Day 2
Biking and Alaska Native Heritage Center
We had an early start the next morning for our bike ride on the coastal trail. We had a gorgeous day but we all wore our rain jackets (it was cool) in case that changed. Of course, that morning we discovered that DH had not packed a rain jacket, which was the only item I had asked him to pack. He had also packed for DS and I realized that they both had packed about 5 pairs of shorts for each of them and about 3 pairs of pants. It was in the 60s in Alaska and that is cold for us Southerners. I realized that I would DEFINITELY need to do laundry in Denali for them to survive the trip. Thanks to BluesTraveler for her information and advice on packing and laundry.
Ironically, my DH and DS would later get their revenge on their poor packing for Alaska when we arrived in Banff but I will save that for later.
We arrived to pick up our bikes and I have to admit I was very nervous. DS is pretty new to bike riding (we taught him really late) so I was not sure how he would do. I am also not the greatest on the bike. We are a very active family but just don’t ride that often and Robyn had warned me that the course was challenging. The bikes were hand brakes that my son had never used before so my anxiety ratcheted another notch. DH worked with DS on the brakes, he seemed to get it, and he was SUPER EXCITED to get going. He is new to riding but he absolutely loves it and his excitement was through the roof. He could not wait to take off. Meanwhile, I was neurotically helicoptering telling him to take it slow and not do the scary hill we were warned about.
He took off and the first part of the course is a moderate hill with a moderately sharp turn. He did that with no problem and took off. Meanwhile, I wimpily walked my bike down that one (what a loser, I was!) and took off!
I like biking but because I cannot work the gears well, I am super slow. DH and DS were far ahead and I assumed they were fine. The course was extremely easy and the scenery was BEAUTIFUL! I was totally easing into my
ABD state of mind and really, really enjoying the ride. It could have been 3x as long and I would have continued to enjoy it.
One other aspect that made is so enjoyable was the bike company that supplied the bikes. They rode along with us and were so much fun. They were so positive and so funny; they made the trip so much better. We got to a halfway point and we regrouped and enjoyed the scenery until some HUGE black flying insects systematically and purposefully attacked us. Upon closer examination, I realized that these were MOSQUITOS! There are many jokes about the mosquitos in Alaska and their enormous size and I have to say these are not exaggerations. They are GIGANTIC. Of course, Robyn and Stephanie came to the rescue with the bug spray.
Mosquitos usually feast on me and DS (it’s a redhead thing) but I have to say that these guys did really not bother us. We may have been sprayed in time or maybe we just were not their brand but I will say that bug spray is a necessity. The guides will have it but I think it is best to bring your own.
After the stop, you could continue biking or head up on the bus to the next meeting stop. Most of us wanted to continue. DS was doing great but I was still worried about the last scary hill we had been warned about. I again told him to take it easy!
It seemed minutes later that I rode up on DH staring at DS in a ditch. He had wiped out as he was about to cross a bridge. His pride was hurt but he was fine! He carried on. I should mention that there were some very young kids in the group and they were also killing it on the bikes. They had no problems. However, that last scary hill was still in my mind.
Before the end, we had one last stop where our bike guide told us to go after the last hills. He told us that we could opt out or get the bikes up to sprinting speed and try the hills. I called to DH to make sure DS could handle this and they took off!
There was one slightly steep hill. DS had NO problem with it. I must be fair to say that the 5-yr old in our group did crash here. She just got going a little too fast but she was also fine. All my worry and warnings were completely misplaced the course was really easy, beautiful, and super enjoyable! Beginners can kill it!
That made me understand a bit where Robyn and Stephanie were coming from. All their advice was on the cautious side (which I think is VERY prudent considering how many kids we had on the trip) but I realized that our definitions of ‘scary’ might be different. You will find different styles with the guides and I appreciated their commitment to keeping everybody safe first!
After the bike ride, we got to meet a bald eagle (amazing!) and enjoy some S’mores. Yitka, one of the biking guides, was keeping the kids entertained by roasting every edible plant around her. She was hilarious and the roasted dandelions were not half bad!
