The Weather

is Miserable. Yes, I meant to capitalize the "m." This has been the worst summer on record. There has been tons of rain, so please make certain that you bring umbrellas, raincoats, and warm jackets/sweaters to the wedding.

Muppets

Please see below.

Babysitting

Please email me if you will need babysitting during your stay in Anchorage. Simply click on "Ellen" and then "Contact" under my name. I have a crew of wonderful people (all of whom I know personally and teach; therefore, they know I can change their grades) who can babysit if needed.

Location, Location, Location

The Photo

Anchorage--For the Kids (Check Back for Updates)

There are quite a few places to entertain kids here in Anchorage. Listed are the most popular possibilities:

http://www.alaskazoo.org/info.htm
The zoo did make national news during 2007-2008 as we moved our elephant, Maggie, to warmer climes. However, there are still plenty of animals to check out here!

http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/kids/kids.aspx
The Anchorage Museum—it has quite a few activities for children during the summer!

http://www.imaginarium.org/
The Imaginarium is a children’s science museum—it had, way back when I worked there (Ellen), a small planetarium and a marine-life touch tank (my favorite). This is a great place to entertain small adults for an afternoon!

http://www.alaskaexperiencetheatre.com/
Anchorage’s own IMAX theater.

http://www.alaskawildberryproducts.com/
Chocolate fountain. Need I write more?

Gold Panning
There are two places outside of Anchorage to go gold panning between Anchorage and Girdwood—this might be of interest to kids:

Crow Creek Mine (Girdwood; just up the road from Raven Glacier Lodge, the scene of the crime):
http://www.akmining.com/mine/crow.htm

Indian Valley (20 miles away from Anchorage):

http://www.indianvalleymine.com/gold_pan.html

As other activities present themselves, I will add to this list!

Anchorage--Places to Stay

We would highly recommend booking early for your lodging (as well as cars) in Anchorage. If you have questions about locations for hotels, please contact us. We suggest the bed and breakfasts if you want a cozy Alaskan experience, or, if you are particularly brave, renting a motor home (this does allow you more freedom in terms of exploring the state, but mind the speed limits, as Alaskan are notoriously malicious drivers, especially when they want to get to their favorite fishing holes).

There are plenty of hotels in Anchorage as well, but book as soon as possible! Any search on a travel site will guide you as to hotels, but if you want some inside info, email us!

As far as motor homes go, you will probably want to look into finding campsites (or reserving campsites, if possible) in state or national parks. There are some places to park in Anchorage, as well as Girdwood.

We’ll have some separate posts as to eateries and activities!

http://anchorage.lodgingguide.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifcom/

http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/anchorage-alaska.html


http://www.greatalaskanholidays.com/
Way back when I was a college student, I worked here.

http://www.abcmotorhome.com/
Another option.

http://www.alaskaoutdoorsontheweb.com/rvrentals.htm
This link provides access to a few motor home rental companies.

Alaska Travel Planning -- General Stuff

Coming to Alaska for the first time? Looking to make a more than just a long weekend of it? You can easily get lost looking online at various sites for lodges, guides, tour operators and so on. Probably the best site to make sense of it all from a big picture perspective is www.alaskab4udie.com. It breaks down Alaska by geographic region, or by interests (fishing, wildlife viewing, cultural stuff, etc.), and has maps and sample trips to plan with. Once you have an idea of where you want to go and what you would like to do, run a more focused search and you will likely find a variety of specific sites. Just try "Seward" and "charter fishing" and you’ll see what I mean.

Another thing to keep in mind is that much of the state can only be seen aboard a ship or aboard a train. And by train, I refer to one of the world’s great railways, the Alaska railroad, and it has an excellent website, www.akrr.com. Bear in mind that the various rail/cruise packages you can find at this site refer to day cruise packages in Prince William Sound, not the week-long cruises through the Inside Passage. The railroad is probably also the best (and easiest) way to visit Denali National Park.

