Alaska TravelGram

There are a couple of routes to Kennicott from Anchorage–I’ve taken them both. Typically, we drive northeast from Anchorage up the Glenn Highway to Glennallen, then take a right-hand turn and head south on the Richardson Highway towards Valdez. About 14 miles down the road, you’ll see the cutoff on the Edgerton to Chitina. Depending on traffic, you can drive from Anchorage to Chitina (on the banks of the Copper River) in about five and a half hours. 

The other way is to drive to Whittier and take the ferry over to Valdez. Then, drive north a little more than 100 miles to the Chitina cut-off. It’s fun to make a circle trip–that’s what we like to do with visiting friends and relatives. 

In Chitina, you have two ways to proceed: fly on Wrangell Mountain Air back to McCarthy or drive the old railbed into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. I’ve done both–it’s more fun to take the flight. Plus , it’s a better idea if you’ve got a rental car. Avis, for example, does not allow you to drive your rental car on the McCarthy Road.  That doesn’t stop people, of course, from heading out in their Ford Tempo. But be advised: it’s a really expensive tow bill if you break down. 

The flightseeing tour is fabulous.

Even though it’s just a 70-mile trip, Wrangell Mountain Air takes you through a couple of mountain passes. you’ll see giant ice falls, incredible rock glaciers–and some of the old Kennicott mine buildings high up on the mountain above the main town of McCarthy.

Once you get back to McCarthy, the van from Kennicott Glacier Lodge will pick you up: either at the airport or at the footbridge that crosses the Kennicott River.  The van snakes up what used to be an old railroad track that hauled the copper oar from the mine back down to McCarthy and on to Cordova. 

The lodge itself sits on “Main Street” in Kennicott. Read up on the historical facts of this mining district–which in its day was the richest and largest copper mine in the world. Be sure and reserve a tour of the Mill Building at the front desk with St. Elias Alpine Guides. You’ll get an inside look at the 14-story mill building and learn how oar was transported from the mines on a series of trams, then processed for shipment. Fascinating.

The mine is silent these days–and that gives you a chance to concentrate on the breathtaking surroundings of Kennicott. The glaciers. The hikes. The mountains.

Sign up for a glacier hike with St. Elias Alpine Guides. They have all the crampons you’ll need to get firm footing on the Root Glacier. You can walk right up to the glacier, strap on the ice spikes on the bottom of your boots (Yep. they’ve got them, too!) and your guide will give you good instructions on how to get the best traction while walking on the ice. In fact, you also can try ice climbing! It’s fun and exciting! 

Sitting around the family-style dinner table at Kennicott Glacier Lodge, it’s easy to see why folks return year after year to this special place in the middle of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Make this year the year you discover Kennicott!

May and June are great months to travel by rail with Princess to the Mt. McKinley Princess, near Talkeetna and the Denali Princess, near the entrance to Denali National Park.

The McKinley Princess is the closest lodge to Mt. McKinley.  In fact, the mountain fills up the entire northwestern horizon! Your package includes roundtrip rail aboard the exclusive “Midnight Sun Express” ultradome rail care between Anchorage and Talkeetna. From there, take the Princess coach to the McKinley Princess. Choose from a one- or two-night package, for as little as $119 per person. Wow! The real value, IMHO, is the 3-day/2-night package for $179 per person. Yes, that includes the rail, 2 nights’ accommodations and your transfer from Talkeetna to the lodge! 

Plus, Princess offers free transportation between the lodge and Talkeetna for lots of activities, including flightseeing of McKinley and jetboat tours on the local rivers! Or, stroll around Talkeetna: Snacks, shops and the Ranger Station where the mountain climbers check in! 

The Denali Princess, near the entrance to Denali Park, also offers great 2-for-1 deals in May and June. You’re well-positioned to take advantage of tours deep into the park, including the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Also, take advantage of flightseeing, tours of Jeff King’s Iditarod Dog Kennels, rafting on the Nenana River and more! 

Choose one night in each lodge! Choose Tour “B1B”, departing on May 30. The cost is just $239 per person. That includes rail and coach transportation between Anchorage, Talkeetna and Denali, transfers and accommodations at the lodges. It’s a great deal!

Princess also offers great deals at all five Alaska lodges in May: just $99 per night in May and half-off your second night in June and July! At the Fairbanks Princess, located right on the Chena River, take 50 percent off your second night on Fri., Sat. and Sun. all summer long! (through Sept. 19, 2008). 

