On December 31st 2014, after three incredible years, we were going leave Alaska. So before we left, we decided to pay Fairbanks a visit, right in the middle of winter. On December 26th, after a short flight on Alaska Airlines, we got our rental car and drove into town.

We drove south to North Pole, AK to visit Christmas in Ice, a Winter park with incredible ice sculptures, fun ice slides and a kids ‘playground’.

The next day we headed northwest to Chena Hot Springs Resort, where we had the opportunity to dive into the hot springs, which are at an average of 106 degrees Fahrenheit, while it was around minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside. As soon as we walked into the hot springs, the steam rising from the water instantly froze on our hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, giving us quite the winter wonderland look! It’s an experience I highly recommend.

At the hotel we stayed in they had a Christmas tree with a big teddy bear on display. Our little guy loved on this bear so much, the hotel staff decided to give it to him as a gift, such a sweet gesture. I’m happy to report the bear is still with us, and is still a beloved companion to our son, 5 years and counting!

This visit to Fairbanks was the best farewell to Alaska we could have planned for. Soon after we finished packing up our little apartment and got on a plane heading south on New Year’s Eve.

But not before having one last celebratory dinner at Glacier Brewhouse. Here’s to new adventures to come!

The end of September (back in 2014) seemed like a good time to leave Anchorage behind and head on a road trip to McCarthy. The drive took about 7 hours in total, and was, as most drives in Alaska, a beautiful, scenic one. We made it in two days, with an overnight stop at Copper Center, (at the confluence of the Klutina and Copper rivers).

The final portion of the drive was the 60-mile McCarthy Road, a pretty rough unpaved road. It’s one of those places in Alaska were you are truly on your own, and you better be prepared because there are no services or fuel, and cell phone coverage is pretty much nonexistent. After what seemed like a long time on this gravel road, we made a stop to stretch our legs and take a closer look at the impressive Gilahina Trestle.

When we finally got to the end of McCarthy road, we parked and got ready to walk, as the only way to get into town is by crossing a footbridge (built in the 1990s).

There’s a good reason why McCarthy is called “Alaska’s most famous ghost town.” While we were there we only saw one guy crossing the bridge on an old motorcycle, and a couple of other guys doing some construction work on a house in town. Other than that, we were the only other humans there during our visit, probably because the peak of tourism season was behind us.

We went ahead and crossed the footbridge into McCarthy (population 28 as of 2010).

And walked into town.

Once in town, we walked along deserted streets with old, dilapidated buildings in eerie silence… definitely transported to a different era.

Some building were in much better shape, like Ma Johnson’s Hotel, reminders of the fact that there are still some people hanging out in this old village, and that there are visitors coming in the summer as well.

After exploring for a while, it was time to get back in the car and take McCarthy Road all the way back (this part I wasn’t particularly looking forward to), since we still had a bit of a drive to our next destination: Valdez. These sights along the way made it totally worth it.

Valdez is a beautiful little port town, and it felt so refreshing to see the ocean and these majestic mountains.

Looking back on this trip, I’m so glad my husband’s adventurous spirit led us to see such unique places. We hope to go back and visit when our son is older and can really appreciate this magnificent land.

In the almost 3 years we lived in Anchorage, we had the opportunity of visiting Denali twice. The drive there was around four hours, with great views along the way, but specially as we got closer to Denali.

We never took a bus tour or camped right in the park, mostly because we had a tiny human. For our first visit we decided to stay in a cabin at Carlo Creek Lodge, which was recommended to us by a friend from Fairbanks.

We greatly enjoyed hiking and admiring the beautiful natural surroundings that make this such a wonderful park.

We had the opportunity of seeing caribou, brown (grizzly) bears, ptarmigans (this one was roaming right outside our cabin one day), and arctic ground squirrels.

Our second visit to Denali was part of a longer camping trip with friends. We drove our truck camper and our friends rented an RV. They didn’t get to see much of the wild life that time, except for this couple on the road:

Another wonderful set of memories from our time in Alaska. We look forward to going back when our little guy is older to show him around!

There were several fun activities, festivals and events in Anchorage during the winter that motivated us to get outside and enjoy the uniqueness of this town.

During our first winter in Anchorage we got to see the incredible Snow Sculpture Championships held every year at Ship Creek.

We also had some laughs cheering on the Outhouse Races that year. My favorite team was definitely the “Poo Pushers”, with Winnie the Pooh sitting in the outhouse pulled by Piglet and Tigger and pushed by Eyore (not pictured here).

The Running of the Reindeer was another funny event, where people in crazy costumes race along the streets of Anchorage trying to outrun reindeer.

It was also very neat to see the beginning of the Iditarod Race, The Last Great Race. It’s a true Alaskan tradition with an incredible history; locals are passionate about it and proud to be a part of it.

One more winter Anchorage tradition we enjoyed was visiting the Gingerbread Village created by pastry chef Joe Hickel at the Captain Cook Hotel. The mere size of the display  and the attention to detail were mesmerizing.

So it’s not all ice and snow in Anchorage in the winter, although there is a lot of that, but there are also many opportunities to celebrate all that makes Anchorage unique, and I’m glad we got to experience some of it while we lived there.

“We lived in Alaska.”

Here, in the lower 48, many times it blows people’s minds when we say we moved here from Alaska. Our son proudly says to anyone who will ask: “I was born in Alaska”. We still have our front Alaskan license plate on our car, because it’s a good reminder of what a great adventure that was, and also a good conversation starter. And yet, during the three years we lived there, I basically didn’t post anything about our time in the ‘last frontier’, with the exception of our very first trip on our very first week in Alaska, to the spectacular Lake Clark.

I feel like I need to fix that. It’s been a little over three years since we left Anchorage, and it’s time for a few posts to reminisce on our time there, from simple, daily life in Anchorage, to visiting Denali National Park, driving the Old Alaska Highway and visiting Fairbanks in the middle of winter.

First stop: Anchorage, a.k.a. not “the real Alaska”, and yet, where moose literally roam the streets.

We lived in a small apartment on O Place, walking distance from great trails and the best view in town of Knik Arm, Mount Susitna (also called The Sleeping Lady), and, on clear days, even Denali!

For a little boy, there was no better form of entertainment than watching trains and planes (from three different airports -Anchorage International, Merrill Field and Elmendorf Air Force Base) go by all day right in front of our living room window.

We were a short walk from downtown and our favorite breakfast place, Snow City Cafe. We were also very close to our favorite restaurant, Glacier Brewhouse. The best pizza place in town, Moose’s Tooth, was a bit further, but definitely worth the drive. And there was no shortage of great coffee shops in town, such as Steam Dot and Kaladi Brothers. Just thought I’d mention these, in case you ever happen to be in Anchorage and are looking for good food or coffee. And if you’re looking for a good Happy Hour with great views, then there’s Simon and Seafort’s.

Yes, it was really cold and really dark in the winter, and yet there was all this spectacular natural beauty right outside our doorstep that made up for it, like when we spotted a pod of beluga whales right from our living room window, or when we saw the Northern Lights one late night as we were up with our little baby son. We also encountered wonderful people there, who were kind, good friends to us. It was a wonderful opportunity and a great experience for our family, so I’m grateful we can say, “we lived in Alaska.”