Hello and welcome back to Nomad Dad Life! Our last post brought us to Anchorage, Alaska, after a three-day journey. If you haven’t read that post, please do so here. We were fortunate enough to get into our Furnished Finder house a couple of days early after talking to the owners. It was so nice not having to stay in a hotel again for a couple of nights after we reached our destination. Of course, with all the driving we had just done, we didn’t exactly want to hop back in the car for more hours of driving to start exploring the Last Frontier. We had a couple of low-key relaxing days, enjoying the warm January weather! That’s mostly a joke but temperature wise it does stay warmer in the winter than where we are from in Minnesota. Arkyn and Ayla missed the snow so it was nice they could go outside and play every day since it didn’t get below zero at all. The house was really nice and kid friendly, and it also had a big fenced in back yard. They spent hours out there building snowmen, snow forts, having snowball fights, and practicing their snowshoeing!
Anchorage, Alaska
We went and did a lot in Anchorage during our almost 8 months there. It is a really unique city with a lot of things to do and of course a lot to see. Anchorage had some of the best food out of all the places we have been. One place I can’t say enough good things about is 49th State Brewing. We went here multiple times and were never disappointed. They have a huge food menu for a brewery, with a lot of fresh seafood options. They have a crab grilled cheese sandwich that is absolutely amazing! That was recommended to me by a friend of mine who was in Anchorage frequently when we were there. 49th State, of course, has a large beer menu and even have some specialty cocktails.
Another place we ordered from often was the Moose’s Tooth. They are famous for their pizza and offer 35 signature pizzas as well as additional weekly specials. They do have some sandwiches on the menu, but it’s mostly pizza. We were able to try a lot of what they offered during our 8 months in Anchorage. They also have Broken Tooth beer available on tap to fill growlers or crawlers to pair with your pizza.
More Favorites
Gwennies was our go-to restaurant for breakfast. It has been a staple of Anchorage since 1971. It has a lot of Alaskan culture, and it is proud of its history in the city. They are only open for breakfast and lunch and feature a lot of Alaskan favorites. Their reindeer sausage is probably their most popular breakfast item, and they have many different ways they prepare it. The walls are filled with pictures from native communities around Alaska.
One last place I want to mention in Anchorage is Humpy’s Alaskan Ale House. They have live music pretty much every night of the week during the summer months. In addition to great entertainment, they offer some of the best seafood in Anchorage. They have weekly specials, catch of the day, and of course feature king crab legs. Saturdays and Sundays they offer the Great Alaskan Breakfast featuring the Fisherman’s Breakfast.
First Adventure
After a couple of days to relax and unwind from our drive, it was time to get out and explore! Our first day trip brought us 70 miles north of Anchorage to Willow, Alaska. The plan for the day was to get a real, unique Alaskan experience. Alaskan Husky Adventures provided that with an awesome dog sledding excursion. We had to fill out some paperwork, and then we got a quick tour of the facilities where the kids wanted to pet each and every one of the 60+ dogs. These dogs had either run in the Iditarod or were training to hopefully be running in it someday.
They got the dogs harnessed and hooked to the sleds. They have to put a grapple hook in the snow to keep the sled in place because these dogs love to run; they would just take off if nothing was holding them back! The musher explained what each dog’s role was on the team.
Dog Sled Team
Lead dogs were obviously the two at the front of the harness, leading the pack. They need to be able to keep the team on the trail no matter the weather conditions. They steer the team and set the pace. If there are two lead dogs like we had, they have to be in sync with each other at all times.
Behind them are the swing dogs; they get the team to move with the lead dogs. Swing dogs are important to get the whole team going together around curves and turns along the trail. The team dogs make up the next level or two of the dogsled team. These are the powerhouse of the dogsled; they do the majority of the actual pulling and are the “power” for the sled. The row right in front of the sled is called the wheel dogs. These dogs need to be calm as they are right in front of the sled, and they need to be able to guide the sled around sharp turns.
Now that we knew what each position on the team did and the kids got to pet all of the dogs that would be pulling us, we were ready to go! We had two sleds behind the dogs. Fae and Ayla got to sit in the sled with the musher, right behind all the dogs. Arkyn got to sit in the sled behind the musher and I stood on the back running the brakes so our sled wouldn’t crash into the one in front of us. I got a quick lesson about what to do and we were able to start our six-mile dog sled ride!
On the Trail
We got started out of the yard heading for the woods and mountain valley. The trails were well maintained in the three plus feet of snow. It was a clear day so we could see Denali from the trails when we got into a clearing. These dogs don’t stop for anything. Thirsty? Quick bite of snow along the trail as they are running. Bathroom break? Nope. They go while they are running.
Arkyn wanted to see the dogs pulling the sleds so he leaned over on his sled to get a better view. He leaned a little too far. He ended up taking a tumble off the sled. Luckily there was three feet of snow to cushion his fall. He thought it was funny and wanted to do it again!
We made the loop and got back to the yard. The kids again wanted to pet every dog but there was hot chocolate waiting in the lobby with a new puppy that was going to start training soon. They didn’t want to leave. A puppy and hot chocolate–what more could they ask for??
That will end our first of many adventures in the great state of Alaska. The state really didn’t disappoint, and 8 months wasn’t long enough to do everything we wanted to. It’s such a huge state with so much to do or see. A lot of it isn’t open during the winter months. Most of the fishing communities are only fully open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The winters are long and dark, but Alaskans embrace it and make the most of it.
Our next post will take us to the largest city in the interior of Alaska, Fairbanks. If you haven’t done so yet, please follow our journey on social media by clicking one of the links below.
Links
49th State Brewing: https://www.49thstatebrewing.com/
Moose’s Tooth: https://moosestooth.net/
Humpy’s: https://www.humpysalaska.com/
Alaskan Husky Adventures: https://akhusky.dog/
BJ Rylander
September 25, 2023 — 3:10 pm
This post is soooooo much fun! Makes me want to grab my snowmobile suit next winter and head to the last frontier! Thank you, Chris, for “letting us ride on the dogsled” with you and your family. You are living your best life! BJR