Alaska
So Alaska was super amazing and super cold! I talked my mom into coming with me on this trip and it was so much fun getting to explore Alaska for the first time with her! We flew into Fairbanks then took a train down to Anchorage. The plane we took to Fairbanks was the smallest plane I've ever been on! We had to duck down to get inside the plane door and it literally had two propellers! Some of the planes had "CP" written on them. I can't remember what it stands for but we were told those planes are reserved for people that work in places only accessible by plane... so they take a plane to work every day!
In Fairbanks you have to plug your "block heater" into an outlet overnight or the oil will get so thick the car won't start. The first night we were there it was -25 F! It was so cold that when we stepped outside and breathed in little ice crystals formed in our noses! Crazy cold!
Alaska Pho!
Dog Sledding
Chena Hot Springs
The North Pole
World Ice Carving Championships
The Northern Lights
Onto Girdwood for snow mobiles we go!
This was probably our favorite part of the trip! We showed up and were asked to sign two death wavers and sign off on several other papers stating that "walking in and around a glacier is in no way safe and is very dangerous" lol You will find out why these are so important soon! We rode snow mobiles with a small group of seven to Spencer's glacier and it was incredible! We drove over frozen rivers, lakes and creeks and through trees over about seven feet of packed snow and three feet of fresh snow that had just fallen the night before! When we got off the snow mobiles sometimes the snow was up to our necks! We all got stuck at least once and it was so much fun trying to dig our snow mobiles out of the snow! When we turned the snow mobiles off it was so peaceful and quiet.
On the way to the glacier we passed a bridge then about 30 minutes later we saw the glacier for the first time. Apparently the glacier used to be very close to the bridge but global warming has caused it to melt and it's slowly disappearing. Go see the glaciers before they're all gone!
When the glacier moves it sounds like a gigantic building falling over... very loud and a little horrifying!
HOW I ALMOST GOT MY MOM KILLED IN ALASKA:
If you only read one part of this blog READ THIS insane story! Full disclosure: my mom is completely fine except a bruise covering half of her right leg!
So everything was going fine until there was this huge hill about 1/4th of the way through the trip and the guide was like 'hold the brake the whole way down and just slide.' So we went one at a time and waited at the bottom to watch the next person... so it's mommas turn and we're all at the bottom watching her and guess what she does... instead of slamming on the brakes she slammed on the throttle :( The snow mobile and my mom literally flew down the hill, hit the bottom and flew in the air like 6 feet then landed and the only thing that stopped her was she hit a tree and her little body flew 15 feet and she disappeared in the snow! The whole time the guide was yelling 'brake brake!!!' as smoke and snow were flying everywhere. I jumped off my snow mobile and ran the fastest I've ever ran to get to her and dig her out because her whole body including her head was trapped under the snow! When I reached her all I could see was her little finger tips sticking out of the snow wiggling! So that's not even the worst part! The guide finally gets there and he's like 'oh my god are you okay?' And once she said yes he was like 'thank goodness you hit that tree...' we all looked out and if she would have went 10 more feet she would have went off a 20 foot cliff into a frozen lake! We waited a few minutes to calm down then off to the glacier. I seriously had that adrenaline thing that happens when moms lift cars because I ran through snow that was up to my neck to get to her! Everyone was like 'how did you get there so fast?!? You just flew over the snow to get to her!' And I was like 'I have no idea!' The guide said two people have been life flighted out on this tour in the past month because they hit the gas instead of the brake! I'm so glad we lived! Sorry I almost got you killed momma! She now has a gigantic bruise on her right leg from where she hit and tore off the windshield as she was thrown through the air when she hit the tree! My mom's a total bada**!
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center takes in wild animals that have been injured or baby animals that have been orphaned. The center helps rehabilitate the animals but if they don't feel like they can be returned to the wild they stay here and live their fantastic Alaskan lives!
Seward Highway from Anchorage to Girdwood
We got stuck once on the way back from the snow mobiles and we didn't have any cell phone service! I got out and pushed the car while momma drove and wiggled it out of the snow and ice I had gotten it stuck in lol The snow was too deep to even get to the road the Portage Glacier was on!
Alyeska Ski Resort
Welcome to Fairbanks!
Alaska Pho!
So... Cold...
The dogs are super sweet and love attention. They try to take your gloves and scarves because they think they're toys! The doggies sleep inside the mushers homes at night and they treat them like family. Our musher was a Russian man named Olof. The dogs tails were wagging the whole time and if we stopped to take pictures they would get mad and start jumping around and barking!
We had just missed the Iditarod but everyone was talking about it and there were signs everywhere congratulating the winners.
The North Pole
Santa and REAL reindeer!
World Ice Carving Championships
Wal-Mart and Sams Club in Fairbanks
The Northern Lights
We walked out and tried to find the dock built on the lake behind our hotel to see the northern lights but got scared we were going to get eaten by a bear so we left! It was pitch black and we were the
only ones out there.
only ones out there.
