Alaska was probably our favorite state to visit on this adventure, I know it was mine. First, we visited as a family, probably one of our last family trips since Ben will soon graduate from college and living a life of his own. Second, the sights and scenery were magnificent. Pictures just don’t do it justice. There was so much to see and many sights were breathtaking. While we didn’t see the Northern Lights, what we did see were majestic snow-covered mountains, luscious 
greenery, wildlife that most only see at a zoo or aquarium, and the excitement on faces as we heard and watched nature taking its course as a calving glacier roared. Third, the food was superb. From crab legs to my new favorite fish, halibut, we were never disappointed. There was so much to do and we crammed in as much as we could in the short amount of time that we were there.
greenery, wildlife that most only see at a zoo or aquarium, and the excitement on faces as we heard and watched nature taking its course as a calving glacier roared. Third, the food was superb. From crab legs to my new favorite fish, halibut, we were never disappointed. There was so much to do and we crammed in as much as we could in the short amount of time that we were there. Dennis and I spent the first day in and around Fairbanks while we waited for Ben to arrive. We were so close to North Pole, Alaska that we just had to go and see if Santa was too busy to see us. He was not. We even saw his reindeer. I couldn’t resist putting my hand through the fence to touch an antler. The reindeer wasn’t as thrilled as I was to touch it. We ate at Elf’s Den and this is where I had my first taste of halibut. The service was not that great despite there was only one other table eating besides ours but the fried halibut 
sandwich made up for any disappointment in the service or décor. The mild, white fish was delicious. After lunch we drove around and saw what one could only see in Alaska, a man weedeating his roof. Yes, that is correct and I have the picture to prove it. We have the wonderful ladies at the Visitor Information Center to thank for sending us in that direction. After a morning in North Pole we drove north to view the Alyeska Pipeline. Not much there but worth the stop to see something we had always heard about. We then drove to Chatanika, Alaska to see the relic of gold dredge #3. The #3 camp is home to the Old Chatanika School as well as a restaurant with a very large coal cook stove that when burning would heat up the entire mess hall. Of course no trip would be complete without a stop at a local brewery so we stopped at the Silver Gulch, America’s most northern brewery. We headed back to Fairbanks where we walked through Pioneer Park for a look into Fairbanks’ heritage. After a full day of sightseeing and it was still daylight outside we decided it was time to get a bite to eat. We arrived at The Cookie Jar Restaurant right at closing but they sat us anyway. My choice was their beer battered halibut topped with melted cheese and Dennis opted for the country fried steak made from prime rib complete with lots of gravy on top. The hot chocolate and homemade 
chocolate pie made for a perfect ending. It was almost 10:30pm, still light outside and time to pick up Ben from the airport. It was really odd and sort of hard to adjust to but it felt like dusk lasted forever.
sandwich made up for any disappointment in the service or décor. The mild, white fish was delicious. After lunch we drove around and saw what one could only see in Alaska, a man weedeating his roof. Yes, that is correct and I have the picture to prove it. We have the wonderful ladies at the Visitor Information Center to thank for sending us in that direction. After a morning in North Pole we drove north to view the Alyeska Pipeline. Not much there but worth the stop to see something we had always heard about. We then drove to Chatanika, Alaska to see the relic of gold dredge #3. The #3 camp is home to the Old Chatanika School as well as a restaurant with a very large coal cook stove that when burning would heat up the entire mess hall. Of course no trip would be complete without a stop at a local brewery so we stopped at the Silver Gulch, America’s most northern brewery. We headed back to Fairbanks where we walked through Pioneer Park for a look into Fairbanks’ heritage. After a full day of sightseeing and it was still daylight outside we decided it was time to get a bite to eat. We arrived at The Cookie Jar Restaurant right at closing but they sat us anyway. My choice was their beer battered halibut topped with melted cheese and Dennis opted for the country fried steak made from prime rib complete with lots of gravy on top. The hot chocolate and homemade 
chocolate pie made for a perfect ending. It was almost 10:30pm, still light outside and time to pick up Ben from the airport. It was really odd and sort of hard to adjust to but it felt like dusk lasted forever. If you’re going to take a trip of a lifetime then you really should do it up right. I had booked us on the Alaska Railroad’s GoldStar rail service from Fairbanks to Anchorage. It is a little more expensive to have the GoldStar service but well worth it. The train departed at 8:15am and would travel south through Denali National Park and reach Anchorage at around 8:00pm. The comfortable dome car seating was a must for the 12 hour ride. We walked through some of the other cars and knew we had made the right choice. The outdoor viewing deck along with the dome windows gave us an up close view of the beautiful landscape and wildlife. I anxiously awaited to see the first moose sighting and of course that first sighting would occur while I was in the ladies room. Luckily there were more sightings. When we stopped in Denali
we noticed everyone waiting for the train was bundled up. It was 34°. The landscape was green and lush and the excitement was contagious every time someone spotted some sort of wildlife. We sat on the right side of the train and I followed the detailed guide with anticipation of what was to come next. There were many times that I stood inside or on the outdoor viewing deck only to go inside to warm up a bit. It was too overcast to see Mt. McKinley and that was the only disappointment on the entire trip. The meal service was absolutely delicious and considering the fact that Dennis and Ben ate both breakfast and dinner onboard was a testament to the food. We arrived into Anchorage and settled into our hotel room ordering a pizza to be delivered.
