Alaska, truly the last frontier.
Somehow Alaska had never entered my “places I have to visit” category. It just seemed so far away…from everything. But a wedding invitation from someone dear to our hearts made it a reality. We were going to Alaska!
I really didn’t know what to expect other than vast wilderness, whales, bears and glaciers. And we saw them all. From our first glimpse out of our window seat at 30,000 feet, the mountains were magnificent. After hours of flying over them I realized just how vast Alaska was.
When people ask me, “How was Alaska?” all I can say is “Everyone should see it.” Words cannot describe the beauty of the wildness, the feeling that man has not entered here, that nature rules.
So in saying that, there are a few places that man has “civilized” in Alaska. Anchorage, Homer, Juneau, Seward are a few. Usually only a single road will take you to these places. Or a plane. And the mountains rising up on each side of you remind you of that.
We flew into Anchorage and headed to Girdwood, 40 miles away. The Cook Inlet on our right kept our attention as Beluga whales have been sighted there. The breathtaking Chugach Mountains were on either side of our drive all the way to Girdwood, a small town at the base of Mt. Alyeska. A major ski mountain with mostly Black Diamond trails and a world class resort built out of concrete, with an annual snowfall of 650”, avalanches are a common occurrence. This was where the wedding would be held.
Exploring Girdwood was fun as we right away found the best places to eat and drink. Good food is imperative on a vacation, it can make or break it in my opinion!
Here’s a partial list of some of the places we frequented:
The Bake Shop- the best soups, unique sandwiches and an amazing cinnamon bun as big as your plate,
Jack Sprat- for Alaskan beer and awesome appetizers like hummus nachos
Chair 5 for beer- over 60 micro brews and gourmet burgers
Double Musky Inn – one of Food Network’s ten favorite restaurants in America
One day we took a ride over to Seward, about an hour and a half drive from Girdwood. Seward is a major fishing port, a stop over for cruise ships and ground zero for the Iditarod. Situated on Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula, it is one of Alaska’s oldest communities with a population of about 3,000 people.
It’s a quaint little town which centers around the marina, fishing charters, Fjord Tours and eateries. We had a reservation at Chinook’s, a seafood restaurant overlooking the pier. While we ate our appetizers the charters started coming in with the day’s catch, halibut, salmon, rockfish, wheelbarrows of them. We watched them weigh a 282 pound halibut from the window, then haul it off and filet it.
Lots of fish on the menu of course, fish so fresh I didn’t know if I could ever eat fish back home again. The fish tacos with marinated red onions and avocado salsa were fantastic.
Everywhere we went the food was always top notch. Fresh caught seafood, Alaskan beer and Kaladi Brothers coffee and cappuccinos available even in the smallest cafes.
There’s a lot more I could say about our 49th state but I recommend everyone experience it as who knows how long it will remain wild and pristine.
And oh yes, the wedding was wonderful too!
Agi Behan was born in Austria, the daughter of German and Hungarian parents. Inspired by her roots, she writes the Farmhouse Kitchen food blog, and believes the key to a healthy life starts in the kitchen. Besides cooking and gardening, she is also an artist and lives on a 60 acre Vermont farm, a constant source of inspiration.
www.farmhousekitchen.wordpress.com
Agi did well by hitting the sites in southern Alaska – the entire state is gorgeous. I invite her to come further north, into the frontier, out to the Arctic next time.
Great guest post and love the photos.
I admit that I never really thought of Alaska and cuisine before at the same time. We spent some time in Anchorage before a cruise 14 years ago and i don’t remember any great meals — but 14 years is a long time and my memory leaves something to be desired. However, I do remember the fantabulous scenery and wildlife. If there are also good places to eat, that’s just an additional reason to travel the distance to visit Alaska.
Sheesh. I managed to spell my first name wrong in my comment above.
The best smoked fish I’ve ever had was the first day I landed in Alaska. The food is definitely delish, and I enjoyed reading about your culinary discoveries.
We love Alaska. A favorite memory is fishing for silver salmon out of Seward, so it was fun to see your photos. 🙂
I went on a 7 day cruise to Alaska in June this year. I left out of Vancouver and kept telling myself that I really needed to just fly into Alaska to truly experience it. Your photo of the mountains from the plane is stunning. I’m glad you enjoyed your time there.
Alaska is on my Bucket List. I really enjoyed reading about your adventure and have renewed my determination to get there!!
Best salmon ever! Our son recently moved up to Alaska to fly for Yute Air. It’s been over 20 years since I’ve been there and Veronica never has, so we must go up for a visit.
I know how it feels having eaten freshly caught wild salmon in Alaska – we shied away from farmed (and artificially died) salmon for almost 2 years until finally the appetite for another meal of grilled salmon won us over. But we still don’t eat as much as we used to before and during our trip to Alaska.
I would love to go to Alaska. I am intrigued by the grandness of it all and nature at its best. I live with a City Slicker and don’t get to remote places to often. You had me at “fresh caught fish, Alaskan beer and great coffee!
Your comment that the pristine wildness may disappear makes me all the more eager to visit the areas you beautifully showed in your photos. Eating freshly caught fish is a treat that I haven’t enjoyed often enough.
You’ve reminded me that it’s time to try Alaska. I’ve visited the Yukon, and was struck by the fact that living permanently in these still pristine (thankfully) frontiers seem to require a very different mindset. Time to explore more of the great white north.
I had never thought of Alaska and cuisine together but it now makes sense when I hear about the highlights of your trip. I grew up in Canada’s north and you’re quite right, theres nothing quite as delicious as fresh-caught fish.
I’d love to get to Alaska. Love the fresh fish. We love shopping on the docks like that.
It’s funny. We spent 2 weeks exploring Alaska and all I remember are the amazing wildlife experiences. And visiting some of the bars and historic sites. Food doesn’t come to mind. And then I remembered we did our Alaskan adventure as part of a cruise! So most of our meals were on the ship and great as always. But only one of the meals we had on land holds a place in my memory banks. That was a grilled King Salmon dinner at a glacial lodge. Never had better salmon in my life — before or since.
We went on an Alaskan cruise a few years ago, but never had a chance to try any local cuisine as we were always eating on the ship. Seems like a shame to have missed all that fresh seafood! Next time!
I’ve been to Alaska a few times and I just love it. Great post about my favorite state!