If you want to do the cruise through the Inside Passage, most run between Anchorage and Vancouver, British Columbia. Whittier is a common port of call and is just 15 minutes and a mile-long mountain tunnel from Girdwood, where the wedding will be. Alternatively, Seward is another good place to catch up with a ship, and it is about 2 hours from Girdwood. Travel agencies appear to have the best cruise finders, like www.alaskatravel.com/alaska-cruises. I was able to figure out that a ship named the Sapphire Princess leaves Whittier the day after the wedding on an 8-day cruise to Vancouver, and expedia.com lists cabins for under $900 per person.

Anchorage Daily News Girdwood Slideshow

This is a pictorial of Girdwood in the winter:
http://www.adn.com/slideshows/v-swf/story/301650.html

Girdwood

Places to Stay, Things to Do
Girdwood is a beautiful little town on the Kenai Peninsula, between 30-45 minutes away from Anchorage. It is a hot spot for tourists, so we suggest planning well in advance for your stay. For families, we suggest renting a cabin for a night or two, or enjoying a bed and breakfast.

http://www.girdwoodchamber.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi
This link provides an overview of Girdwood. Explore!

http://www.timberlinedrivebnb.com/index.htm
Another cabin rental in Girdwood--do a search for bed and breakfasts and cabin rentals in Girdwood for more!

http://www.alyeskaaccommodations.com/
This site provides condo and cabin rentals. This is probably the most affordable way to stay in Girdwood. The Timberline Chalet is where all this craziness started!

http://www.alyeskaresort.com/
This is the resort at Alyeska. It is beautiful, but book early—Thursdays are almost always packed due to the cruise ship passengers!


Eateries
Below are links to some of our favorite places, but please explore the Girdwood Chamber of Commerce site for more possibilities. The Alyeska Resort has numerous venues to tempt the palate, as does Girdwood.

http://www.doublemuskyinn.com/
If you have one five star dinner while you are here, this is the place. Bob almost proposed to me here. No worries about formal attire—just expect a wait, as the Musky does not take reservations.

http://www.thebakeshop.com/
This is another must in Girdwood. The prices are reasonable, the bread is fresh. In August, you will also be able to enjoy the gorgeous flowers in the parking lot. This is a great stop for breakfast and/or lunch. Make certain to check out the soup special!

http://www.chairfive.com/
A perfect place for a meal (and a beer) after a hike or a white water adventure. Make certain not to interfere with the pool players!

The Wild Side
Girdwood is a great place for hiking, but please be cognizant: there are wild animals (black bears and moose). Our first summer together, Bob, Beau, and I went hiking up the mountain. About 15 minutes into our hike, Beau introduced himself to a mamma moose with twin calves (Beau apparently thought they were large, GREAT-smelling dogs with which to play). NEVER get in between a mother and her children. We turned around after reigning in Beau, and walked directly into the range of a black bear. This is the proverbial catch-22! We made certain the bear heard us, and walked back up the mountain to a chairlift station. As we waited, we watched the black bear veer off the trail and into the woods. We selected to head straight down the mountain, through the brush and devil’s club. Then, we hit Chair Five for some much needed pizza and beer.

http://alaska.org/girdwood/girdwood.htm
Another all-encompassing site on Girdwood.

http://www.alaskaparagliding.com/
I am not brave enough to do this, but ya’ll may be.

http://www.chugachoutdoorcenter.com/six_mile_rafting.htm
For those looking for an incredible whitewater adventure, check this place out. Ask for Scott “Pizzaface” Hickox, one of the guides and, during the winter, a colleague of mine. He'll make certain you get wet.

http://alaska.org/girdwood/ride-mt-alyeskas-tram.jsp
A great way to see Girdwood from above, if you are not interested in parasailing!

Save The Date: August 1, 2008

We are holding our wedding in Girdwood, Alaska, which is about 30 minutes away from Anchorage and also where Bob proposed. I'll let him tell that story though.

Here is the link to the lodge webpage: http://www.ravenglacierlodge.com/

Plan early for a trip to Alaska, as it is the place for travelers and adventurers in the summer. The blog will have links to local hot spots, and suggestions for activities and accommodations, as well as our wedding program. Do post questions (or email either one of us) if you need help with anything!

We will try to update information as needed, but review specific posts for updates as well!

Ellen and Bob and Beau and Gracie