Showing posts with label alaskatour2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alaskatour2013. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 3

The Crow's Nest - Anchorage, Alaska


5th Wedding Anniversary

 On June 21st, we celebrated FIVE years of being married!!  Every year is special to us, but this year was particularly meaningful as we reflected on our marriage, and everything we've been through in the last five years together.  It has been such an incredible, memorable and adventurous five years.  Things have seldom been easy for us, but this time we've been spending in Alaska has been a time of renewal and refreshment that we desperately needed.  For our celebration, we were fortunate to have my in-laws in Alaska for a visit, and they were happily willing to hang out with Zion so we could enjoy some alone time.  We put on our fancy date clothes (after dusting them off, haha) and headed to The Crow's Nest, a fine dining restaurant on the 20th floor of the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage.
 First Course: Market Fresh Oysters // Tabby's Crabby Patty
Crow's Nest Merus & Marrow
 Second Course: Merus & Marrow // Thai Yellow Curry, Coconut & King Crab Soup
Crow's Nest New Zealand Elk Rack
 Third Course: Alaska Salmon // New Zealand Elk Rack
 Our meal was simply exquisite!  We loved and devoured every morsel as we watched the sunset break through an otherwise dreary day over the bay.  The service at the Crow's Nest is top notch!  We were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived.  The hardest part of being there was narrowing down our choices of what we wanted to enjoy.  After our meal, we sipped on fresh brewed coffee - which was served with a variety of items, including chocolate sprinkles...yum!
Crow's Nest Banana Split
 As if the meal couldn't get better, we indulged in the most decadent Banana Split & Poached Pear desserts we've ever had.  Unbelievably delicious - in fact just looking at this picture makes my mouth salivate!  We always like to guess the price on a meal like this, and we were pleasantly surprised when the check came.  We were betting on a much higher price tag for such a fine dining experience.
 We left with full tummies and hearts blessed by this milestone in our marriage.  Cheers to many more!!
       
Crow's Nest on Urbanspoon

Monday, July 1

Byron Glacier & Portage Lake - Alaska

Portage Lake
Byron Creek Byron Glacier
To kick off hiking season in Alaska, we headed south of Anchorage toward the tunnel to Whittier.  About an hour to an hour and a half down the Seward Highway, you get to Portage Lake, and the Begich Boggs Visitor Center.  Portage Lake was still very much frozen and you can no longer view the Portage Glacier from the road as it is quickly retreating (about 1 foot per day).  

We had Byron Glacier Trail recommended to us as a good family-friendly hike, so we took Zion as well as a few other co-workers and hit the trail.  We were surprised by the fact that this relatively flat and busy trail was still covered in a lot of snow, but we hit it anyway, secretly enjoying the extra calorie burn from walking in slushy snow as opposed to bare ground.

The trail was short and definitely easily navigated by the most novice of hikers.  We arrived to the snow field just below the glacier and had few options to where to go from there.  A couple of Jerry's coworkers weren't prepared for the snow so they had soaked feet by the time we arrived at the snow field.  Jerry, Zion and I headed to a patch of rocks and hiked up a small hill to get to them, and from there I snapped a few close-ups of the glacier while we snacked on fresh cherries and beef jerky.

It was a great intro to hiking out in the Alaska wilderness and definitely got me excited for more of these Summer activities!
       

Friday, June 7

Views of Mt. McKinley, Talkeetna - Alaska

After our adventure South to the Kenai Peninsula, we were exhausted but couldn't resist the urge to venture back out the next day in the beautiful clear weather.  This time we opted to head North to Talkeetna, a small town that boasts of the best views of Mt. McKinley!  While there was definitely some weather happening on the Mt. obstructing some of our view, we certainly weren't disappointed!  I wish these pictures did more justice to the highest Mt. in North America!  

After we snapped these pictures, we ventured into town and visited a yummy pizza place, and had ice cream before heading back to Anchorage.  We all shared the same feeling that the weekend was too short and that my Mom & Don definitely need to make a return visit before we leave in a couple of months!