Rain in Alaska

The last two days we had rain in abundance, combined with temps of about 40+ deg. F. After an excellent breakfast in South Restaurant in Anchorage on Saturday - a fancy new place with cooking demonstrations and a great bar - we drove south on Seward Highway along an inlet called "Turnagain Arm" towards Glacier Valley. It was a wonderful scenic drive, mountains on the left side, water and little icebergs on the right. Fortunatey, it was still partly sunny in the morning with fascinating clouds and light reflections. On the way, our bus driver also showed us the the damage of the big earthquake on Good Friday, March 27, 1964 - the most powerful recorded earthquake in North American history. It was devastating and had caused a seismic shift which is still partially visible today.

At the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center we got a tour and watched brown bears, raindeer (cariboos), bald eagles, lynx, mountain bison, musk oxes and other animals which were rescued for some reason and brought into the center. AWCC takes injured and orphaned animals and those that cannot be released into the wild are given a permanent home at the center. It had started to snow hard in the meantime.

On to the little mining town of Girdwood (40 mi south of Anchorage), to the Hotel Alyeska, a 4-star-ski resort on sea level with its own air tram up to the mountain. In 1954 Girdwood had become the land base for a major ski area and thanks to a French Baron by name Francois de Gunzburg, who installed a Poma chairlift, built ski trails and a day lodge. Today, it's a very popular destination for skiers, snow boarders and for other fancy wintersports like heli-skiing and cat-skiing.

In the meantime it had begun to snow hard and since rooms weren't ready yet around noon, we started to hike through the northernmost rain forest, even now, in the winter, appearing very lush and mystical. Unfortunately, trails were so icy that we didn't hike the whole trail but returned to the hotel instead.

On the valley floor, around the hotel, there was almost no snow at all and you had to go really high up to be able to have good snow conditions, but, up there the visibility was apparently horrible and the wind blowing hard as some of the group who skiid reported. That was also the reason, that the planned dinner at Seven Glaciers Mt. Alyeska restaurant - a famous scenic restaurant on top of the mountain - was cancelled: the tram didn't run because of the wind. In the evening the weather had switched to rain out of buckets.

Nevertheless, we had a very good meal at one of the other hotel restaurants with the group and a couple of hotel reps: a smoked scallop bisque, rockfish or beef as an entree, dessert and good wine. The same chef as in the restaurant on top of the mountain had prepared it and though, we missed the view, food was fabulous.

After breakfast in the hotel the group left for a planned snowmobile tour. We were all bundled up and equipped with gear at the outfitter's shop and drove up a little in the company's bus, until our guide got a call that even in higher elevations there is no snow, but rain and ice, and, therefore, the tour was cancelled.


In the pouring rain the bus made a detour to one of the glaciers and drove South, towards Whittier - just stopped in front of the long tunnel (the longest one in the U.S.) to this city, which has no other connection than this road - with the exception of boat and plane. Back then to Anchorage for the Anchorage Museum, lunch first, then time on our own for (another) museum's visit.

At 3:30 pm we had a tour at the King Street Brewery in Midtown Anchorage with the owner, which was very interesting. Great beers, too, especially liked their IPAs! Good thing in Alaska is, that there are quite a few breweries and that they are proud of their brews, which are listed on every restauurant menu. It's much easier to find a brewery in Anchorage than a drug or grocery store! Back in town we check-in at the Hilton Downtown at 5:30 pm, out again at 6 pm for the "Buyers' Reception", an event connected to the tourism conference, again in the Anchorage Museum. Stayed there for a short while before heading on to the Hard Rock Café for our last group dinner. No fish for a change - we have had salmon, halibut and rockfish in the last days - but pork, amazingly good meal. Back at the hotel around 9:30 pm, tired.