To get the most from a short amount of time we took an Anchorage City Trolley tour so we could familiarize ourselves with Anchorage and make note of places we wanted to revisit. Our tour guide was entertaining as well as knowledgeable. We went back to the floatplane base so we could watch the planes takeoff and land on the water. A late lunch took us to Glacier Brewhouse where I had to have steamed crab legs.
The drive south to Seward was breathtaking and we couldn’t help but stop at McHugh Creek for some photo opportunities. Actually Dennis and Ben sat in the warm car while I ventured along the trail to photograph the stream and waterfall. We arrived in Seward and looked for our lodge. Good thing we had directions because it wasn’t as easy to get to as we thought. The road looked a little narrow and dangerous but we finally turned into the lodge area. To find our room, we only had to look at the welcome sign which told us our room number and where it was located. The view from our suite was magnificent. So beautiful that we tried to book it for an additional night, no luck, if we wanted to stay an extra night in Seward we would have to find alternate arrangements. The next morning we set out on our small group whale watching and glacier tour. The small group tour hosts no more than 15 people, lasts all day and was probably the highlight of our trip. Well worth the extra money. Captain Tanya and First Mate Kendra were the 
best. They went out of their way to make sure everyone had a great time and saw plenty. We never felt hurried. A bald eagle was perched near the entrance of Resurrection Bay as if to bid us farewell and safe journey. It wasn’t long before we started seeing otters and other wildlife. We saw otters, eagles, harbor seals, humpback whales, puffins, sea lions, and even a porpoise or two. We enjoyed a light lunch at Holgate Glacier while enjoying the sounds and sights of a calving glacier. As we headed back we searched for more whales as we discussed what a memorable day it had been. When we arrived back into the harbor the eagle was 
there to greet us as if to welcome and congratulate us on a safe voyage. We didn’t want to drive back to Anchorage so we had arranged to stay in town at the Hotel Seward. After a little shopping we dined at the hotel’s restaurant. Gene’s Place is small but they have some rooms sat aside, each individually decorated. We selected the Christmas room to dine in. We ate crab cakes, Resurrection Bay salmon and Cook Inlet salmon. No complaints from this group. We walked around the town a bit since it’s hard to go to sleep when it’s still light outside.
The next morning we woke and started our trip back to Anchorage. We stopped at 
Exit Glacier and made the hike to get as close as we could. Tanya and Kendra had suggested a place to see salmon swimming so we ventured toward the salmon hatchery and searched until we found them. Mission accomplished. There was one last place we wanted to eat so while we waited for the restaurant to open we ventured to Ship Creek for some King Salmon watching. Simon and Seafort’s was our final destination before leaving Alaska. We started with some steamed King Crab legs and Ben is not one to pass up French Onion Soup. 
My entrée of Seafood Etouffee was not what one from Louisiana would expect. It consisted of sea scallops, tiger prawns, mussels, clams, andouille sausage served atop cheese grits. It was delicious. The steak we ordered was covered with onion strings and cooked to perfection. It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip. We’ve already decided that we will return to the great state of Alaska.
Exit Glacier and made the hike to get as close as we could. Tanya and Kendra had suggested a place to see salmon swimming so we ventured toward the salmon hatchery and searched until we found them. Mission accomplished. There was one last place we wanted to eat so while we waited for the restaurant to open we ventured to Ship Creek for some King Salmon watching. Simon and Seafort’s was our final destination before leaving Alaska. We started with some steamed King Crab legs and Ben is not one to pass up French Onion Soup. 
My entrée of Seafood Etouffee was not what one from Louisiana would expect. It consisted of sea scallops, tiger prawns, mussels, clams, andouille sausage served atop cheese grits. It was delicious. The steak we ordered was covered with onion strings and cooked to perfection. It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip. We’ve already decided that we will return to the great state of Alaska. 
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