An Unexpected Tour of Anchorage
Our first full day in Alaska started with full-blown comedy!
We got very little sleep our first night. Partly because the sun doesn’t set fully that far north, and partly because of the stress of having to have our luggage out for collection so early. There was a small bakery, Fire Island Rustic Bake Shop, about 800 ft. from our hotel. We decided to head out early to get in line before opening.
My bestie is the navigator of our group. In fact, I got her a t-shirt for our cruise that designated her as such. So when we left the hotel to get breakfast, our group naturally followed her. She followed the directions on her iPhone, but for some reason it led us in a circle around a parking lot and then back to the street our hotel was on. It didn’t help matters that my bestie and I had our carry-on luggage in tow. We were definitely attracting attention. Our whole group was laughing by the time we arrived at the bakeshop to get our food.
Our Actual Tour Begins
After we got our food, we boarded our tour bus to Denali. Our first stop was a lookout that showcased Denali in all its glory. Only 30% of visitors see the whole mountain. By the time we reached our second stop, it was partially covered in clouds.
We did deal with a couple of travelers in our tour group when getting off the bus. They seemed to lack the basics of deboarding. There were several large groups on our tour, and one in particular sat at the back of the bus but continually wanted to be the first one off. I was annoyed, but the views took my mind off of their poor behavior.
All Aboard
We arrived in Talkeetna just before noon to board the Wilderness Express, which has deluxe dome cars with a viewing level and a dining car below. This was the part of our land tour that I was most looking forward to. Since there were five of us, Ben, our tour guide, had asked us to pair with a large family of 11 and to board the train last. He told us to pair off and have the single riders be at the back and front of their prospective groups.
It seemed easy enough! We waited in the blazing sun (Alaska decided not to be cold for us) at the back of the line per Ben’s request. Unfortunately, the party of 11 did not. First off the bus, first on the train 🤣 I was seeing a pattern for sure!
This Tour is About to Take a Turn
We endured some dirty looks and snarky comments when we pointed out that we did not want to be separated. But everything got squared away in the end. However, one member of the other party groused about it for much of the train ride. And no, she did not try to hide her displeasure.
Mean looks aside, we enjoyed the spectacular views from the train. We also saw our first moose and bald eagle. Capturing those views was an entirely different story. There is definitely a learning curve when taking pictures in a moving vehicle. I had hundreds of blurry photos but still managed to get some amazing shots.
A Good Lunch Fixes Most Ails
Thankfully, the dining room had large windows, so we did not miss the views when we went down for lunch. The food was delicious, and we enjoyed every bite, including the birch syrup sundae at the end of the meal. Birch syrup is very popular in Alaska and is a more herbaceous version of maple syrup. I hoped to bring some home as a souvenir, but it was outrageously expensive for a tiny bottle, so I passed.
What’s Life Without a Little Confusion
Our tour group arrived later that afternoon at our lodging for the night just outside of Denali National Park. While driving in on our bus, we had our second moose sighting in the parking lot. I didn’t even have time to get my camera out. I just enjoyed the experience.
Of course, there was some confusion regarding our lodgings for the night. Since my brother was traveling solo, they sent him off to stay in a small cabin a distance away from us. He was a little irritated at first, but ended up getting the best deal and truly enjoyed himself.
However, he did run into one issue. His luggage was delivered to my parents’ room because of the name issue (see more here). It was something that plagued him for the entire trip, but I think eventually he just accepted his fate 😀
Let’s Eat Some More
We were all pretty tired from our travels but had one last experience for the night. We had reserved seats for the Cabin Night Dinner, which included a show about settling Alaska. It was a little corny, but we enjoyed it.
The dinner was family style and included salad, biscuits, fresh salmon, mashed potatoes, corn, baked beans, and baby back ribs. Ironically, no one in my family eats pork, and as you would know, the baby back ribs were placed right in front of us. The dishes were too hot to pass around, so we had to hand over our plates instead. Thankfully, my mom volunteered to serve up the ribs for the other people at our table.
A Little Song and Dance
Throughout dinner, we were entertained with dancing, songs, and stories, which included a lot of antics. My mom, dad, and brother were briefly dragged into the spotlight. I was just happy I sat on the other side of the table 😀 The meal ended with some delicious berry cobbler. I might even attempt to recreate it for a future blog post.
After the show, we all fell into bed hoping for a good night’s sleep so we could be fully recharged for our next adventure. Hope you will join us for more antics next week.