Learn more online.

If you have not yet been to Homer to wine-n-dine at Land’s End Resort, the “Uncorked” dinner is a great place to do it.

You know Land’s End, right? Out at the end of the Homer Spit, the resort boasts a spa, some great beachfront rooms–even a beachfront hot tub!

Here’s another tip: take advantage of Era Aviation’s web specials to fly down from Anchorage for dinner. Here’s the menu from Chef Maggie for the May 2 dinner (the last “Uncorked” dinner until October):

“Spring Finale”, created by Executive Chef Maggie Burns

Soup - Cream of Asparagus: A rich and creamy soup prepared with blended asparagus tips, leeks and shallots, then finished with cream and served with parmesan custards. 

Wine: Hidalgo La Gitana

Salad - Asian Pear: Butter lettuce with Asian pears, roasted red peppers, toasted almonds, Feta cheese and a warm lemon honey vinaigrette.

Wine: J. Lohr Estates White Riesling “Baymist”

Appetizer - Scallop Stuffed Mushroom Florentine: Fresh mushroom caps stuffed with Alaskan scallops and topped with a spinach, garlic, onion and Pernod mixture. Baked golden and draped with hollandaise.

Wine: Penfolds Hyland Chardonnay ‘06

Dinner - Walnut Encrusted Chicken Breast with Brie Cheese Filling:

Brie cheese stuffed chicken breast with walnut crust is pan seared and served with a wild rice pilaf and a creamy peach salsa.

Wine: Angeline Pinot Noir Russ River ‘06

Dessert - Designer Shortcake: Handmade shortcake with strawberries and blackberries, topped with marscapone cream.

Wine: Quady Elysium ‘06

Cost is $70 per person - includes tax and gratuity. Call the Chart Room Restaurant (907)235-0406. Plan on spending the night.  More information available online. 

Fly from Chitina to McCarthy when you visit Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Wrangell Mountain Air offers scheduled service each day. 

We’re going to Kodiak!

Wanna come along? There’s plenty to do. To start with, this year marks the 50th Anniversary of CrabFest, the big community-wide event over Memorial Day (May 22-26).

I’m staying at Marty and Marion’s new B-n-B on the water. Learn all about it on the website. Check out the photo. Marion took it from the deck–just as the Trusty Tusty (aka m/v Tustumena) was pulling out on its ferry run to Homer.

No doubt I’ll be sampling some fine beer at the Kodiak Island Brewery. I’m flying over on Era Aviation. Renting a car from Avis.

Time to caffeinate? No fear. Head over to Mill Bay Coffee Company. Not only does Martine fix a glorious espresso from locally-roasted beans. Mais non! Ce n’est pas finit! You must have a French pastry–something sweet that Joel whipped up in the kitchen. I’ll be a better man–and a bigger one, too.

Mary Stephenson has a booth right at the harbor, where she books activities for everyone: fishing, bear viewing, flightseeing, ATV tours, kayaking…and more. Did I say everything? I meant e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Call her at: (907)486-8766.

Sushi? Head to the Old Powerhouse restaurant. Best sushi in town.

Local stuff? I love visiting the two museums right downtown (walk from the ferry terminal): the Aluutiq Museum and the Baranov House. But don’t miss the military museum out at Ft. Abercrombie. We visited the museum last fall and actually did a video!

No kidding: plan your trip to Kodiak today. If you can get to Anchorage, climb aboard either Alaska Airlines or Era Aviation for great $79 one-way fares each weekend between now and May 31. If I see you at Crabfest, I’ll buy you a Crab Sandwich!!

By day, Jim Lavrakas is a mild-mannered photographer at Alaska’s Good Morning Newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News. But after work, Jim trades his camera bag for his King Salmon rod and he heads downtown to the “Big Muddy”, aka “Ship Creek”. He is Alaska’s Urban Angler! Those of you who live in Anchorage know our downtown creek serves up excellent fishing for most of the summer. Jim will take anglers on a 3-hour guided sessions on Anchorage’s Ship Creek. Fish the muddy bowels of the most urban salmon fishery in the U.S. Jim will teach you the techniques for successful salmon fishing that you can use anywhere in Alaska, from a “combat fishing” situation to a pristine wilderness experience. $125 per person, 2 clients at a time, twice daily. Oh, Jim won the Ship Creek King Salmon derby a few years back–so he knows what he’s talking about. Check out the picture…which, of course, is worth a thousand words. HA!