Sarah oversees a variety of rentals and has a keen eye for important details. I cannot imagine a better place to stay in Seward.
Alaska 2026: Alaska Loves Her Veterans
Getting ahead of myself a little bit, on our last day in Anchorage, we were downtown looking for a place to park. We found a parking lot, but it had different areas with different rules and we found it very confusing. A young man was headed to his truck near us, so AdventureMan asked him what the procedure was for this section.
Taking in AdventureMan, he said “Are you a Veteran, Man?” and AdventureMan said “Yes.”
The young man gave a huge grin and said, “You don’t have to pay! I never pay! Alaska loves her veterans! They won’t come after you if you are a veteran. I park her all the time. I never pay!” and then, as soldiers do, they pulled out their resume’s and started comparing where they had served and it was old home week. Happens all the time.
As we were saying our farewells, he remembered something.
“Just try to keep it under an hour,” he said. “I can’t guarantee you can park longer than that, and I try to be respectful and not push my luck.”
“I try to be respectful . . .” I found that so refreshing.
We found evidence everywhere that Alaska truly does love and treasure and remember her veterans. By the side of the highway, as we neared Anchorage, we found this lovely Memorial.
At this memorial, I ran into a childhood nemesis. I don’t know the scientific name. As children, we called it Devil’s Club, and it grows in patches, and it scared us to death. Whe kids got mean, they might cut down a Devil’s Club and threaten one of the younger kids. It could really hurt, too, if you got hit with one.
Alaska 2026: Denali to Seward, Not That Bad
Our day was off to an inauspicious start; AdventureMan slept poorly last night, and thus, so did I. I also had some concern because I had been without internet and had received no information about how to get into our Seward VRBO. And I wondered if having scheduled a 6 hour driving day was such a wise idea, maybe I stop half way? Once that chain of anxiety gets started, it’s hard to bring it back down.
I was up early and noticed it was a truly glorious day, even better than the day before, not a cloud in the sky. Was it possible we would see Mt. Denali in all its glory before leaving the area? And then AdventureMan woke up and was optimistic about being able to drive all the way, with a stop for lunch in Anchorage. Life started looking a lot better.
Within minutes on the road we were exhilarated. Every mountain was showing off peaks against a deep blue sky. The air was fresh, but not cold. There were few cars on the road. We got to the viewpoint for the north face of Mt. Denali and – there it was! We entered a nearly empty parking lot, but by the time we left, it was like a big party, more and more cars arriving and everyone is excited – the mountain is out! We get to see Mt. Denali!
A Swedish woman saw us doing selfies with Denali and offered to take a photo, then said, “No, that is not good with the fence behind you,” and moved us to another place.
The end of winter in any state our country with snow and ice means the inevitable road work. In Alaska, whole roads can wash out from the winter snow melts.
The second viewpoint was even more crowded – everyone celebrating this great surprising day, after weeks of rain and an extended winter, people were feeling optimistic again. You could even see Mt. Denali from Anchorage.
It was a long day. We stopped along the way at a Veterans Memorial Park to read about Alaskan veterans who had fallen in various conflicts. We stopped for gas. We stopped and took photos, anything to stretch our legs, get in a few steps and break the drive.
We had thought we would have lunch in Anchorage, but as we turned south onto Alaska 1 South, it was all industrial, with a scattering of fast-food places we didn’t want. Then we hit Turnagain Sound, and our hunger disappeared in our wonder at the snow-clad mountains, the long flat inlet and the hope of spotting whales – the scenery was spectacular.
Life is funny. We had thought this would be a hard day, a six-hour drive. We had dreaded it. To our amazement, we are loving this day, full of sunlight on snowy white mountains, a gasp as we make a turn and see another breathtaking sight.
We finally went into Girdwood, a really fun hippy-era town with a lot of highly individualistic inhabitants. AdventureMan spotted a restaurant with a great name, Base Camp, and we decided to check it out.
This is not my photo. I cribbed it from Google. It captures the amasingness of this place.
