Written by Elissa Ebersold on July 26, 2019

Alaska, At Last

Alaska . Road Trip . Travel

Saturday July 6th 2019
Oh, how nice it was to sleep in, and to not have to pack up and hurry out. The air conditioning in the hotel was a welcome luxury after spending several days in the atypical heat that had settled over the northwest. Outside the windows, Anchorage was not only baking from an unnatural heatwave, but it was also smothered in a smoky haze from wildfires raging in the surrounding areas.

The plan was to meet my brother Cameron for a late breakfast, but upon arrival the wait was long so we decided on a new place. We also decided that it was as good of a time as any to take the car to get washed and have its oil changed, as we agreed we’d do upon arrival in The Last Frontier. Some of us were dropped at the restaurant to hold the table, while my brother drove to collect my parents from the dealership. When they arrived at the restaurant, we discussed plans for the day over a delicious brunch. Well, I would say we discussed plans, and we did, but I would be misleading my audience if I didn’t say that the majority of the time was spent by my father complaining about the ticket he received on the Seward Highway.

After brunch, we all squeezed into Cameron’s sweat box of a car and headed back towards the dealership to collect the newly oiled car. After it was taking a little longer than expected, my brother grabbed Niki and myself to escape and told my parents we’d meet them at the hotel.

The three of us climbed into the car and Cameron and Niki had conspired to take me to a new place. The place was new for Niki too, but not the recommended activity….a dispensary.

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Skip to the next separator if you are not interested in reading about marijuana.

Marijuana has been legal for recreational use in Alaska since 2014, but it has been decriminalized since 1975 (sort of), so Alaska has quite the history with the five-leaf plant.

I’m rather ignorant when it comes to drugs; I’d never done weed in any form whatsoever, so I was pretty overwhelmed in the dispensary. The place we went was my brother’s favorite shop, and there was so much more to consider than I’d ever thought. We were carded as we walked in, akin to entering a bar on a Friday night, except it was mid morning on a Saturday. I can’t recall specifically what was there, but I remember the smell immediately flushing my nose of the different kind of smoke smell that I’d gotten accustomed to outside. Inside there were glass jars containing different strains, there was so much paraphernalia I did and didn’t recognize, there were gummies and lollipops and joints, CBD Oil, and even drinks I think!

After careful consideration and consultation with the workers behind the counter and with my brother, I opted for a single container of edible blondie brownies. I figured that if I was to try weed for the first time, I should do it with familiar company and in a place where it was legal and regulated.

It was at this moment my mother called me asking where we had wandered off to. Knowing my mother’s stance on marijuana and unclear if my brother was comfortable telling her, I admittedly offered up a lie. “We’re driving around,” I had said, and told her that we’d be back at the hotel soon.

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Around this time, a familiar face walked in through the door. This individual was my brother’s friend and roommate Jared, who just happened to walk in at the same time we were there. No planning needed! I actually have a professional history with Jared.

As I mentioned in one of my entries from last year, during a particularly long and late drive, I had crafted up a horror story to write with my brother to submit to the horror fiction podcast we had been listening to. After the first draft (and possibly second draft), my brother brought in the likes of Jared, who at the time lived in LA, to put his editing skills to the test to make the story the best it could be. Several months of back and forth with Jared and Cameron made it just that. The story is still in the hands of the NoSleep production team for consideration, but you can read it here on my website.

It was wonderful to finally meet Jared and put a face to the name.

Back at the hotel, with our goodies stored in the fridge, we all crammed into the car and started out on our first adventure of the day. We were headed south on the Seward Highway to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The trip took us about an hour, and we spent that time listening to my father complain about receiving the speeding ticket. We also listened to Cameron complain about having us there. So, you know, we drove 5,000+ miles just to be met with the “you can’t leave soon enough” remarks and that’s kinda upsetting, but also not entirely surprisingly. It’s pretty much on par for Cameron.

