The Iditarod

sousa-dogsled-teamSince I was a little girl I’ve enjoyed the sport of dog mushing as both a competitive musher and a spectator.  Every year one of the biggest dog mushing events in the world is held in Anchorage, Alaska. The ceremonial start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race begins on Fourth Avenue in downtown Anchorage on the first Saturday each March. The Iditarod Trail stretches over 1149 miles of Alaska’s vast wilderness. The true race begins a day after, on Sunday from Willow, Alaska. This is where you see the mushers dressed in their cold weather gear and their sleds fully packed with food and equipment for themselves, but mostly for the dogs. From my experience as a musher your number one priority on the trail is your dogs. Each dog is treated with great care to assure they are performing at their very best. Imagine what it’s like to care for not just one Olympic athlete but a team of 16. (more…)

Renown Glacier Cruise

sea-otter-kenai-fjordsWith family and friends who come to visit us in Alaska I always want to take them down to Seward, it’s small town Alaskan feel and beautiful setting is always a hit and is fun even for those of us who are Alaska residents. This year my family took our sister in law from Australia, new to Alaska, on a on a day cruise with Renown into Kenai Fjords National Park and it was amazing! We saw so much wildlife it was astounding. (more…)

Seward Windsong Lodge & The Resurrection Roadhouse

seward-windsong-lodgeLast weekend my boyfriend and I took a one night trip to Seward for a quick getaway from Anchorage and to see the Kenai Fjords National Park. We decided to get to Seward by driving the scenic route from Anchorage, since it’s an easy 2 ½ hour drive through the mountains and along the coast. We didn’t leave Anchorage until 6:00 pm since we both had to work that day but we had daylight the whole way down. When we got to Seward we had a very quick and easy check in at the Seward Windsong Lodge, and even though we were booked in a deluxe category room, they upgraded us to a suite category room (the suites are bigger and have a Jacuzzi bathtub). (more…)

Kayaking Kenai Fjords

Visiting Kenai Fjords National Park on a day cruise is an annual summer experience for my family and me.  I’ve often seen kayakers while out in Kenai Fjords viewing the glaciers in Aialik (pronounced “eye-al-ick”) Bay and thought that kayaking amidst the icebergs, sea otters, and seals would be an awesome experience but one that I’d likely not do myself due to time and cost.  Recently, Sunny Cove Kayaking has started a new Kayaking Kenai Fjords National Park tour that makes such a trip reasonable in cost and attainable to do in one day.  (more…)

The Seward Windsong Lodge

For a real Alaskan lodge experience while in Seward stay at the Seward Windsong Lodge.  The Seward Windsong Lodge is located just outside the city limits enroute to Exit Glacier. The lodge is set in a wooded setting near the Resurrection River with scenic views.  If you have stayed at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge then you will be delighted to know the lodge is operated by the same company and you will experience the same high quality of service and experience in Seward as well. (more…)

Tour Alaska by Motorcycle

I have been a passenger on a motorcycle for over 25 years and have enjoyed seeing Alaska from a cyclist point of view.  Occasionally, I have clients who have ridden their motorcycles to Alaska or are planning on renting a motorcycle when they are here.  Either way you will find that a motorcycle trip in Alaska is well worth it.  If you’d like to experience Alaska by motorcycle but don’t want to drive the Alaska Highway, you can fly to Anchorage and rent from the House of Harley in Anchorage.  The House of Harley is just minutes away from the airport on Spenard Road.  (more…)

My Perfect Alaska Tour

Often I’m asked what I think would be the perfect tour if I was visiting Alaska.  Fortunately, I’ve found that each client I work with has different interests and we’re able to customize each trip to meet their unique interests in travel and adventure.  But since I’m asked so often, its easy to imagine the tour I would customize for myself if I was taking an Alaska trip – based on my experience living in Alaska, and working in tourism here. All our packages can be modified to either travel by rail, motorcoach or rental car.  I think the best of option would be to travel in combination of all three modes.

My perfect tour would start out with a visit to Anchorage and then the Kenai Peninsula.

Day 1, Arrival Day! Pick up a rental car in Anchorage and check into the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa.  What better way to adjust to a long day of travel then to take in a spa treatment before enjoying dinner in downtown Anchorage.  My favorite for dinner is the Glacier BrewHouse in downtown Anchorage just up the street from the Sheraton. They have great food and plenty of fresh Alaskan seafood options. (more…)

Seward’s Holiday Inn Express

On a short trip to Seward to visit with relatives last summer, my family and I stayed at The Holiday Inn Express. We arrived late in the afternoon, after a hike at Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward. Our harbor view room was ready upon arrival and the kids were anxious to go swimming in the hotel’s pool.  Our room had views of the small boat harbor, but the hotel had a comfortable lobby with large two story windows looking out over the bay so we spent more time there visiting with our relatives then in our room. Our hotel room had two very comfortable queen beds, along with many other amenities.  Before having dinner at a nice seafood restaurant called Rays located next door, we stopped and watched the charter fishing boat captains come into the harbor and display their clients’ catch of the day – large halibut, fresh silver salmon, and ling cod prevailed as the primary fish caught.  (more…)

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