We hadn’t expected much. It was 2:00 pm and we were starving and just about any place would do. As it turned out, this place was a great find. It was like a big diner, with a wonderful menu, including a halibut main course that came with half a plateful of stir-fried vegetables. I also had a blueberry ale, and it tasted like blueberries! You can see it in the top photo, below.
We were so happy when our plates arrived – full of vegetables. And not soggy, tasteless vegetables, but vegetables that taste so good that you are happy to be eating them! The halibut tasted fresh, and was cooked exactly right.
Everything was delicious, and just what we needed to revive our spirits for the remaining hour and a half of our trip. And we received a text with our instructions for our B&B!
We drove into Seward, carefully following the instructions to our B&B, turned into a house facing a waterfront park, just steps from the historic part of downtown Seward. We held our breath as we entered – and discovered it was all that we hoped for – and more. We looked directly out on a small waterfront park, and beyond that – Seward Bay and and the sunlit snowy mountains beyond. It was stunningly beautiful. The unit was clean and had a full kitchen, heat and hot water, storage, AND fresh orange juice, a basket of blueberry scones, and another basket of fruit awaiting us.
We also learned there was a shared space above us, with a huge, fully supplied kitchen, a living room from which we could watch for whales in the bay, coffee makers and even an entire drawer full of tea bags. After this long drive, we felt we had arrived into our own personal paradise.
We napped. We needed it.
Then we walked up to the main street, passing an old train station, now a restaurant and cafe, and found a wonderful restaurant where we had two of the most delicious salads, ever. Mine was a blueberry quinoa salad, with crispy quinoa, lots of pecans, and lots of blueberries on a mixed salad/spinach base, with a balsamic vinaigrette. Light, textured and delicious – my favorite kind of dinner.
The waiter was from Puerto Rico, working in Seward for the six months of the tourist season, and having a great time. We were so impressed with all the servers we met, from all different countries and states, each excited to be working in Alaska, full of adventerous spirit.
We explored downtown Seward; it reminds me of Juneau, where I grew up, and Edmonds, WA, where I have also lived. Our B&B is just like a corner in Edmonds, right on the waterfront, where traffic is negligible by nightfall.
We were so glad to settle in and get to bed, and we slept ten hours!
Alaska 2026: Gorgeous Day to Explore Denali Area
A whole new day! It’s still only 41 F. but the sun is out, and the sun is shining on the snow on the mountains and it is another great day to be alive in Denali!
We had packed our own breakfast cereal with us, and the tiny store at our hotel has small bottles of milk so we get to have our own breakfast in our own cabin, with wonderful Alaskan roasted coffee for me, and tea for AdventureMan. Mine is an oatmeal mix, so I heated it in the microwave because it is still cold.
We are going to take it easy today, head back into the Park, and visit the Visitor’s Center, watch a couple of their movies and then head up the road to Healy, where there is a restaurant I want to try, 49th State Brewery. It looks like a lot of fun, and it gets great reviews.
Sometimes I drive AdventureMan a little crazy. We were about 15 seconds on the road, not even out of our hotel grounds when I gasped and said “I don’t have my camera!” and AdventureMan concealed his disgust but couldn’t restrain a small choking sound. Gentleman that he is, he turned around and we went back, I ran in and got my camera and we got started again.
As we headed north to the Park entrance, we looked in the rear view mirrors and the sun was shining on the mountains, and we could see the mountain peaks! The peaks had been hidden by clouds the last two days, but today, we have blue skies and dramatic high clouds and you can see the mountains! They are glistening in the sun!
There is a turn off, shortly after we get on highway 3, and we take it, hoping to find a viewpoint, and discover a sweet small park with the beginning of several hiking trails, one of which, the Oxbow Trail, we had wanted to hike.
View across Nenana River of Denali Park Village, which handles tour groups.