The AWCC is exactly how it sounds: large enclosures of animals native to the Alaska Wilderness. I’m an animal lover, so of course I loved seeing all the beautiful animals. But they were definitely not feeling active and were more on the sedentary side, hiding in the shadows of the building or trees in their enclosures. They weren’t used to the heat. There were foxes, coyotes, caribou, elk, multiple kinds of deer, bison, bears, moose, eagles, porcupines, muskoxen (is that the plural?), wolves (which we didn’t get to see), and more. We easily spent several hours there, and as hot as it was, it was a delightful walk. There was even a gorgeous view of the waters of a subsidiary of the Turnagain Arm.

Now, sadly, I took most of my pictures on my dad’s camera, so you may never see those. But there were other kinds of photos I grabbed there, which you can find at the end of the entry about the day.

After AWCC, we were all pretty exhausted…the heat will do that to you….but we went to a big festival in Girdwood Park known as Forest Fair. Forest Fair is known for its music, food, and crafts. You know, like any other local festival or fair anywhere else in the country. There was definitely good music, good food, and beautiful artworks, crafts, and the like by local artisans, but overall…unremarkable. The only unusual thing I could give it is that due to its rather whimsical association, you could find fair-goers dressed as fairies, elves, or other types you might find in a D&D Campaign. You know, flower crowns, pointed ears or fantastical jewelry, flowery face paint, that kind of stuff.

After the fair, we dropped Cameron so he could go home and collect his stuff (he’d be staying at the hotel with the four of us that night), and the rest of us went to find the Alaska postcard mural I remembered from the year before. We grabbed some photos at the mural, and sought out some ice cream (not an easy task) before returning to the hotel and retiring for the evening.

Day 9 Mileage: 114 miles

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Sunday July 7th 2019
This was the day I had been most anticipating since the trip began: the 26 glacier cruise! The cruise set sail from Whittier, a cute port town nestled in the Passage Canal nook of the Price Williams Sound. In order to get to Whittier, you have to go through a single lane tunnel, a tunnel shared between trains and automobiles. Another requirement is that you have to put up with many dumb jokes from your father, whose pun skills could really have been “Whittier.”

Ever since my father mentioned this tunnel to Niki, she had been worried about the logistics of it. How do we know when to go? How do we know if there’s a train coming? But it runs like clockwork, literally, as on the every hour or half hour, a signal tells you when it is your turn to depart the staging area and enter the tunnel, driving the two and a half miles beneath the millions of tons of Maynard Mountain above you. It is not a place you’d want to be during one of Alaska’s earthquakes, that’s for sure. It was an interesting experience to be like an ant, moving into an anthill single file.

At 12:30 we boarded the Klondike Express and shortly thereafter set sail in the Prince William Sound. Our first order of business was lunch, which was a delightful fresh salmon chowder, and then it was to see the many glaciers the tour had to offer.

Setting sail from Whittier, we had been worried about visibility. Along the Seward Highway, the smoky haze had been real thick and visibility was quite limited. The farther out into the Sound we went, however, the haze lifted, the waters became more vibrant, the skies more blue, and the air in our lungs was cleaner and clearer.

I have always felt so at home on the water, and that day was no different. The bite of the salty sea air made me feel alive. My hair whipped around my face. and up towards the bow the wind was so strong I was sure it would blow my sunglasses right off my face. Cameron took a great photo of me in my element.

The day brought us many wildlife sightings. We saw the likes of bald eagles, an abundance of sea otters, other sea birds, and leaping salmon. Most excitingly for me, we saw a pod of Doll’s Porpoises that bounded in and out of the wake from the pontoons of the Klondike. We also saw a pair of fin whales, the second largest whale, and therefore, the second largest mammal on the planet.

