The Heusens

Here's an Alaskan highway map so you can trace where we're hanging out this week. We decided to spend our time this week in the area just south of Anchorage, known as the Kenai Peninsula. The major towns are Seward and Homer. They're both easy drives from Anchorage and the area is considered "Alaska's Playground" due to the density of all sorts of outdoor adventures: fishing, hiking, kayaking, boating, canoeing, skiing, dogsledding, you name it. We're a little constrained these days with Saya (no kayaking or lengthy hikes for us) but we're having an awesome time nonetheless.

We're here during the last two weeks of the shoulder season, before May 15th arrives and the summer tourism kicks in. The pros are that everything's pretty uncrowded, we've gotten amazing hotel rates, and there are almost no mosquitoes yet! The cons are that the weather has been a little hit-or-miss (with some beautiful and amazing days, and others that are rainy, dreary and cloudy) and it's a bit cold and muddy here; lots of attractions are also closed until the 15th.

We spent the morning on Saturday at the Alaska Zoo, which is a really cool, small zoo filled with only animals that are native to Arctic habitats. We saw polar bears, brown bears, black bears, moose, reindeer, and seals.

From there, we headed down to Girdwood, a small ski town south of Anchorage.


We had lots of laundry to do and our Lonely Planet guide told us that Coin Op Magazine voted the Girdwood Laundromat the most beautiful in America. We did laundry while chowing down on some tacos at the abutting taqueria.

Kris took Saya up the tram to see the Alyeska Glacier while I waited for the clothes to dry.


We drove further down the road to take a peek at Portage Glacier (seen retreating behind us).


Then we entered the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (an engineering marvel blasted out of solid granite) to enter the bizarre little town of Whittier.


Constructed as an intentionally inaccessible military base, the town is now a small fishing village where the majority of its members reside in a depressing, Soviet-looking cinderblock highrise called Begich Towers, set incongruously against the gorgeous mountains and Prince William Sound.

We then tried to visit the town of Hope, but everything was closed. We found ourselves back in Girdwood for dinner at the Double Musky Inn, which has Cajun-influenced food and Alaskana everywhere.


The restaurant is famous for its French Pepper Steak, which Jill Cordes (of Food Network fame) declared the "BEST STEAK IN AMERICA!!!"

I will venture to say that Jill Cordes doesn't know anything about steak, but I will also venture to say that it did not matter after I drank a "Double Musky" which featured several unknown alcohols.

We spent the night at the Hotel Alyeska. How many other hotels have a real stuffed polar bear in the lobby?


Cheesy? Yes. Awesome? Absolutely!