It was a beautiful hike, with several outlooks, different views, glorious in today’s sunlight. And ground squirrels, unafraid of us. And rabbits – one of which just froze and allowed me to take photos. AdventureMan said “he thinks if he is so still he is invisible to you.” So after I had taken the photos, I looked away, and when I looked back, he was gone.
The drive to Denali Park entrance was filled with one beautiful vista after another. We were there by 9 and had no trouble finding a parking place, but already people were arriving and the tour buses were streaming in. You have to admire the guides and bus drivers who have to keep it fresh every single day.
We watched an inspiring movie about the sled dogs, and their relationships with their rangers, and how the dogs are a part of the team trying to keep to traditional ways in the park to avoid over modernization and damage to the eco system. Winter, for them, is one of the best times of the year, as they take the dog teams deep into the park to set up remote locations. It’s a good time to be working with the senior dogs, and at the same time to be initiating the younger dogs into the commands, the customs, and the routes they follow. Some of the conditions, especially ice, are very difficult. Life is simple, and hard. Work, food, care, shelter, and time for making the dogs feel appreciated. It was very moving to see how loved these dogs are, and how much they like to pull the sleds.
In another area, we could see and even touch the most basic tools by which early people survived. I’ve had a question about how early people were able to make needles; today I saw how bone was used, and some may have already had holes, but that bone can also be used to pierce bone. I saw how sinew is used as a twine, twisted into rope, and thin sinew can be used as a kind of thread. Moose shins were valuable for weaving, moose skins for clothing and bags. Small rabbit skins for lining wraps for babies.
To me, this is fascinating, how early people survived by inventing solutions to problems with their existing resources. Drying, filleting and smoking salmon to make it last, harvesting and drying berries to get them through the long winters – we take so much for granted, we live among such luxuries. I look at safety pins and think of all the processes that had to be invented before a safety pin could exist. But before safety pins would be buttons, made from bone, with two little holes to allow them to be sewn on with that little sharp bone with the hole in it.
We took a short drive up Denali highway; traffic is controlled, only authorized buses are allowed inside the park past the ranger station, unless you have a camping permit, then you can drive but you are encourage to use the shuttle buses, not drive. They are very serious about preserving the pristine nature of the park.
Yesterday, it was the thrill of the game viewing. Today, it is the wonder of the sun on snowy mountains, a spectacular display.
We need to find gas, and we want to have lunch, so we continue north up Alaska 3 to Healy, where we pass all the way through without seeing the restaurant we are looking for, which is right on Highway 3. We turn around at the end of town, and head back. While AdventureMan fills the tank, Google and I work out where the restaurant is and how to get there.
Even with the directions, we might have missed it. We had to make a left across traffic, and then another left into an area with a hardware store and other businesses, very rural, but then, suddenly, there it was. Their sign shows beer, but the name of the restaurant is very small, small enough to miss even if you are looking for it.
It is a really FUN place, the 49th State Brewery. You enter through a tall log arch into a big outdoor courtyard, with seating in groups around fire pits, or wood fires, and it smells wonderful. Once inside, the decor is a mix of modern and rustic, very hip and current. The menu has so many temptations, but we want halibut and chips, one of the restaurants most famous dishes. They also have Alaskan Red King Crab legs, l 1/4 lbs for $184. Yikes. I have always loved King Crab. $184/lb is a little rich for my blood.
We love talking with all the young people we meet who have come up to Denali to work, some recruited from foreign countries by agencies. We’ve met people from Jamaica, Uzbekistan, Macedonia, Thailand, Bulgaria, and young people recruited by friends in the USA.
Mary, our server today, was told about this opportunity down in Tampa, FL. She called, was interviewed by phone, and told to report for duty in three days! We laughed! I asked her if she had packed the right clothes, and she said no, that she had to order a jacket from Amazon because she had left her own puffy jacket at home, thinking she wouldn’t need it. We love hearing their stories. We love that young people are still up for adventure.
Back in our cabin, we are packing up for the long drive tomorrow from Denali to Seward. We have two campers in the spots next to our cabin, and we understand our privacy has been a great luxury. We are at the very start of the season, and the crowds of people eager to experience Alaska are growing daily.
