Hatcher Pass Lodge

I think Hatcher Pass Lodge was one of our favorite places to stay on our trip. We stayed here on Sunday night. Each unit is a private cabin, some are 2 stories tall, situated at 3,000' elevation above the treeline in the Talkeetna Mountains. The proximity to hiking trails and surrounding scenery is superb. 

Outside of Cabins 6 & 7

Each cabin is equipped with a water tank and chemical toilets , there is bathrooms and a bathhouse at the main lodge. We stayed in cabin #3 which is a loft cabin, queen bed upstairs and futon down stairs. As I mentioned before, we found Hap (the owner) and all his staff to be very friendly and accomadating. We were one of two groups staying at the Lodge that night, so we pretty much had the run of the place. It's too bad we didn't have more time to stay at the actual cabin or Lodge (between driving to and from the Glacier and needing to head on to Talkeetna the following day). 

View of the main Lodge & cabins from trail to Summit Lake

We didn't get to see as much scenery as we'd hoped as the cloud cover was pretty low (you can see in the photos). We still got to see the immediate surrounding hillsides with budding wildflower meadows and alpine terrain. It also was kind of cool to be right there in the clouds, something I've never experienced at home.

I think one of the coolest parts of this whole place is that its run mostly off coal fueled energy. It is rustic and remote - I definitely didn't have any cellular reception there. The cabin was old inside, but it was very cozy and quaint - the bed was clean and comfortable too! There is also a sauna available that is run off coal heat. We didn't have time to try it out, but if we ever go back - that is definitely on my list to do!

10pm (notice how light it still is!)

Kayaking and Glaciers

Our third day in Alaska was full of adventure (and driving). 


We left Anchorage at 8 in the morning and traveled about 1 hour Northeast to the small town of Eklutna. About 15 miles off the freeway is remote Eklutna Lake; there we used a Groupon I'd purchased to rent a double kayak for 2 hours. It was so much fun!

Eklutna Lake

The Eklutna Glacier carved this valley as it retreated; then glacial and freshwater streams flowing into the valley created the 7-mile-long lake. The lake water level is high in the fall, but can be as much as 60' lower in the Spring! We had to hike quite a distance to get to the kayak boat launch due to the low water level. Before getting out on the water, we were warned that the weather can change rapidly in this valley, bringing sudden high winds, and we definitely did experience this towards the end of our kayaking time. The Lake is quite large and even though we did not see much wildlife while we were kayaking, we enjoyed soaking in the gorgeous mountain scenery.


After kayaking, we drove up to Hatcher Pass for lunch at the Hatcher Pass Lodge, and also checked in for the night. A few reviews online mentioned that the owner was harsh and difficult to deal with, but we didn't feel that way. Hap was very friendly with us and told us that when we returned later that evening we should just open whatever cabin we'd like and check out in the main lodge in the morning. He sat at our table during lunch and chatted about the local hiking and amenities of the lodge. After lunch, we got back in the car and drove some 120+ miles to the Matanuska Glacier. (see my blogpost about Hatcher Pass Lodge here!)

Matanuska Glacier

Arriving near the Glacier, we met up with our tour group, and guide, at Mica guides and got all our gear for hiking on the Glacier. The weather was great for pictures, creating an awesome contrast against the blue/white glacier. Our guide was super knowledgeable and friendly and had a ton of great adventure stories to tell us as we went along. Mica Guides offers multiple options for hiking tours on the Glacier; we chose the 3 hour trip - which provided an hour of prep/end time and 3 FULL hours on the actual Glacier. 

The Matanuska Glacier is 26 miles long, and is the largest Glacier in Alaska that can be reached by vehicle. It is well worth the drive to get out there to see it. 

If you don't want to spend the money to go on a guided tour - which provides boots (if you need them), day packs, helmets and crampons - you can most definitely drive to the Glacier and walk on it yourself. There are few picnic tables at a view point close to the parking lot which would make a great place for lunch.

Alaska Trip 2012

I still haven't come down off our high from our recent trip to Anchorage, Alaska and surrounding areas. We did so many amazing and fun things, I can't begin to pick just 1 (or 5!) thing that I loved the most. You can start to follow my reviews of restaurants, lodging and activities on tripadvisor.com. I will also start posting some of the best highlights here on our blog (of course, with tons of pics!).

