Alaska Railroad Timelapse from
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Perhaps you've heard, I won a trip to Alaska! How'd you pull this off, you ask? Well, I just might be the smartest girl in America. :P Says who? The Steve Harvey show! :P
Steve Harvey Show, America's Smartest States (Aired 6/3/13) from
Juliana Broste on
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To my surprise, after being invited to Chicago to appear in a
special taping of the Steve Harvey Show, I was lucky to come out a winner, receiving the grand prize trip to the last frontier, Alaska!!!!
Lucky for me, I knew exactly who to bring for this outdoorsy trip--my dad! With his binoculars in hand and love for nature and wildlife, and my dad was the perfect companion. He and I were treated to experiences you only have once in a lifetime.
Explore Tours set us up with an extravagant (and efficient) independent tour itinerary for our quick 5 day trip: heading South to Seward's to the Kenai Fjords and them zooming back up North to Denali National Park! And did I mention all expenses paid? We counted our blessings and toasted to an incredible trip with tall glasses of Alaska's best brew.
We arrived in Anchorage to the
Millennium hotel, located right next to a lake with seaplanes a plenty! Though we didn't have time to hop in one, we did enjoy watching them buzz overhead and landing safely in the water.
The next day, we hopped on the famous Alaska Railroad, heading South to Seward in our Gold Star cabin. We enjoyed the views from America's only upstairs open air viewing deck on a railroad, and enjoyed the many timelapsing opportunities.
Alaska Railroad Timelapse from
Juliana Broste on
Vimeo.
Arriving in Seward, we hopped on a ferry to stay on Fox Island at the
Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge. It was a beautiful hideaway, a glamourous camping / 'glamping' experience with rustic cabins and no electrical outlets (except for in the main cabin--how would I survive?) This private island is furnished with just 8 or so cabins and plenty of kayaks. We were in good hands, with a private chef there to cater to our every needs.
Talk about a view!
Alaska: Views from Fox Island from
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We ate fresh salmon with a cauliflower puree and broccolini--hands down the best salmon I've ever had. Yummo! I wish I could make this at home.
Ready for our big excursion, we explored the Kenai Fjords on an all day boat trip, heading deep into a magical land. Our eyes were treated to some of the most spectacular scenery. Glaciers abound, we were lucky to see a few calving amidst all the blue ice surrounding. Next time we come back, I want to climb one!
The highlight, was most certainly the wildlife.
Seeing the porpoises swim up next to the boat, seeing the humpback whales flap their tails and pecs and jump out of the water was truly spectacular. And the sea otters and sea lions were quite exciting to see in nature as well.
Back in Seward, we celebrated our trip in grand style, with a pound of Alaskan King crab--each! Ah, the joys of vacation! This has been my favorite food since childhood.
With a big day of travel ahead, we headed back up North through Anchorage to
Denali National Park. Because of Denali's powerful weather patterns, only about 20% of the visitors get to see it like this. We were stunned, jaws gaping, staring at the tallest mountain in North America.
Here, we spent the day exploring Denali National Park in this very fabulous school bus. Yes, I said school bus. Somewhat renovated, but still a school bus. It's a shame there are no other options to explore this magnificent land, because traveling 2 x 2 in a packed school bus and sharing tiny rectangular windows is not the most comfortable way to experience this grand beauty. Alas, it's better than traveling in by foot, at risk of bumping into a Grizzly bear. School bus it is!
Apparently, school busses can turn on a dime, because they navigated through these narrow, hairpin mountain turns without a worry (or a railing).
We spotted grizzly bears and caribou and birds, and bushes and rocks that turned out to be nothing special.
And perhaps the scariest creatures of all (just kidding):
And when you come to Alaska, you have to visit the beautiful huskies that carry on the tradition of dog sledding. Most of this area shuts down in the winter, and can only be accessed by mushing through the snow! It makes me want to come back in the winter for sure.
In Alaska, I fell in love with the pretty purply pink fireweed-just the type of Jules-touch to the area. :P These beautiful flowers bud upwards, indicating the end of summer when the top buds flower. They run rampant along every road and train track.
These flowers, these photos, and all the fun memories made with my dad, made my trip to Alaska one amazing adventure.
Who's ready for Halloween? I'm excited to share with you my lastest creation for Travel Channel where I featured some of the SCARIEST haunted houses in the country!!! San Diego's The Haunted Hotel and The Haunted Trail were terrifying, bone-chilling, heart-pounding, nightmare-giving, pee-in-your-pants SCARY! Be sure to catch America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions 4 before this spooky holiday vanishes into thin air.