If we had known how much we would love Denali, we would have given ourselves another couple of days to explore more here, and maybe to make the drive to Fairbanks and North Pole, Alaska (not really the North Pole, but a Christmas driven town.)
Alaska 2026: The Tundra Wilderness Expedition
(Maps are courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service)
We get a great night’s sleep when we fall into bed around 6 pm local time – a combination of our bodies still being on Pensacola time and the body cost of a full day’s drive following a full day’s flight to get here. We were wide awake before 6 a.m., a really good thing because we had reservations on the Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour and needed to be at the pickup point by 7:40.
Denali Park Village is just across busy Alaska Highway 3, which is not busy on a Sunday morning so we get there, get a parking place and AdventureMan asks me if we have our paper with the confirmation. No. As we left the cabin, we were busy unplugging all the heating devices – fireplace, radiator, and the coffee maker and the microwave, washing up the breakfast dishes.
No, I had left it on the table, where I had put it, so I wouldn’t forget. We got back in the car, drove back to our cabin, I ran in and got the paper, and we were back in the same parking place in five minutes, still early so we would be on time.
The lobby was packed! There must have been two hundred people there for tour pickups. The first pickup was the Denali Raft Trip. It’s 40 degrees outside, and the rivers are formed from glacial runoff. Still, a group of hardy twenty-somethings is headed out on the waters for an Alaskan adventure, and a part of me momentarily forgot I am not a twenty-something and longed to be going on that trip.
We discovered that many of the guests to be picked up were from cruise ships – the Princess Line and the Holland America Line maintain their own hotels just up the road at a busy, very tourist-oriented center with lots of shops and fast food restaurants. A group of Windstar people arrived and were being given their instructions when our tour bus drove up, stopping in front of AdventureMan and I. We got on, and sat a few rows back from the front.
AdventureMan said “This is a Blue Bird bus!” We used to see them all over Doha, old school buses with names of American schools in cities that had long since updated their buses. It was not roomy or luxurious, but it was heated and had windows that you could pull down when we spotted bear, or moose, or other game.
Our guide, Mike, was excellent. Without sounding the least bit authoritarian, he laid down some routines which would make our next few hours together more civilized – he formed us into a working team.
“If you see something,” Mike said, “Yell ‘STOP!’ and I will stop. Don’t yell ‘BEAR!’ or anything else, just yell “STOP.” Then he explained about the clock system of pointing out a location, like twelve is the front of the bus and three is 90 degrees to the right, etc.
“And even if it turns out to be just a log in the field and you think it’s a bear, yell STOP! Don’t be embarrassed if it’s just a big rock or something, that just happens. If we all work at spotting, we’ll have a great day.”
And he was right. The people on the bus went up and down, and we spotted. It was a grand day.
I probably should tell you that it was a cloudy day, and then we had some heavy showers, and then we had an hour or so of snow. Truly! And between all that, we had some great game sighting, and heard some wonderful stories of the founding of Denali Park, and even had a Ranger get on the bus briefly and quote from a poem by a poet named Abby, a poem about the magical transformation we experience surrounded by the natural world. It was a lovely moment.
One of the funniest things that happened right off the top was one of the Windstar passengers talking about the hotel he had stayed in in Anchorage coming in a day before meeting up with his cruise.
“It looked good on paper,” he said. “It had all the bells and whistles, on paper,” he said. “But it was like a Motel 6 that was really a Motel 3.” I laughed along with everyone else, very happy that I was not the only one horrified by the hotel I had chosen in Anchorage.
Even before we entered the park, we saw a Mama Moose and her baby, and then another Moose. We stopped for photos for the first, but not the second, as it was on the railway tracks and Mike did not want to stop on the tracks, as there are trains arriving in Denali all the time.