By far, the coolest (no pun intended, no groan needed) part of the five hours on the boat was the time we spent at Surprise Glacier. Surprise Glacier is the most active tidewater glacier in PWS, and maybe it was the heat of the day (or week), but it put on quite a show for us. It was dropping chunks of ice left and right, rocking the boat with the wake from the displaced water. There’s something ethereal about it all: the thunderous crack it makes, the cool breeze coming off of the glacier, the soothing rock from the waves, the un-phased harbor seals vegging on nearby icebergs, the the murmur of excitement and cheers from tourists….or maybe that’s just me being in love with being on the ocean again. Who can say? But over the course of six hours or so, we saw at least 26 glaciers (or so I hoped, I didn’t actually count) and traveled over 140 miles.

Here are some photos from our adventure on the Klondike Express.

Once the glacier cruise had come to an end, we headed back towards Anchorage. My father was on his crusade to prove the fact that the officer was in the wrong in regards to his ticket (so yes, we heard another hour of ticket talk as he videoed his return), and then onto dinner. It was at some Korean place, which was super hot from baking in the unseasonable Alaska heat.

Day 10 mileage: 105 land miles + 140 water miles = 245

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Monday July 8th 2019
This day was the Big Switch. It was the day we handed the car we’d driven across the continent with and experienced a lot in over to my parents. Okay, so it actually IS their car, but it was still a little sad to see it go. Instead, my brother was kind enough to lend us his car for the day. I am incredibly grateful, but it truly was the most stripped vehicle I’ve ever driven. I’m not even gonna call it a jalopy, because it doesn’t even deserve that, but it was an early 2000s Kia lacking in power everything. I don’t care about the crack in the windshield, or having to crank the window down myself, or having to move the seat via lever, or even that it was a stick shift. I learned to drive on stick, and I’m still a little sad that my car Anubis (yes, I name my cars, deal with it) is an auto. The real problem? No power steering, and no cruise control. I have never driven a car without either. I learned just why those things are such nice luxuries in a car.

My brother (had?) to work, so Niki and I once again set off down the Seward Highway. My brother and my parents had told us about a glacier you can walk to via a relatively easy hiking path. This place was called Byron Glacier.

It really was a relatively easy glacier, and as someone who overall feels pretty unstable on their feet on a good day, this was a hike made for me! It had very few gain in elevation, and although it wasn’t a paved path, it was clear of tripping hazards. It was serene and quiet, and the paths were lined in cow parsnip (of which we were careful not to touch it), fireweed, and wild berries. A glacial creek followed alongside us, leaping over smooth stones and soothing us with its babbling. You probably could have baked cookies in the heat of the day, but the closer we got, the temperature began to fall with the breeze coming off of the ice until it was just “hot and bearable.”

What a beautiful sight it was to behold. Immediately I traversed to the spot spilling out the glacial stream, sat down, took off my shoes, and stuck my feet in the ice water. I filled my water bottle and chugged the water. You will never taste any water as fresh and delicious as that straight from a glacier. Ever.

We sat there for a little while attempting to skip rocks into the stream, drinking from it, and taking pictures of each other with the glacier. Once again I found myself overwhelmed with the feeling that I could have spent hours there just listening to the water, admiring the landscape.

But close to four hours had elapsed since we’d arrived, and it became time to make our way back to Anchorage to meet my brother and Jared for dinner. I filled my bottle once again and off we went. On the path back, I plucked a flower from a fireweed plant and ate it. My brother had told me that they were edible, so I wanted to try them. Spoiler alert, they’re not delicious. I could see them in a tea maybe, but a snack food? Definitely not. But I did see a woman eating wild berries, and so I picked one of those as well. It looked sort of like a raspberry, but orange—a much better snack food. I later found out it was a salmon berry. (I do not advise eating berries if you do not know what they are since they can, you know, kill you.)

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We picked my brother up from his work and met Jared at the famous Alaskan pizza place Moose’s Tooth. They had some really unique pies, so we went this different choice for all of us. According to the menu, it contains: Blackened Chicken, Cream Cheese, Apricot Sauce, Red Peppers, Carrot Threads, Green Onions, Cilantro, Mozzarella, and Provolone. Cameron straight up told us that we were paying for the (two) pies we bought, without consultation, which is on par for Cameron. I would have done it anyway, but it would have been nice to have been asked instead of told I was buying two pizzas.

