After our great time in Denali we headed south to Anchorage making a small breakfast stop in Wasilla , where thankfully for both mine and Sarah Palin’s sake we did not run into her. In Anchorage we hit the town getting hot chocolate at Kaladi Brothers coffee and later dined on some fine indian food at Bombay Deluxe. The next day we went to Fish Creek to see silver salmon making their way up stream. Anchorage has a few things to do but unfortunately most of them did not interest us and we decided to move on.

After our stay in Anchorage we decided to check out the southern coast of Alaska by heading to Seward where we went to the SeaLife Center and Exit Glacier. At the SeaLife Center we got to stand not more than a foot away from puffins, see harbor seals feeding, and pet arctic starfish. At Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park we hiked a trail to the foot of the glacier, which has receded significantly in the past several decades due to climate change. We could also feel the cool air coming off of the glacier and see the massive rivers the glacier melting creates. Exit Glacier is but one of forty glaciers that stem from the massive 1,100sq mile, Harding Icefield.

After Stewart we checked out the Alaska State Fair, which offered some interesting sights and people. There was a farm exhibit so we pet some cows, saw owls and of course, prize winning cabbages. We had to try some local flavor so we ate some fresh peach pie, since the vegetarian stand sadly was out of corn dogs. Jack wanted to check out some more exhibits so we saw the pig races and the Equestrian Extravaganza, a bunch of gypsies doing back flips off of horses to choreographed gypsy music. This was Jack’s first State Fair and he was very excited to take it all in.

Heading To Vancouver…

We stayed one night at the Tolsona Wilderness Campground and had a beautiful campsite on the edge of a babbling brook. Sadly though, just after we cleaned up dinner and went into the car to warm up a grizzly bear came out of the meadow directly behind our car knocking over garbage cans. I spotted the bear first and screamed “OH MY GOD IT’S A BEAR!!!! LOCK THE DOORS!!!!”. Naturally, I refused to leave the car for the rest of the evening and  played lookout as Jack grabbed the sleeping bags from the tent. It was not the most comfortable night but we didn’t want to take any chances.

I want to apologize because I accidently lied in our last post about the third of September being our last night in Alaska! We had intended to stay in Stewart, British Columbia but tenting was not allowed due to recent bear activity and so we ended up in the small fishing community of Hyder, AK, “The Friendliest Ghost Town in Alaska” for a night.  Hyder, despite it’s barren streets, lack of pavement and stop signs is home to some 100 people. We think we saw most of them that evening at the Sealaska Inn & Bar where we stayed in a modest “sleeper room” comprised of a small window, wood paneled walls, a shared bathroom, and two twin beds directly above the bar. Down the street on Salmon Glacier road is an observation deck where we were able to watch bears catching salmon. We saw a black bear eating and it was incredible! Their claws are huge and made it me want to invest in an industrial sized can of bear spray, especially after our recent encounter.

Hyder, Alaska on a Foggy Morning

We had to pass through Stewart to get to Hyder so we decided to check out an adorable place, the Bitter Creek Cafe for dinner. We were extremely surprised with both our meal and the decor of the place. Decorated with antiques the cafe sells home made chocolates, artisan teas, and the obligatory canadian maple syrup. Our meal was delicious and it was such a nice change of pace from the lack of inventive meals in the more rural areas.

House Salad at Bitter Creek Cafe

There aren’t many major highways in northern British Columbia so we often have to take back-roads which are narrow and winding, which perfectly describes the Cassiar Highway. Although scenic, the dangerous road offered limited visibility and blind-spots, but we took it slow and safely arrived at the Boya Lake Provincial Campground. Our campsite was amazing, well kept and we a had beautiful view of Boya Lake at sunset and the moon rising over the mountains.

Moon Over Boya Lake

Our last stop was in Hope, British Columbia where we stayed at the Hope Valley Campground, which is my new favorite – exceptionally clean bathrooms and a game room with Ms. Pacman is a rare treat. Jack got really into Jurassic Park Pinball, and we had a fun night playing games after eating our tasty dinner of veggie chicken, mashed potatoes, and carrots.  In the morning we were famished after breaking down our wet tent (which has become a daily activity since we’ve gotten rain the past eleven nights of camping!) and we headed to Rolly’s where we had a savory breakfast. I had the eggs benedict with tomato slices (in place of ham), the hollandaise sauce offered a perfect balance of lemon on top of impeccably poached eggs. On the way to Vancouver we stopped at the Farm House, which specializes in home made cheese (mainly gouda and cheddar) from goatsmilk where we got to go into the barn and meet the baby goats, and they were ADORABLE!

Baby Goat at The Farmhouse

Our drive to and from the Last Frontier of Alaska is officially complete and what an experience it has been!