Soon after, we saw Ptarmigan, the Alaska state bird, and little rabbits, and then, out sleeping in the tundra, a Mama Bear and her cub, maybe a year old. Mike had special equipment, a large camera connected to monitors throughout the bus, so even those not on the left side of the bus (us) could see the bear. We thought it was one big bear until the cub raised its head. Mike was also very patient every time we saw something, we could spend a lot of time until everyone was able to take photos, and the group worked together very politely.
Finally we reached a potty stop, with lots of potties, but thanks to Mike, we were the first bus to arrive, and even as we were walking to the potties, other buses, many many buses, began pulling up. We ran into some people we had met at the Mt. Denali North Overview, and had a delightful, if short, reunion before having to reboard our separate buses to continue our tours.
More bear. Dall Sheep. Ground squirrels, which Mike described as “Denali fast food for bears.”
I had no idea! Because tundra is a thin layer of soil atop permanently frozen soil, bear eat a lot of roots (we saw them digging furiously for roots) until berries and nuts begin to ripen. A bear will eat about 200,000 berries a day. But their most efficient protein is ground squirrel.
At the turn around point, a raven’s nest on the support of the bridge we had just crossed. We got out and stretched and walked at every opportunity – it is a long tour.
On the way back, more bear, and this time, they walked right up to the bus and alongside without seeming to be aware we were there.
And a fox! I didn’t think I had caught him; he moved so fast. It wasn’t until I uploaded my photos that I saw I had captured him:
I did tell you, didn’t I, that it was snowing once we got to the second set of bear, and the Dall’s sheep?
The raven’s nest on the bridge at Mile 43, where we turned around. The white stuff is snowflakes falling.
All in all, it was a lovely day, a great wilderness tour, and a lot of fun. We were bundled up, and we had heat in the bus, but we had so much fun we forgot it was drizzly for a short while, and then we also had snow. It was more than six hours before we got back to the drop-off point and back to our cabin. It was a long, exciting day.
Time for a nap. After a day so full of learning, exploration and the excitement of spotting different game, we needed quiet time just to soak it all in.
We had dinner at the Denali Park Village, and it was a combination of the divine and the ridiculous. I ordered the Halibut, and it was really good. It had a crisp, tasty coating, as cooked perfectly, and had a delicious sauce. It was served on a bed of wild rice, and had corn and peas with it – simple and simply delicious.
AdventureMan ordered a charcuterie platter, and when it came, his face couldn’t hide his dismay. He just laughed. His first charcuterie board ever was at the Lake Restaurant in Glacier National Park, where the server showed him which was elk, which was venison, and which was wild boar – all locally sourced and processed. Even the mustard was local, with local jams, fruits; it was an abundance of delicious flavors and textures – at the Lake Lodge. At Denali, he had expected something with Alaska specialties. Not at Denali Park Village.
What he was served on this night was the equivalent of Ritz Crackers and store bought cheddar cheese, something that approximated blue cheese and supermarket cold cuts. Worse, the meats were very fatty. It had some really nice grapes, lots of grapes.
We laugh at things others might not find funny. We laughed at that dismal charcuterie board. I shared my halibut with AdventureMan. The halibut was really good.
We had gotten chilled on the Wilderness Tour, and even with the fireplace and the radiator, we couldn’t seem to get warm enough. We took hot showers, piled on every blanket, and snuggled under them until we fell asleep. We slept wonderfully.
Alaska 2026: Denali, Grizzly Bear Lodge and Hunter’s Cabin
Grizzly “prints” at entrance to Lodge
Thermometer on Hunter’s Cabin Deck:
Arriving at Denali Grizzly Bear Resort, I was hoping the cabin I had reserved didn’t have an old musty smell and was clean enough. We enjoyed the check-in with two young women from Jamaica who love working in Alaska, who were very helpful. They showed us on the map where the Hunter cabin was and how to get there.
When we got there, we were thrilled. It is a sweet cabin, well thought out and well prepared for visitors. As we walked in the door, we were met with an electric fire place all turned on and heating up the cabin.
