Road Trip in Alaska: Potentially Stupid Questions from a Tourist (Anchorage: travel, sick)

[Blueberry]

Congratulations on your upcoming trip! It should be a blast!!!

First, stick to your itinerary. People who live here and go camping don't know what a hassle travel can be if you need to book a room. Many of the places you're going don't have ANY rooms available once they're booked. The one thing you will need to do is call any of your lodgings if you expect to be in late. If you have a cell phone and the numbers with you, that shouldn't be too big a deal. But B&Bs aren't necessarily expecting late night arrivals; many hotels don't, either. It will be polite to let them know. (I even had one place call my home once when I didn't show up at a reasonable time; luckily, someone was home and could tell them I was definitely on my way. -- Back in the days before cell phones!)

At the risk of being shot and quartered by others on the board, I'm going to encourage you to go to Seward instead of the Kenai/Homer. First, as you've noted, it's a much shorter trip. Many people think Exit Glacier is great. And, you can even squeeze in a boat tour if you so desire. Secondly, the Kenai doesn't get scenic until after you go through Soldotna (unless you like looking at really tall trees that border both sides of the road and block your view). That's a looong way to go! There are a lot a great things to do on the Kenai, but each takes longer than the time you've allotted.

Now, to answer some of your other questions...

Bathroom stops can be few and far between. Take advantage of any you see!

The thing that surprised me the most when doing a similar trip: Access to good food. Outside of the bigger cities, burgers and fries and the like are the norm. Also, finding places to eat can be tricky. Pack a collapsible cooler and stock it with food you like to eat before you set off on your road trip. That way, if you miss a meal or can't find a place to eat, you won't starve, and you'll have an option other than burgers and fries.

As far as mosquitoes, they can be bad in some areas. You shouldn't have much of a problem in Anchorage. I can remember jaunts where we sat in the car and squashed mosquitoes for 5-10 minutes before starting to drive. One of those tennis racket mosquito zappers may save you time and energy; plus it'll allow you to reach into the back seat for that hard to reach skeeter.

Weather is usually pretty nice when you're planning to go, but it may be unpredictable. I had a road trip where it rained all the time and got down into the 30s. Don't hesitate to ask for heat in your lodging if you need it; many places shut off the heat in the summer because it's usually pretty nice.

Animal encounters depend entirely on the day you're driving. You have the potential of seeing moose, bears, whales, caribou, sheep, wolves, foxes, eagles, etc. Then again, you might not see a single thing. (On one road trip, we didn't see a single mammal, and we only saw a small group of caribou in Denali. However, the weather really sucked the entire time, so it's not too surprising. Thankfully, I knew where to go in Anchorage to guarantee a moose for the visiting relatives!) Be careful of moose along the edges of the road; they can destroy your car if you hit one. I've never hit a moose, but I did hit a brown bear once that came barreling out of the brush right next to the road!

Have a great trip!

[murlough23]

Originally Posted by Blueberry

First, stick to your itinerary. People who live here and go camping don't know what a hassle travel can be if you need to book a room. Many of the places you're going don't have ANY rooms available once they're booked.

At last, a voice of reason. While I know a few folks are passionate about some places that I won't have time for (and I can totally understand that; stuff to keep in mind for the next trip), it's nice to hear something other than, "To hell with your itinerary, go to Homer!"

Originally Posted by Blueberry

The one thing you will need to do is call any of your lodgings if you expect to be in late. If you have a cell phone and the numbers with you, that shouldn't be too big a deal. But B&Bs aren't necessarily expecting late night arrivals; many hotels don't, either. It will be polite to let them know.

Pretty much every place I've booked has advised this, so I will keep those numbers with me. We should arrive at most around dinnertime or shortly thereafter.

How's cell phone service along those roads? I'd imagine that with long stretches of nothing but a road and wilderness between towns, service could be rather spotty.

Originally Posted by Blueberry

At the risk of being shot and quartered by others on the board, I'm going to encourage you to go to Seward instead of the Kenai/Homer. First, as you've noted, it's a much shorter trip. Many people think Exit Glacier is great. And, you can even squeeze in a boat tour if you so desire.

Exit Glacier seems to interest the wife; it interests me as well. I'm sure some glaciers that you have to take a boat to see might be more spectacular, but we probably won't have time for that. I'm fine with staying on land. I don't have the best stomach for boat travel anyway.

Originally Posted by Blueberry

Bathroom stops can be few and far between. Take advantage of any you see!

I'll be proactive about making sure the wife knows that.

Originally Posted by Blueberry

The thing that surprised me the most when doing a similar trip: Access to good food. Outside of the bigger cities, burgers and fries and the like are the norm.

Hmmm. I can deal with fast food, but the wife doesn't eat red meat. So I guess either it'll be chicken sandwiches or she eats vegetarian in some places. (But then she gets to eat a lot of the great seafood that I can't eat - shrimp and crab and stuff - so it all evens out.)

Originally Posted by Blueberry

Also, finding places to eat can be tricky. Pack a collapsible cooler and stock it with food you like to eat before you set off on your road trip. That way, if you miss a meal or can't find a place to eat, you won't starve, and you'll have an option other than burgers and fries.

