Making the Best of Being Anchored in Anchorage

In last week’s blog, We Made it to Alaska! , we arrived in Anchorage, getting a few nights on base at the JBER Famcamp with electric only (the water pipes were still frozen in half the campground), only to have our replacement part arrive broken in transit. With a holiday and birthdays upcoming, and having to await another part, we scouted out the full hook-up Black Spruce Campground and scored a spot for another week and a half. It was sad to leave the moose family behind, but we had a mama black bear and cubs at the new area, so just as much cuteness to take in…at a safe distance away, of course!

With parts on order and a place to stay, we made the most of it using Anchorage as our home base. Laundry, groceries and washing the truck and RV were high priority and quick to take care of. We also took advantage of the big city and went to Barnes & Noble to grab some books for homeschooling and fun.

We kept the birthdays pretty low key–Luna enjoyed a pup cup at the local ice cream shop. For my birthday, the boys made me pancakes for breakfast, steak and potatoes for dinner and a gluten free peanut butter pie for dessert. For Luther’s birthday, he wanted pigs in a blanket and just a quiet day. For the 4th of July holiday, we just relaxed and watched movies since we found out too late that, instead of fireworks (midnight sun and all) they do a 4th of July Car Launch instead. More reason to come back!

We had several things on our wish list to see, so we also worked in exploring.

Thunderbird Falls Hike

BJ and I did the Thunderbird Falls hike to take Luna out for an adventure for her birthday. The trailhead has a $5 parking fee and it was a little busy on a Sunday afternoon, but not enough to distract from the beauty. It was a 2.2 mile roundtrip moderate trail due to the up and downhill to the falls platform nestled in the trees. Then we explored down to the creek a bit and found some geocaches. And since it was Luna’s birthday, we rounded out the afternoon with a stop at the local ice cream shop for a pup cup.

Basher Trail Hike

We did a family hike on Basher Trail, but we left Luna this time. There are several different paths to choose from based on distance and terrain, so we stuck with going along the ridge and doing a loop, about 3-4 miles that day. Much of the trails wasn’t wider than a small game trail surrounded by grass up to our waste or shoulders at some points. It was a bit unnerving since we saw markings of bear and moose, but we didn’t encounter any along the trail, thankfully, and we had our bear bell and bear spray, just in case. We were graced with views of the Anchorage skyline, mountains, and creeks. We passed a few people, but it was mostly just an enjoyable family hike filled with laughter and stories.

Ulu Factory

We wanted to explore a bit in downtown Anchorage, and to see some of the local craftsmanship, so opted to visit the Ulu Factory. The ulu is a type of knife that the indigenous people have used for thousands of years. The factory packs a lot into its small building. They have a display of artifacts that have been found. On both sides of the gift shop we watched as the craftsman make the blades, handles and cutting bowls through windows at the different stations. We were there midweek, so there wasn’t a lot of activity, but it was still neat. Then, of course, the gift shop to purchase touristy items and locally made items, including knives and bowls. We opted for a knife with an elk antler and one of the bowls. It’s actually been a great addition to our kitchen and we’ve used it several times in the first week of having it.

Forty-Ninth State Brewing Company

After the Ulu Factory, we thought we’d treat ourselves to dinner out and visit the Forty-Ninth State Brewing Company so many people had raved about and told us to visit. We added our name to the wait list and were seated upstairs next to the windows with great views of the port area and coastline. While the meal was enjoyable by restaurant standards, we realized we would have been happier with a couple of appetizers and the views. The food wasn’t as good as the raves we had heard, especially for the price paid (3 burgers and a soda were $80 after tip, plus $15 for parking). I guess now we know for future visits to must-stop restaurants.

Iditarod Headquarters

Since Wasilla is only about 45 minutes from the base, I asked to visit the Iditarod Headquarters for my birthday. If you don’t know the Iditarod, it is a 1,000+ dog sled race completed every year in March from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, to commemorate the 1925 diphtheria serum run that saved many lives in Nome (it’s what made Balto famous!). I taught a lesson about the race for years when I was in the classroom and always dreamed of visiting. While not during a race, it was neat to see the display of gear and medals, and get to ride a real dogsled with Veteran Musher Riley Dyche. He and his wife bring the dogs over every day to meet guests and give rides to visitors. While there are many points of interest in the area connected to the Iditarod, it was neat to visit the headquarters in person.

Around all the adventures, we also enjoyed life at the campground. We chatted with several neighbors, especially when the wildlife were active nearby (moose in one campground, black bear in the other–both with their babies). We also made the decision to ditch the bikes and hitch. We realized they were just an added liability on our travels and we weren’t really using them enough to justify it. We donated them to the Airman’s Attic, an on-base thrift store, and found out that grown up bikes are quite popular with the new airmen on base in need of transportation. Made us feel better about the decision, and gave us one less thing to stress on our next travel day.

We’ll see you next week with an update on the arrival of our part and getting back to traveling.

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