The cabin has a full kitchen, with a fridge and microwave and coffee maker, a sink and running water and even a few basic cooking supplies. a table and chairs, cupboards, a separate bed room with a separate toilet and shower area and a sweet washing area with plenty of counter space for both of us.
There is another radiator to provide heat if we need it, extra blankets, and hooks to hang our jackets and outerwear. It also has thick dark blackout curtains, a definite must in a state where it doesn’t get dark until very late and starts getting light very early.
View of Nenana River through the trees.
We took a quick trip across the street to figure out where we will meet our Wilderness Tundra Tour tomorrow morning, and picked up some Seafood Clowder at the Denali Village Lodge for our dinner.
Back in our cozy cabin, we ate dinner and got ready for bed. The three hour time difference is breaking our routines; we are exhausted and ready for bed way too early. But this is a vacation! We can sleep when we want! Routines are not dictators! So we are in our nightclothes and AdventureMan is snoozing on and off, now up and running through his bed time routines while I joyfully write up today’s adventures. I can’t wait to show you the photos!
Alaska 2026: Talkeetna and the Drive to Denali
After a couple hours, tired of sitting and driving, we decided we needed movement and took a short side trek (14 miles) to Talkeetna, a colorful little town on the Talkeetna River where trains stop, and tourists come to shop, eat, and check out the scenery. Talkeetna is known for being a staging area for people hiking Mt. Denali, and a great community. They have so many visitors that they bring in people from many countries to run the food wagons, the stores, to prepare meals, and clean and run the businesses and hotels.
At one of the crafts exhibits in Talkeetna, AdventureMan met a man who was selling truly gorgeous knives. This is a limitation to carry-ons – you can’t carry knives on board with you, even in a carry-on. This man and his son work through the winter – about nine months – making knives. In the three-month tourist season in Talkeetna, he sells out everything. He makes enough to get them through the winter, making more knives for the next year.
It was a lot of fun, good crafts vendors, good truck stop food (we had really good salmon burgers) and fun photo shoot opportunities. We got to do lots of walking, and were ready to finish our drive to Denali.
The trees lining the highway slowly gave way to impressive mountains, Chugach mountains on the right, and Denali on the left. Although we had showers early in the day, the day had brightened and the clouds had lifted. They had not lifted enough to see the tip of Denali, but the mountains showed off for us and we were suitably impressed and delighted.
Delicious salmon burgers:
Road Hazards leaving Talkeetna:
The entire day, we kept meeting interesting people from all over, coming to visit Denali. One woman we met at the North face oversight, said “this really is a special place, isn’t it?” and I agreed. There was a grandeur and a silence that reinforded the grandeur. It didn’t make you feel small; it made you feel you were experiencing something immense.
Denali is behind us, shrouded in clouds.
You’ll notice we are all dressed warmly. The temperatures are in the 40’s F. We were never cold; we were just happy it wasn’t raining. Even in the clouds and cold, the mountains were spectacular.
Alaska 2026: Fred Meyer and Leaving Anchorage
I started the day anxious – was this horrid hotel room an omen? Today we were to drive to Denali, what if something went wrong??
We packed, we joked around and we went to breakfast. The breakfast was simple, but well prepared and had choices we like. In addition, we met a man from Houston and his wife, of Indian descent, who was later joined by his daughter and her friend, and we learned they, too, were headed to Denali. We had a great conversation, chatting away, and by the end of breakfast we were feeling much more positive.
As we headed out, I saw a giant stuffed polar bear and AdventureMan wanted to take my picture with it, so we had a lot of fun. We spent a few minutes taking photos for other people who wanted the same photo with the bear.
It’s a little dark and drizzly as we start. Across the street is the Puffin In, and if anything, it looks worse than the place we stayed. On the road to leave Anchorage, AdventureMan spots this and it brightens our spirits:
We had decided we wanted to pick up a few things for the road, small things, snacks, bananas for our breakfast cereals, and water. AdventureMan said, “Hey! A Fred Meyer!” and we were elated.