Alaska Native Heritage Center
After the biking, we were set free for lunch and exploration on our own and were giving a meeting place downtown to head for the Alaska Native Heritage Center.
Now, there has been lots of discussion about on your own meals on the ABDs but I would like to offer a slightly different perspective. I actually like having more meals on your own namely because the food and offerings are just better! When you have to eat as a large group, options are limited and it is usually a set menu or buffet. Also, there is usually must be a room reserved and I feel like you do not get the real restaurant experience (I felt a bit like this at Bridge Seafood).
I think ABD has been pretty good about keeping their prices in the same (albeit very high) range over the past few years (in fact, this trip was cheaper than opening day prices the previous year). I imagine they did that by cutting some of the meals and I think that is really the way to go. This lunch was a perfect example. Stephanie is an Anchorage expert so she had many great recommendations. We decided on Fat Ptarmigan’s, which is a sort of gourmet pizza place. It was FANTASTIC. We really enjoyed it. For dessert, we hit Wild Scoops, an ice cream place started by a local. It is amazing (I insisted on going back that evening). The Baked Alaska cone is to die for and they have local Alaska flavors. It was a highlight! These meals help me to better appreciate Anchorage and I left thinking it was a really neat city. Food helps the experience so much.
After lunch and dessert, we still had a bit of time so we hit some ‘gear’ stores. We love adventure clothes and gear and Alaska has plenty of them. It was starting to rain and it was cold so my husband was lucky enough to find a very expensive rain jacket that was on sale for $60 at one of the stores…score! He was really happy. It saved him on the rest of the trip. After our purchases, we headed to the bus.
There is one other person in the cast of characters on this trip that I need to introduce and that is John, the bus driver. Stephanie and Robyn had introduced him at the Welcome Dinner but I did not realize what a big part of the trip he would be. He is just an amazing person and is really the third adventure guide. John will keep showing up as the report continues.
We enjoyed the Alaska Native Heritage Center. The group was split and Stephanie and Robyn took the Junior Adventurers on a Scavenger Hunt themed tour. The adults went with a local guide. This was great as the kids loved it. They had some kind of tablet device and had to find things and learn about them throughout the center. I also thought our tour was very interesting.
Our guide directed us toward the Native Dancing after our tour and we were reunited with the kids. We had Nick come sit with us but we did not notice that Robyn and Stephanie had taken the other kids outside and they were playing a game. Robyn and Stephanie were GREAT about keeping the Junior Adventurers engaged and in all honesty, Nick would have much rather played with the other kids than watch the Native dancing so I made sure I was paying attention to where the other Juniors were from thereon out.
Back on the bus, Stephanie and Robyn distributed Junior Ranger workbooks for Denali for any Junior who wanted one. They explained that the kids would be working for their Junior Ranger badge in Denali and they would work as a group on some activities and the kids had to do some on their own. Nick was ALL OVER this. He loved it. They also passed out a Bingo Game for the kids to fill in as they found wildlife and other sites in Alaska. These were both wonderful and kept the kids really engaged.
On the way back to Anchorage, we were offered a stop at the Anchorage Museum (on our own dime). I had heard good things about the museum from this board so I talked my tired family into it. The caveat was that we would arrive at 4:30 pm and the museum closed at 6 pm so we could not spend more than 1.5 hours there.
Some of the group had already been to the museum and talked up the hands-on area with bubbles. I told Nick we could go there first. The museum was GREAT. I would say do not miss it. The hands-on science area was really fun for kids but I really enjoyed the exhibit on Alaska’s history with Russia (fascinating) and we all enjoyed the SLOW movement exhibit that was about slowing life down. Nick got in a chess game with his Dad and I chilled in front of a video fireplace.
After the museum, we went to Orso for dinner (Stephanie’s recommendation). It was pricey but we loved it (especially DH). It was typical Alaska food. DH and I both had Salmon and I think DS had a steak. We went to Wild Scoops for dessert and then headed back to the Marriott to start our journey to Denali the next day.
He was going way too fast! But he was fine.