The following contains drug use. Please continue to the next day if you wish to skip.

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We indulged ourselves on the pizza back at Cameron’s apartment. The apricot pie might be something I’d make for myself in the future. It was a really unique, really delightful and flavorful slice.

Once the pizza had been demolished, it was time for dessert in the form of weed brownies. With the shrink wrap removed, the scent of marijuana became evident….not exactly appetizing, but I popped it in my mouth and swallowed it with only the slightest hit of a disgusted grimace. Being completely ignorant to the ways of weed, I had no idea what to expect. I was told it would take a while for the edibles to kick in, and so I sat and waited and chatted with my companions waiting to feel the “full body high” that the woman at the counter spoke of. An hour passed, and while the people around me claimed to be high, I felt nothing. I was told to eat another half of a brownie. Another hour went by, and I felt some changes, but I definitely didn’t feel high. I felt the opposite. I felt my mouth go cottony. I felt my pulse racing and it felt mildly hard to breathe, and I was wringing my hands. I was riding the edge of a familiar feeling: an encroaching anxiety attack. It wasn’t like I was paranoid, or even started suffering the typical anxiety thoughts I get when I’m anxious. It was just the physical symptoms I experience. Thankfully, the anxiety attack never materialized, and Cameron threw us out of his apartment shortly thereafter to fulfill what I shall refer to as “hedonistic impulses.”

We Ubered back to the hotel, and went to sleep. To this day, I’m still surprised at my reaction, given my lack of experience and that I’m a lightweight when it comes to inhibitors of various sorts. Would I do again? Hard to say, but if I do, I think I’ll wait for it to be legalized where I live and I’ll do it with people who can guide me through a good experience.

Day 11 mileage: 81.4 miles

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Tuesday July 9th 2019
Our penultimate day in Anchorage proved to be quiet and laid back. We began our day with brunch, stopping to grab a coffee at one of the shipping container coffee shops (which I love by the way, and I think we should have them everywhere) on our way over to the Anchorage Museum.

This is where we spent the rest of our afternoon. We browsed everything the museum had to offer, even the special exhibition about the discovering of the Northwest Passage, and the fates of the ships captained by Sir John Franklin, specifically the Terror. It proved to be a fascinating and captivating exhibit, and I came out with a reading list of historical fiction novels that explore similar themes. It was especially fascinating to learn how each crew member died.

Another amazing part of the museum was the section with artifacts from each kind of Native Alaska tribe. As a whale lover, I particuarily loved the ivory and wood carvings of whales. Since last year, I’ve been searching for an ivory carving of an orca, and I found one in the exhibit that was very similar to one that I wanted.

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They also had a stunning art gallery, with American Romantic Landscape paintings, which is one of my favorite periods of art.

After the museum, we went in search of an ivory carving much like the one I had seen. There was a beautiful stone carving in a store we found that was in the style I was looking for, but it was very much out of my price range. ($10,500). We found a couple other stores up and down the tourist stretch, and the one we wanted happened to be closed. We agreed to hit that first thing in the morning.

After a quick few minutes to freshen up at the hotel, we were waiting on our table at Simon & Seafort’s, the fine seafood establishment in downtown that overlooks the Cook Inlet and faces west, so you can watch the sun set. We treated ourselves here, to toast to the end of a most delightful vacation and bonding experience. We ordered the same thing, making it easy for the watier. We started with the steamed fresh clams. Our main course was Norton Sound Alaskan red king crab with a lobster tail, and for dessert creme brulee. And believe it or not, Niki convinced the waiter to give the desert on the house because my birthday was a couple days ago! But then again, I’m fairly certain Niki could have convinced the waiter of anything, as he was making eyes at her the whole night. It was like I wasn’t even there at all!

It was a fantastic way to end our trip.

