The next day we got up and got ready for the Reindeer Run, a now annual event at the Fur R
ondy (a festival for fur traders to meet and sell their wares, competitions, and celebration). We all dressed in reindeer/elf costumes to join the other costumed runners, in racing down the main street of Anchorage ahead of the reindeer. I managed to make it on the Channel 2 news. I think they liked the costume! :)
In the evening we headed to the Air Force base to go tubing.
For $10 you have 2 hours to go up and down the hill. You hook your tube up to a rope tow and at the top you pick from a couple of different "shoots" to slide down. I did not stop giggling and screaming for the whole 2 hours.
The next day, we got up early to head to Girdwood, to ski at Alyeska. Despite the 13 inches of fresh powder on the top, I nev
er made it up there. I managed to lean overextend to buckle a boot and tear my ACL! After skiing to the lodge on one leg for a beer, visiting the ski patrol office, and deciding it was too painful to ignore, we headed back to Anchorage to the ER. With a new brace and pain meds, we adjusted our itinerary and headed to Seward the next day.
Seward is a small fishing down on the Kenai Peninsula. You drive along the Seward Scenic Highway
where we saw a white-out and scenes of past avalanches on the road. We went to the Alaska Sealife Center, shopped in the downtown area, and checked out an
old retro bar. The next day we got breakfast at the
Smoke Shack (an old train turned into a diner), where I fell in love with the chef. Tell me he isn't the cutest guy in overalls you've ever seen.
The next day, back in Anchorage, we went to the Alaska Native Heritage Center Museum where we watched dance performances and Derek pushed me around in a wheelchair in the snow. We went to a folk art festival at Diamond mall (where they have an ice skating rink in the middle) and did some touristy shopping.
We drove up to Hatcher's pass for some scenic views. It is so unbelievably beautiful. People drive along the pass, park their cars, pull out their skis
or boards and ski down the
sides of the pass...then hitch rides back up the road to their cars. At the very top, they have a lo
dge nestled in the middle of the mountains...that I've got to come back to some day to stay at.
One of the best meals we had was crab night at Ritter's house. A friend and former colleague of Derek's invited us
to their home for home-cooked crab legs. It was a true feast of deliciousness. On Saturday night they also hosted a luau and beer tasting party, so another great opportunity to dress in costume.Saturday was our big day. We bundled up in layers an
d layers of clothes, sealskin hats, thick mittens, and thermoses of hot cocoa. Derek took us to a spot near the Native Hospital, where we put out beach chairs and sat to watch the dogs and sledders runs by. I was cheering the scottish team (because I liked their kilts. Even the dogs wore them.). It was very exciting and there was a great crowd cheering on each of the teams. The dogs wear little fleece booties to keep their feet warm.
Our last day we worked on hosting a dinner party for all of the cool people, Derek's friends, that we met in Anchorage. We cooked up Halibut, Salmon, moose stew, and clams (all things that Derek had caught!). My favorite part about our trip to Anchorage was the wonderful community of people, who seem more like family than friends. Such warmth, caring, and camaraderie you just don't see much anywhere else.
It was a wonderful Alaskan adventure. I can't wait for the next one!
Added to the list: 11/22/08
