Alaska Trip

[I decided to split this into multiple blogs to avoid overwhelming the reader with one long one. Let me know if you like or dislike this format.]

August 15, 2009

We flew to Anchorage, AK from San Francisco (SFO) via Alaska airlines. The flight was at 7:50pm and we left the home around 5:20pm. The traffic on 101-N was stalled due to some accident and we were worried whether we will be able to make it. Fortunately, the accident was only couple of miles ahead of us and we reached Anza parking at 6pm. We boarded the shuttle and within few minutes we were at the terminal. We were asked to board early due to anticipated delay (30 mins) due to strong head wind. The flight took off few minutes early and it landed Anchorage around 11:40pm. On the flight, I was able to catchup with couple of blogs that I planned to write a week ago. We picked the car (HHR) from the rental center and reached hotel around 12:30 in the morning.

August 16, 2009

Please see Talkeetna Blog.

August 17, 2009

Please see Anchorage Blog.

August 18, 2009

Please see Seward Blog.

August 19, 2009

Please see Anchorage Blog.

August 20, 2009

We landed in SFO at 8am, picked up our bags and took the shuttle to Anza parking. We picked our car and reached home around 9:30am. We all were tired due to short sleep on the flight, but we had a nice time in this trip. It's always great to be back home though.

Click on the links for trip planner and album.

Tips:

• I contemplated a lot on whether to take Cruise or Flight to Alaska. There are pros and cons with both. Cruise trips are pretty longer (minimum: 7 days). Also, I thought that to get a hang of cruise I can go on a shorter (3 day) trip. During the trip I realized whether we will be able to cover lot of inland places/activities if we have taken the cruise. Check that out before planning to take cruise. Cruise should be relaxing and fun too. No doubts. But if you have only few days then flight is also good.
• Anza parking - I am impressed with the customer service and the price at Anza long term parking. Shuttles are frequent and they pick and drop you off near the car; no need to carry heavy luggages around. If you plan to park there, check out for coupon at their website.
• Alaska airlines doesn't charge if you check in your car seat or stroller. If you are planning to take car seat, you can check in. So, you have one less carry on to worry about.
• Cops (traffic patrol) are strict and more vigilant in Alaska. They hide on the ramps on most of the highways. You might wonder "why the hell did I drive fast?" even after noticing this on Day 1. Well, driving is one of my passion ;-).
• "Great Alaskan TourSaver Coupon" is your money saver for this trip. This coupon book offers around 130 "Buy one, Get one FREE" coupons. My colleague recommended this and I highly recommend if you are planning to take flight seeing, day cruises, etc. It saved us around $600 during this trip. The cost of this book is $100, but you can get the used one in eBay or craigslist. If so, please make sure that the coupon for the trip you are planning to go are not used. If you want to use the coupon, I would recommend to book the trip in advance. There are some restrictions, but I didn't see that as a drawback.
• If you are like us, who cook and pack food during the trip, then Safeway is your friend. Safeway chain is known as "Carrs." I believe Safeway bought this chain.
• If you are keen to see Northern lights (Aurora Borealis), then you need to visit Alaska in Winter. Alternative would be to watch the slideshow in Discovery Theater or search for "northern lights aurora borealis" at Google images.
• I would recommend taking Motor Coach during onward and Train (Coastal Classic) on your return journey to/from Seward to Anchorage. Reasons: Train journey takes 4.5 hours whereas bus journey takes less than 3 hours, so you don't need to get up early in the morning. It gives a flavor of both train and bus journey. If you travel in a group, then you could replace bus journey with your vehicle, which should take you approximately 2 hours (non stop). One group can take onward journey in train and other can take the return journey.
• Starting 2009, car rentals are offered in Denali National Park where you can drive around on your own. I learned on 3rd day about this. Otherwise, I would have checked that out.
• Though we didn't encounter any mosquitoes during this trip, I read it some where to be prepared. It's better safe than sorry.
• August month is prone to rain or showers. We were fortunate during this trip, but something to keep in mind.