Trip history...We sat down in May and tried to think of what to do for our 3 year anniversary, and couldn't really decide on a "tropical" location to go. A few days passed and I received an email offer through our Alaska Airlines Visa for mileage award travel from Seattle to Anchorage. I went through different options using our miles, and came up with a departing date that was 2 days after our anniversary, and returned to Seattle 9 days later. I didn't quite know what there was to do in Alaska yet (I'd only heard of cruises going to Alaska), but I knew it was one of Stephen's dreams to go to Alaska. Needless to say, 25,000 miles later, trip was booked and we were going to The Last Frontier!

Here we are, June 29th - just landed in sunny Anchorage, Alaska.

Mom Maier has a new house!

Spent the afternoon over at my Mom's new place. She has a gorgeously landscaped yard, which just happens to be a good place for me to test out my new camera!!

The back of the house (West side)

Aphyra Leigh, Nic's granddaughter

The back (East side) arbor and path through trees

Mom's dog Layla

Jake playing with the dogs in the yard

Wow, it's been a really long time...

As I am sure you can tell, it has been a really long time since I've blogged last (almost 8 months, yikes!). I've made a pact with myself to be better about blogging as I've been planning our upcoming trip to Alaska. I've so enjoyed reading others accounts of their trips and I think it's time I start giving back and helping others find off the beaten path places to stay and eat!

Anyways, I think the most recent significant event in our lives was attending the wedding of our dear friends Nate and Erin. They had a beautiful wedding at the Belle Chapel in Snohomish on June 9th. It never ceases to amaze me how God works in such mysterious ways to bring two people together who are so perfect for one another. Here's to many blessings to Nate and Erin and a lifetime of love and happiness!!

Things I am Thankful For

Gratitude is something we should be feeling all the time, not just in November, but Thanksgiving always makes us think just a little bit more about those things we are thankful for.  There is so much in my life that I am grateful for, so bear with me as I make my way through the incomplete list of 20 things I'm thankful for in no particular order.

1. Jesus. That he would come to die in my place, save me, and allow me to live eternally with him and everyone else that believes in him. I could never be thankful enough for God’s grace through Jesus Christ.
2. Life. How cool is it to know that everyday is a new day and I am alive to enjoy it?!!
3. My Husband. He's my best friend; from him I get unconditional love and acceptance, and he always makes me feel like I'm special and liked. I'm the luckiest girl in the world.
4. My Family. I'm thankful to be related to very loving, supportive people. All of my family is special to me. My Mom enabled me to experience many things. She gave me everything she possibly could ... and even some things she probably couldn't. My whole family encouraged me to develop my talents and to embellish my weaknesses.
5. My Friends. If I named them all individually, from wonderful acquaintances to tried and true friends, I'd have a list a mile long. I truly value my friends and will never have "enough" or too many.
6. Being a nice person. I'm hardly perfect, but it's good to know in my heart that I'm a kind person. I'd never intentionally hurt anyone. I don't believe in being mean. I hate to see anyone cry and love to see people smile.
7. My Dog! Diesel is always there to greet me and wags his tail, even when I'm grumpy. I know he won't be with us forever, but I cherish the time we've spent together and the time we still have. There's nothing like the unconditional love of a dog!!
8. Travel. Thanks to work, good savings and sometimes luck, I have been able to do a lot of traveling in the U.S. , Canada and Mexico.
9. Accomplishing goals: To one degree or another, I tend to follow through on things. I thrive on having goals to strive for and am happy about the fact I've been able to achieve some of them!!
10. Growing up in the country. It is a difficult feeling to explain to someone who hasn't grown up with land to freely roam - the experiences I gained, responsibilities I undertook and fun I had are things that shape who I am today.
11. Being able to laugh. When the going gets tough, I like that I can often smile my way through difficulties and find the bright side.
12. Being financially secure: We're not rich (whatever that is, monetarily speaking), but we're comfortable and have what we need and then some.
13. Good health: Knock on wood. :-)
14. Being an American: Taking nothing away from any other country, I'm just being thankful for my own. It may not be perfect--what place is?--but I love it nonetheless.
15. Memories: It's fun to reminisce. I enjoy looking at pictures and remembering special moments and events. It's also fun to chat about "old times" with others who were there, too.
16. Things to look forward to. I have my whole future to look forward to!
17. All those who've ever served our country. It's an admiral and brave thing to do. Our men and women in uniform, past and present, have, do and will give so much for us all. So do their families.
18. Free Speech. Every person lucky enough to live in a country that protects free speech ought to give thanks for that good fortune every single day. We should never take that luxury for granted.
19. For Starbucks. I love their coffee; I love the atmosphere their coffee shops provide.
20. Seasons and Weather. I am lucky enough to live in the great Pacific Northwest where seasons vary and so does the weather. I wouldn't change it for the world.

Mondays...