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Wednesday July 10th 2019
Honestly, our final day in Anchorage was…boring. We took Cameron to breakfast, and after that we helped out at his work by transplanting basil sprouts. It is vigorous work, actually. You really give your arms a workout. But after a while, we realized that Cameron wasn’t going to be around us much, so we left to find some coffee and a nearby museum in a….Wells Fargo Bank? We honestly went the wrong way so many times trying to find it.

The museum was actually really cool, and it had some items from each of the Alaska native tribes we could touch. I love tactile museums. Before long, the time had come and off to the airport we went.

It was bittersweet saying goodbye to my brother. I know he probably felt he couldn’t get us out of there fast enough, but I didn’t know the next time I would see him so I felt a little sad. But I was also disappointed because our time with him had been sparse and I felt neglected, and I was ready to leave. I was ready to go home and see my cats and friends.

My bag got stopped in security for having a suspicious item in it. It was a either a bag of jelly beans or a bag of Sour Patch Kids that tripped up the TSA. With a laugh, I said they could have just asked to have some, they didn’t have to make such a big deal trying to confiscate them, but they were handed back after a thorough inspection.

Sadly, we didn’t see the like-aged individuals we had met several days before at our gate, and after giving everyone between the door and my seat a good smack with either my backpack or my carry-on, we got settled. Well, sort of. Sorry, Niki, I’m fat and I tend to squirm!

Our flight was delayed on the tarmac, and I started to get worried since we only had 45 minutes to make our connection in Seattle. We left 30 minutes behind schedule, but luckily for us, the attendants later informed us that they would hold the planes since many of us on the flight had connections that we were to miss because of the delay. They also said to let the “45 people with connections to catch to deplane first.” Guess what didn’t happen? Yeah, everyone decided to get off the plane at the same time, and not only that, it took an EXTRAORDINARY amount of time to deplane. To quote Amanda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, “By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.”

We did catch our flight, and what felt like an eternity later, we landed in JFK. After Niki and I stepped off of the air train in Jamaica, Queens, we hugged and said our goodbyes. I think we were both tired of each other at that point, but I was still sad to see her go. It was time for me to catch a train to Penn Station (I am certain I pissed everyone in that train car off with all my luggage being sloppily schlepped along behind me), where I’d wait for three hours before hopping an Amtrak to Albany.

The Amtrak was booked solid, and it was another go round of making everyone mad at me with my three bags. I found a seat and settled, only to be told by an attendant that I was in the wrong car. I had to gather all my stuff again and drag it passed many train-goers giving me the stink eye as I tried to find a place to sit in the right section of the train. I did, and I passed out for a couple hours.

I was supposed to get off in Schenectady and go to work, but upon pulling up to the Albany station, I realized there was no way I had the energy, temperament, or ability to keep my eyes open to work, so I called in. I called an Uber and took it to my parents’ house so I could grab my car and go home. It was pouring when I arrived home, and I looked and looked and looked for the spare key, but it was gone. I called the people who had some keys, but no one was around to let me in. I sat in the hot, humid air on the porch and sobbed. I was so tired and I just wanted to go home. I pulled myself together, and admittedly broke in. I threw my laundry in the washer, hosed off in the shower, and slipped into a pair of pajamas before passing out for what would prove to be a long, much deserved, ill-advised, two weeks of disrupted sleep, nap.

Coddiwomple is a peculiar word. Not just in the way it sounds, but in what it means. It is a verb that translates to “to travel with purpose towards a vague destination.” That definition is what I believe my journey to have been. Sure, Anchorage is a specific place, but if I could be corny for a minute, it’s not the only destination. It’s not the only place to wind up. My end destination was two weeks of adventures, of joy, of beautiful sights, and of beautiful memories. Would I do it again? Driving to Alaska is a task cool enough to do twice, but maybe that’s all I need. I’ll drive somewhere new next time. I will coddiwomple away.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Total miles traveled (minus by air): 5,430 MILES