Girdwood and more amazing Alaskan experiences!
Friday 24 May
So we got cut loose by Viking this morning when we got dropped off by coach at Anchorage Airport where we had booked a rental car, so we are now having to fend and think for ourselves again!!!! Going back 4 months, a friend of Geoff’s, who lives near his holiday house on Waiheke Island, told us he knew of this couple who also own a house on Onetangi Beach and come down each summer from their home in Alaska. He connected us, and Mike and Cathy came around and had a glass of wine with us. Turns out that Mike comes from Seward and he and Cathy now have a home in Girdwood. (A side note, Mike went to school with Mitch Seavey from Itidarod fame!) Not only that, they have an Air BnB as part of their home, and next door but one, so does their friend, Russ! We had a fabulous afternoon with them whilst we made plans for our visit here.
Forward 4 months and here we are! We had an incredibly warm Alaskan welcome from them when we arrived in Girdwood this afternoon – and what a beautiful home they have. Girdwood lies in a valley in the southwestern Chugach Mountains, surrounded by seven glaciers – all of which are visible from the picture windows in Mike and Cathy’s home. It was founded as a community to supply miners during the Turnagain Arm gold rushes of the 1890’s. Originally called Glacier City, it was founded as a supply camp for placer gold miners with claims along the creeks feeding Turnagain Arm. It was renamed for Colonel James Girdwood, a Belfast born, Scots-Irish entrepreneur and linen merchant who staked the first four gold claims along Crow Creek in 1896. Like Valdez, it was affected by the Good Friday earthquake of 1964 and the town was moved 2.5 miles up the valley. It is an international destination for skiing and snowboarding on the slopes of Mount Alyeska in the winter, and hiking, fishing and rafting in the summer.
We were shown to our respective accommodations, Geoff and I in Russ’ place, and once we got ourselves organised, were given a tour of their beautiful home – and very interestingly, their garage! Mike is a very keen fisherman and hunter, as is his son Parker whom we had the pleasure of meeting too (since he is back from Montana for a short holiday). Parker regaled us with the story of the black bear he shot 5 days ago! Mike’s garage included a meat grinder, a curing chamber, a sausage stuffer and a vacuum sealer where he processes all his caught meats and salmon, but more incredible for us was the enormous safe which, when opened, showcased a large selection of rifles, ammunition and guns – all fully loaded and ready for action. No worries about home invasion in this neck of the woods then! This is so alien to us and I couldn’t even bring myself to hold one of the guns! There is also a safe in the house we are staying in, which I imagine is full of similar weapons and aptly called Fort Knox!!! Russ’s garage is amazing too, filled with tons of skis, bikes, a boat, a motorbike and a very fancy tool bench – like something you see in the movies!
Keen to have a look around, the four of us headed off for a drive around the town, Jo and I enjoyed a browse around the cute art gallery which showcased interesting and clever works from all the local artists, while Geoff and Earl spent some time in La Bodega organising the wine for dinner! We then couldn’t resist a stop off at the Girdwood Brewery with its beautiful timber-framed taproom adorned with local art and ski relics, and after having chosen our respective glasses of beer, sat outside in the beer garden around the fire pit on seats made out of skis. It was really fun, two other couples joined us and we were able to get some great tips for sightseeing over the coming days.
Back to Mike and Cathy’s where Mike had laid out a beautiful selection of his home-cured meats and salmon and we sat around his outside fire, with a nice blanket, and enjoyed a gin and tonic in the brisk air. Cathy treated us to a delicious dinner, Mike on the bbq overseeing the wild salmon – caught by himself of course. What a convivial night we had with them!
Saturday 25 May
Cathy was keen to take us hiking this morning and what a terrific experience we had. She firstly kitted us out with some heavy-duty gum boots as the snow has started to melt and in some places is slushy and muddy. We hiked the Winner Creek Trail through the lush forests of America’s northernmost rainforest, crossed wooden bridges over thundering blue-water gorges, the water shooting through them like cannons spewing frothy white water. There was still snow in some parts and some of the little peaks looked like toasted meringue. We had to be mindful that we stepped in already-walked footprints, so we didn’t end up putting our foot way down in a hole up to our knee! We saw the hand tram (which was sadly closed) high over Glacier Creek and all around us amazing tall spruce trees, soft, springy moss and the gushing of crystal-clear waters. A truly Alaskan experience. It took us a couple of hours so we were certainly ready for some lunch after all our efforts.
This afternoon we headed off to the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Centre, which is a sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife. Yep – we finally saw them, bears, bears and more bears, brown ones and black ones. So close and so big! All along I have been dying to see the bears in the wild, but having come up so close to them today - almost touchable through the fence - I’m glad I didn’t see them in the wild – I would have been absolutely terrified!!!!! They are great hulking animals and I can’t imagine encountering one, I’d probably do the opposite of everything we have been told, there would have been no standing still, I would have run a mile and been great fodder for them when they chased me! We also saw wolves, wood bison, elks and bull elks, but this time it was the moose who were hiding. Another enlightening, educational, experience to add to what has become a long list of them on this trip.
Back home and once again we enjoyed a wonderful dinner chez Cathy and Mike’s. Tonight it was fillet steak with wonderful salad and vegetables and excellent company. It seemed strange coming back to our apartment at 10.30pm – still in sunlight!
