Alaska: The State That Keeps Calling Me Back

This is one of those stories that takes me back a bit. It has been a few years since I traveled to the Great White North, but it is a story worth telling. When the conversation comes up about the fact that I have been to all 50 US states, the common question I get is “what is your favorite state?” That is difficult to answer, not because all states are equal (they are not), but they all have something different to offer, and stating the “best” just doesn’t often move the conversation forward. I usually re-phrase their question to “what state do I most want to return to?” and that answer remains Alaska. There are a few reasons for it. The first is that I have only been once, and it isn’t a state we can pop over to for a weekend (maybe if we move to Washington one day). The second is that I have only seen a fraction, and the fraction I saw makes me want to see it all, and then see it all again in a different season. Alaska is one of those places that truly has seasons, and each one has its own identity. My travel was for work, but we turned it into some personal travel as well. It was in January, which I am happy about because I feel like I saw an Alaska that most tourists don’t. I am not sure that if I had booked it as a personal trip, we would have chosen January. That said, let’s dive into the trip.

The First Hour in Alaska

It started with a call from my boss at the time asking me if I would like to visit a customer in Alaska. I gladly accepted and asked Amanda if she could go and if she wanted to go. The answer was yes to both, and we booked the flight. Our routing was Boston to Seattle, then to Anchorage. This was early in my travel life, and it was the farthest either of us had ever traveled. We booked a simple Homewood Suites near the airport and rented a Ram 1500. Well, first we were given a Ford F-150 that we ended up having to return because the rear doors were frozen shut. The temperature ranged between 0°F and 20°F, which seemed warm, as I had imagined temperatures much colder when I thought of Alaska at the time (which certainly can be true, depending on when and where you go). Once we had the new truck, we proceeded to the hotel. We merged off an exit ramp and at the bottom was a sedan stuck in the snow. Living in New Hampshire at the time, we were certainly not unfamiliar with snow. I rolled down my window and asked if I could be of any help. The driver told me he had chains if I wouldn’t mind pulling him out. I hopped out, chained him up, and pulled him to flatter ground. At this point I had been in Alaska for about an hour and had already had my rental truck frozen shut and pulled a car out of a ditch. I felt very native. After finding a nice seafood restaurant, we headed to the hotel and called it a night.

Alyeska Resort: Snow, Gondolas, and a Close Call

The next morning, we headed just a bit south to the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, AK. We thought about renting skis and taking a few runs down the mountain, but after seeing the conditions, we decided to just sightsee. We walked around the property, down snow-covered paths lined with thickly snow-covered trees. Just past the tree line, I noticed a large field so strikingly beautiful it was begging to be photographed. I stepped off the path to take a photo and suddenly found myself shoulder-deep in snow. Apparently there was a bit of a drop-off that was undetectable under the snow cover. I dug myself out and, once Amanda stopped laughing, we continued on (with no photo). Even though we decided not to fly down the mountain on two sticks, we did take the gondola up to a bar and restaurant. The view was unique. It typically would have been of large landscapes below us, but instead it was of heavy snow whipping in the wind. We watched as people appeared out of nowhere from the intense weather, speeding down the mountain and then gone again. It confirmed our decision not to partake. We enjoyed a meal watching it all unfold outside and then headed back to Anchorage.

Working in the Dark

The next day, work started and I headed out around 6 AM into a very dark and cold morning. That experience is not far from daily life at home. Sunrise is late in the winter and January is cold. What was different was coming back to the hotel for lunch around 11:30 after the sun had been up for only an hour. Leaving work around 6 PM meant I missed sunset by at least two hours.

Playing Home in Anchorage

One night, after work, a co-worker I had never met invited us for dinner, drinks, and trivia at a local downtown hotel called Hotel Captain Cook. This unexpected event proved to be a lot of fun. One thing I will never regret from all my work travel is that no matter how tired I might be, I took advantage of exploring where I was, and often times that wasn’t a place most would vacation. I was able to act like a local for a week and truly “play home.” I didn’t experience Alaska on a cruise (and don’t intend to), we grocery shopped at the local store, ate at “home,” and explored the city and its vast surroundings. When we go back, I don’t plan on doing it much differently, just in a different area. Fairbanks next? Regardless of the city we select, there is no doubt we will be back. Alaska is different in a good way. It’s peaceful, relaxing, and unique. It’s a similar feeling you get when you are alone on a quiet beach. The vast wilderness pulls you in and the people, food, and culture keep you there and make you want to come back.