Fred Meyer is a West Coast grocery/department store we love. I was able to grab a coffee – and couldn’t resist a Starbucks Alaska mug for our son. We were in and out in minutes, found everything we needed, and were back on the road. The road was straightforward, only a turn here and there, and we were on our way out of Anchorage to Denali, and the road was smooth with very low traffic.
Corn in Pensacola is under 50 cents a cob
Alaska 2026: My Favorite Photo of the Entire Trip
We ate a quick breakfast the next morning and made some new friends. They were intrigued that we brought our own breakfast cereal, and we explained that we are trying to eat well for our health. As we went back to the lobby to check out, AdventureMan spotted something we had missed the night before, and insisted on taking my picture.
The best picture from the worst place we stayed during our entire trip:
Some things are just meant to be.
Alaska 2026: Have I Made a Big Mistake?
There’s a certain amount of anxiety when you do your own trip – like how bad can it be if you make a bad choice?
For the first time, our grandson picked us up to take us to the airport for this trip. He’s working for his second summer, two jobs, maybe three, so we hired him to pick us up and drop us at the airport. He showed up on time, helped with the bags and was courteous and professional – and a lot of fun. What a great way to start a trip.
We slipped in between the early-departure crowd and the mid-morning departure crowd, and, because we are not going overseas and we are doing only carry-ons, we were able to go straight to the gate.
For the first time ever, we didn’t see a single person we know at the Pensacola Airport. The Pensacola Airport is intimate – lots of people making quick trips here and there, sometimes to Atlanta or Houston and back for work in the same day. We always see people we know! Not this time.
Our plane boarded quickly, even though it was a full flight, it was efficient, departed on time and arrived on time. We had a good layover in Dallas/Fort Worth and wanted some Texas BBQ. We went to a BBQ restaurant in the airport, and it turned out to be nothing special so I won’t even share the name. It was just a disappointing place to eat. Nothing memorable.
On our next flight, something interesting happened. I was just about to nap when I heard a voice say “Go Back! This is a national security issue. Go back!”
That will wake you up in a hurry.
One of the female cabin attendants was standing at the front of the cabin, barring access to the forward lavatory, while the captain and co-pilot took brief comfort breaks. She was formidable and serious. She was protected from the back by a barrier and two other attendants. She later told us it was a procedure in effect since 9-11. I had never experienced it before.
And then we started seeing mountains. Blue sky and snow-topped mountains. Exhilarating.
We landed ahead of schedule in Anchorage, our car, exactly the one we wanted but with new technology we had to figure out, was waiting for us. We were totally fried, so tired, but the rental agency had a task for us – to photograph the car and send them eight photos.
Our hotel was nearby and we got there easily.
I really do my research. This hotel was nothing special, but the Marriott where we stayed the last time was $658 per night, and I was shocked at how expensive Alaska hotel rooms had become. I was shocked again when we reached the hotel I had reserved. It was unkempt, with trash in the parking lot and on the property. I found a surly desk attendant at the check-in desk.
She was dealing with an unhappy guest who found no shampoo, conditioner or body wash supplies in her room, and no hair dryer. As I wait, I am thinking I have made a big mistake. She agreed, or maybe she was put out by the previous guest; she gave us the worst room in the hotel, on the hotel sub-floor, right by the elevator and fitness room, and right across from the swimming pool. From the time we arrived until late in the night, it was full of squealing children, lots of children.
I had asked for a higher room and she told me she had groups coming in who got the higher floors. True, the flight we came in on was full of cruisers, and AdventureMan and I were tired. AdventureMan is philosophical, he figured we could manage the one night. I didn’t want to try to find another hotel; we were really tired. And I still had to connect to the internet and send the car photos to Budget.
The room was tired too, but the bathroom was clean and well supplied. While AdventureMan showered, I got the photos sent, listening to the shrieks and laughter from across the hall where the pool was in full party mode. While I bathed, AdventureMan went sound asleep, and to my great surprise, once I hit the bed, I did too. It was only for one night.
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