Good plan; I was expecting we'd need to do that for the Glennallen-->Fairbanks leg of the trip.

Originally Posted by Blueberry

One of those tennis racket mosquito zappers may save you time and energy; plus it'll allow you to reach into the back seat for that hard to reach skeeter.

I didn't know such things existed; are they expensive?

Originally Posted by Blueberry

Be careful of moose along the edges of the road; they can destroy your car if you hit one. I've never hit a moose, but I did hit a brown bear once that came barreling out of the brush right next to the road!

It sounds like not speeding will help with that. If I see a moose I'll go slow and keep my distance. I'm generally cautious about things like that on mountain roads anyway; I'll never forget the time I was on a road trip with my Mom during my teenage years, and we hit a deer that suddenly dashed out onto the road when we were coming down out of Lassen National Park in Northern California. Those sorts of things stay with you.

Originally Posted by Blueberry

Have a great trip!

Thanks; we will definitely make our best attempt to.

[Blueberry]

Someone else will have to answer about cell phone coverage. I don't have one because there's no coverage where I live. When I am on the road system, I am at the mercy of what pay phones I can find. But if you're planning to arrive around dinner time, there shouldn't be a problem with the B&Bs.

The tennis racket style mosquito zapper is rather common up here. I got mine at the Sportsman's Warehouse in Anchorage for about $10. You can find them online at various outlets, but they don't ship to all locations. Friends were able to get some for about $5 each, but they had a long delay in shipment. If you manage to find one, check the battery compartment; ours is held shut with tape because the casing door keeps falling off.

The day cruises out of Seward are rather stable, usually, so I guess it depends on how seasick you get whether you would want to consider one. Personally, I would rather go on a half-day cruise than visit the Sea Life Center; the cruise lets one experience the coast and water life, and the cruises are reasonably priced. You can easily do a half-day cruise and visit Exit Glacier on a day trip from Anchorage. Allow yourself travel time, though, because it's easy to be sidetracked by scenery and wildlife (and the occasional auto accident). Early morning travel along this road provides some spectacular photo ops!

Finally, chicken sandwiches and vegetarian fare might be hard to find in some places! Fresh fruit is next to impossible, also. But grease you can find in abundance! (That is, when you can find a place to eat!) Also, many places are known for their pies; don't be surprised if they resemble store bought rather than home made.

I'm pretty sure there was something else I was told to pass on to you, but for the life I me, I can't remember what it is. I'll get back to you when the gray matter starts functioning better.

[Rance]

Good coverage from Anchorage to Homer with only a couple dead spots in the mountains. Not sure but I think mine worked OK going to Seward a couple months ago.

[murlough23]

Originally Posted by Blueberry

Finally, chicken sandwiches and vegetarian fare might be hard to find in some places!

What about fish? Given the abundance of seafood in the state, I'd expect to find this a lot of places, even if it's fried/greasy.

[Rance]

Beer batter Halibut should be available in Seward at most places. Lot's of places to eat seafood in Anchorage.

[Rainy]

You could try the Salmon Bake in Glitter Gulch (McKinley Village); around Mile 240 on the Parks. The Trapper Creek Inn (Mile 115) has the cleanest bathrooms and you can get deli type food there.

[murlough23]

Originally Posted by Rainy

You could try the Salmon Bake in Glitter Gulch (McKinley Village); around Mile 240 on the Parks. The Trapper Creek Inn (Mile 115) has the cleanest bathrooms and you can get deli type food there.

I kind of thought going to a salmon bake would be fun. But is that in between Anchorage and Healy? If so, we're gonna pass that on the last day when we're driving back to the airport, there might not be a whole lot of time for a sit-down meal.

The mention of McKinley got me thinking - for those who have taken the tram into Denali, is it really worth sitting on your butt on a bus for all those hours, or is there stuff worth seeing in the near end of the park (I know you can't see Mt. Denali from there, but is there other stuff)?

[mal_flisk]

I can see McKinley from Anchorage today. Can't answer whether the tram is worth it or not.

[BudinAk]

Your schedule is a little tight to see much, you should allow yourself more time. Anyway....Seward has a lot to offer if you have a couple days time: like take a day tour of Kenai Fjords National Park....a WONDERFUL cruise with absolutely incredible sights. You won't see much in the town itself...you really have to get out a ways. (there is a good reason they made it a national park...it's worth seeing) Any of these "Google-ized" links are worth having a look at: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=kenai+fjords+tours
For a great experience driving from Anchorage: go to "Big Game Alaska" on the Seward Highway...about an hours drive south of Anchorage. All sorts of live Alaskan game animals to see. And....the Seward Highway is a National Scenic Byway ( http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/10390/) beautiful scenic views just about the entire drive...mountains, lakes, rivers, wildlife everywhere.
Here's a link with a suggested 10-day tour:
http://www.alaskanleopard.com/LeopardTrax/PrePostCruise/10_day_great_alaska_PP.htm (broken link)
Tip: bring a good camera, AND a good 8X40 pair of binoculars...something with a clear view and easy to focus...

Enjoy your visit to Alaska!
Bud

A Cruise Boat Returning from Kenai Fjords National Park...IMHO: forget about driving, THIS is the way to go...!