It took us 2 days from Top of the World Highway to Anchorage stopping at the IGA for the night in Glennallen. Taking the Top of the World Highway is an experience to say the least! No joke, I hardly looked out my passenger window as Jason wound our 43 foot 5th wheel around gravel winding rounds with no guard rails going about 15 miles per hour. It is an experience to take this highway to Chicken, Alaska and the views are spectacular but, it is definitely a one-way experience for us. We kept saying it was all worth it to spend that night on the Top of the World Highway!
The roads got slightly better from Chicken, and I say slightly because they were now paved roads but with frost heaves, it was still a bumpy drive on the Taylor Highway to Tok Cut-off to the Glenn Highway. The Alaska highway sure is the safer and smoother drive into Alaska which we plan to take on the way out. But hey, what’s life without adventure right?!?
After 3 weeks of being on the road, the majority of it being non-stop traveling to make it here to Alaska, I think we were all feeling a sense of relief to have the next few weeks at a slower pace and enjoy this part of the journey. We have been looking forward to glaciers and saw one on our way to Anchorage. Matanuska Glacier is just off of the Glenn Highway. It seems unreal, almost like a painting don’t you think?
We made it to Anchorage the day before the meet up with Less Junk More Journey. Tired from the week-long travel to get here, we were thankful for full hook-ups to have hot showers and do our laundry!
Anchorage strangely reminded me of home, the cloudy skies, familiar stores and although different climate gave us all comfort being here.
Where we stayed
Golden Nugget RV Park right in the middle of Anchorage. It was conveniently located near a Walmart, Costco and about 15 minutes from Downtown. We had 30 amp, and full hookups. We got full AT&T service and the WiFi at the campground was decent. The campsites are however very small if you are a big rig like us and at 43 feet, we were hanging out in the road. This was definitely a tight fit for us and luckily, our neighbors were around to move their vehicles for us to wiggle our way in!
What we did
Did our first meet up! It was a lot of fun meeting up with fellow full-time RVers and locals to give us fantastic perspective on what to do while we are here.
Lake Hood
When you hear Lake Hood, what do you think of? I instantly think of a Disney movie or fairy tale of some sorts. This is actually a landing facility at the airport for seaplanes. It is a pretty neat experience seeing the planes take off and land. They have been operating for 90 years and have over 1,000 general aviation aircraft based there. It was a great way to spend an afternoon recovering from a long journey.
Flattop Mountain Trail
Flattop Mountain Trail in Chugach State Park sure was an epic trail. The views are spectacular and if you get the chance, we highly recommend this trail! Going up 1,427 feet in elevation on a 3.3 mile loop, it was a welcomed challenge for us. We had packed some whole made sushi that Jason and Annalise made this morning to have a picnic before the hike. So right away it started off with a bang! The rocks were challenging to climb up at the end and we had our family high five when we made it to the top. Annalise told us with a smile when we reached the top, “this our life now, climbing mountains” which just made us speechless that we are able to have these moments with her.
Tony Knowles Trail
Our last day in Anchorage we walked along part of the Tony Knowles Trail in downtown along the water. We had intended to bring binoculars but, sadly forgot, whoops! Apparently you may be able to see Beluga Whales there. It is a nicely paved trail that is excellent for biking too.
RV Repairs
Unfortunately our RV slides were not able to get repaired in Anchorage. We were referred to a repair shop more specialized in Palmer that has experience working on our Montana slides. Our slides now have A LOT of difficulty coming in and out sadly after this encounter. Hopefully fingers crossed, they can repair them next week!
Other Events
Annalise has wanted to make sushi for as long as I can remember! Jason went on a hunt for sushi grade fish and supplies to make our own while we can enjoy it here in Alaska. We found a fantastic market, the New Sagaya Midtown Market on Old Seward Hwy that not only was a fish market, but also had fresh produce and grocery items that I find hard to find at times as a gluten-free cook.