The hotels in Fairbanks will put you on an 'aurora lights' call list so if the staff spots the northern lights they'll alert you and you can run outside and see them... we never got the call :(
BUT we met a guy on the plane that suggested we take a car north of Fairbanks until we see them (best viewing time is 10pm-2am). We saw them the second night and they were so beautiful! You have to be outside the city about 20 minutes and away from all of the light from the city to see them. My phone didn't pick them up very good but that's the best pictures we could get. That's me and momma sitting in the car for hours waiting to see the Aurora lights! It was so silent and peaceful watching them dance across the sky!
Alaska Railroad: Fairbanks to Anchorage
The Alaska Railroad is a "flag stop train" meaning that people who live "off the grid" in cabins with no road access can wave the train down to pick them up and take them to the next city. So neat!
The shorter trees in the pictures are the ones that grow in permafrost. The roots grow outward instead of down through the ice.
Anchorage
I was told the roads were really bad going to Girdwood (where the snow mobile tour started) so we upgraded to a four wheel drive SUV with snow tires and little spikes on them to cut through the ice.
This was probably our favorite part of the trip! We showed up and were asked to sign two death wavers and sign off on several other papers stating that "walking in and around a glacier is in no way safe and is very dangerous" lol You will find out why these are so important soon! We rode snow mobiles with a small group of seven to Spencer's glacier and it was incredible! We drove over frozen rivers, lakes and creeks and through trees over about seven feet of packed snow and three feet of fresh snow that had just fallen the night before! When we got off the snow mobiles sometimes the snow was up to our necks! We all got stuck at least once and it was so much fun trying to dig our snow mobiles out of the snow! When we turned the snow mobiles off it was so peaceful and quiet.
On the way to the glacier we passed a bridge then about 30 minutes later we saw the glacier for the first time. Apparently the glacier used to be very close to the bridge but global warming has caused it to melt and it's slowly disappearing. Go see the glaciers before they're all gone!
When the glacier moves it sounds like a gigantic building falling over... very loud and a little horrifying!
HOW I ALMOST GOT MY MOM KILLED IN ALASKA:
If you only read one part of this blog READ THIS insane story! Full disclosure: my mom is completely fine except a bruise covering half of her right leg!
So everything was going fine until there was this huge hill about 1/4th of the way through the trip and the guide was like 'hold the brake the whole way down and just slide.' So we went one at a time and waited at the bottom to watch the next person... so it's mommas turn and we're all at the bottom watching her and guess what she does... instead of slamming on the brakes she slammed on the throttle :( The snow mobile and my mom literally flew down the hill, hit the bottom and flew in the air like 6 feet then landed and the only thing that stopped her was she hit a tree and her little body flew 15 feet and she disappeared in the snow! The whole time the guide was yelling 'brake brake!!!' as smoke and snow were flying everywhere. I jumped off my snow mobile and ran the fastest I've ever ran to get to her and dig her out because her whole body including her head was trapped under the snow! When I reached her all I could see was her little finger tips sticking out of the snow wiggling! So that's not even the worst part! The guide finally gets there and he's like 'oh my god are you okay?' And once she said yes he was like 'thank goodness you hit that tree...' we all looked out and if she would have went 10 more feet she would have went off a 20 foot cliff into a frozen lake! We waited a few minutes to calm down then off to the glacier. I seriously had that adrenaline thing that happens when moms lift cars because I ran through snow that was up to my neck to get to her! Everyone was like 'how did you get there so fast?!? You just flew over the snow to get to her!' And I was like 'I have no idea!' The guide said two people have been life flighted out on this tour in the past month because they hit the gas instead of the brake! I'm so glad we lived! Sorry I almost got you killed momma! She now has a gigantic bruise on her right leg from where she hit and tore off the windshield as she was thrown through the air when she hit the tree! My mom's a total bada**!
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center takes in wild animals that have been injured or baby animals that have been orphaned. The center helps rehabilitate the animals but if they don't feel like they can be returned to the wild they stay here and live their fantastic Alaskan lives!
Bear!
Another bear!
Real Wolves! The black one had yellow eyes!
Moose!
We got stuck once on the way back from the snow mobiles and we didn't have any cell phone service! I got out and pushed the car while momma drove and wiggled it out of the snow and ice I had gotten it stuck in lol The snow was too deep to even get to the road the Portage Glacier was on!
Beluga Point Lookout
Click on the videos below to hear the ice on the river cracking as the tide goes out! So neat!
"Expert only" so needless to say I did not partake in the skiing festivities lol
The last night we ate at a little restaurant called Humpy's and it had Christmas decorations up like the rest of the town! We had the most amazing magical time in Alaska! :)
So. Much. White. These pictures are amazing Dominique! I'm so glad your mom went with you too, so y'all could experience Alaska together! Tell her hello for me and I'm glad she took some time off work! ;) So many beautiful things I can't pick one favorite... love the ice sculptures... love the bear pics and video... love the glacier... and could NOT believe that happened to your mom!!! Shew, so glad she is ok!
ReplyDeleteKayla