Friday, September 3, 2021

Our flight from Seattle to Anchorage was a breeze. We had to walk outside to board. It was a full flight, but Dad and I were next to each other. I got to sit by the window and the scenery out the window was beautiful. There were so many mountains as we left Seattle. They also provided movies during the flight so I began watching Les Misérables, but ended off falling asleep after enjoying my ginger ale.  We couldn’t see much as we entered Alaska due to fog and rain, but we landed safely and were on our way.

Our bags didn’t come out right away and we had to get our bow cases in the special baggage area. Once they were all gathered Dad waited for the truck guy while I stayed with the luggage. It took a little longer than we thought to get the truck, but once we got it it was like a weight lifted off our shoulders that we could begin our drive.

We made a quick pit stop at Best Buy and McDonalds before we were on our way to Denali.

The landscape of Alaska is absolutely beautiful. We were able to stop and get out multiple times along our highway journey to take pictures and soak it all in.  The leaves are all changing colors for fall.  We made it to Denali in good time and were able to get Dad’s LIFETIME National Park pass and check out the gift shop. We then decided to go on a small hike to say we explored just a little of Denali.  Denali has one main road and you can only go 15 miles on it in your private vehicle. To go any further you must buy a bus ticket. We didn’t have time for the bus, so we went to mile marker 13 to enjoy the Mountain Vista Trail.  It butted up against the Savage River. The drive was beautiful, the river was beautiful, the mountains were beautiful. Truly, just breathtaking. 

Once we completed our hike we headed back to the main road to keep heading north. I found a brewery in one of the flyers Dad picked up and thought that would be a good stop as we headed out of town. After a quick stop at a souvenir shop we headed to 49th State Brewing Co.  On the way, Dad told me about the story “Into the Wild” and how the boy was found just right outside of the town we were going to. 

By pure irony, when we arrived at 49th State Brewing Co, the bus that we were just talking about was there. We were able to  walk around it and see what it was like. We thought about eating there, but the line was very long and we wanted to get to Fairbanks. 

Dad continued the drive and, again, after a few stops we made it to Fairbanks. The gentleman working the front desk was clearly overwhelmed so Dad helped make sure our room was clean before moving our stuff in.  

Next began the challenge of finding a place to eat. we had asked the front desk guy and is response was “Brewsters”, but he had never been there. When we drove by it looked a little dumpy so we decided to look elsewhere...In case you were wondering, there are practically ZERO restaurants in this town. We ended up back at Brewsters and the food and service was good. 

After dinner we filled up with gas and made a quick grocery store run for some pop and granola bars. We are so tired. As I write, Dad is sleeping and I am falling asleep. Tomorrow we continue our long drive!