Thursday, March 15, 2018 - Above the city
After our work week was done at the Municipality, Amanda and I were able to spend some time in the sky and got to go for an amazing plane ride. This was my first time in a "bush plane" and it was definitely memorable. I don't mind flying, but I wasn't sure what to expect from riding in a small plane, but it was smooth sailing the whole time. It was fascinating to learn that this airport in Anchorage is the hub for the largest amount of bush planes in the world, with about 2,000 parked there. I am so glad that we were able to do it as the views were unlike anything I have ever experienced. I concluded that flying would be a fun hobby to have, and one that is quite versatile. Our tour guide Monty was telling us that he he can add either skis (winter) or pontoons (summer) to the wheels, which allows him to use his plane all year round. In the summer, he will fly to where he knows the salmon will be, land and then pull the plane to shore and fish. In the winter, he volunteers during the Iditarod by flying in to drop off food or vets to the dogs in the race. Being the "Minnesota Student Nurses" we were quite spoiled with opportunities and I appreciate the hospitality that was shown to us! Amanda and I both took great leaps in expanding our horizons and going out of our comfort zones, as we had never met Monty before that moment!
After our work week was done at the Municipality, Amanda and I were able to spend some time in the sky and got to go for an amazing plane ride. This was my first time in a "bush plane" and it was definitely memorable. I don't mind flying, but I wasn't sure what to expect from riding in a small plane, but it was smooth sailing the whole time. It was fascinating to learn that this airport in Anchorage is the hub for the largest amount of bush planes in the world, with about 2,000 parked there. I am so glad that we were able to do it as the views were unlike anything I have ever experienced. I concluded that flying would be a fun hobby to have, and one that is quite versatile. Our tour guide Monty was telling us that he he can add either skis (winter) or pontoons (summer) to the wheels, which allows him to use his plane all year round. In the summer, he will fly to where he knows the salmon will be, land and then pull the plane to shore and fish. In the winter, he volunteers during the Iditarod by flying in to drop off food or vets to the dogs in the race. Being the "Minnesota Student Nurses" we were quite spoiled with opportunities and I appreciate the hospitality that was shown to us! Amanda and I both took great leaps in expanding our horizons and going out of our comfort zones, as we had never met Monty before that moment!
Friday, March 16, 2018 - Anchorage, Alaska
The day started off with us volunteering at the Alaska State Basketball Tournament. It was held at the beautiful Alaska Airline Center, which is on the University of Alaska-Anchorage campus, and is home to a few of the college sports teams, practice rooms, and student gym. We were there to promote smoking cessation and be informative about the harmful effects of tobacco. Basketball is a big sport in Alaska, so there were lots of people in the area, and hopefully we made an impact on them. Later, a few of us went toward town and on the Coastal Trail. The trail runs for miles and is used for cross-country skiing, biking, walking, etc. After that some shopping was done and we toured the town a little more. Personally, I was still upset that I had only seen two moose, so I did what any tourist would do and searched, "best place to see a moose in Anchorage?" Google's answer was Point Worzonoff Park, so off Amanda and I went on a wild moose chase. Spoiler alert, we came across no moose, BUT we did find some pretty adorable dogs, and that was good enough for me since we could actually come into contact with those. We also got to watch some planes land and take off so that was pretty cool. To end the night, we went back to the homestead to make dinner, and begin packing since we were almost at the end of our journey.
The day started off with us volunteering at the Alaska State Basketball Tournament. It was held at the beautiful Alaska Airline Center, which is on the University of Alaska-Anchorage campus, and is home to a few of the college sports teams, practice rooms, and student gym. We were there to promote smoking cessation and be informative about the harmful effects of tobacco. Basketball is a big sport in Alaska, so there were lots of people in the area, and hopefully we made an impact on them. Later, a few of us went toward town and on the Coastal Trail. The trail runs for miles and is used for cross-country skiing, biking, walking, etc. After that some shopping was done and we toured the town a little more. Personally, I was still upset that I had only seen two moose, so I did what any tourist would do and searched, "best place to see a moose in Anchorage?" Google's answer was Point Worzonoff Park, so off Amanda and I went on a wild moose chase. Spoiler alert, we came across no moose, BUT we did find some pretty adorable dogs, and that was good enough for me since we could actually come into contact with those. We also got to watch some planes land and take off so that was pretty cool. To end the night, we went back to the homestead to make dinner, and begin packing since we were almost at the end of our journey.
Saturday, March 17, 2018 - Aleyska Resort > Katrina Circle Homestead > ANC International Airport
Well, the last day had finally come, and it was gonna be a long one since our flight didn't leave until 1:30 AM on Sunday. We started the day by heading to Aleyska Resort, which would be a wonderful place for a family vacation, there is truly something for everyone. They have a beautiful hotel, incredible downhill ski mountain (one of the runs is the longest and steepest in the United States), a spa, stores, winter trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or walking, and I'm sure much more. After we split off to do activities, some of us went to the tram to go to the top of the mountain. The views from up there were breathtakingly beautiful, and even I was speechless. You felt like you were on top of the world and it was an incredible feeling. I also have to give credit to the people brave enough to go down some of those ski runs, cause wow. After we took all the sights in, we headed back down toward the trails where we decided we would walk through the snow since the resort ran out of snowshoes. Between the deep snow and inappropriate equipment, we were all falling though the snow, which made for cheap entertainment. There were so many laughs in those five miles, making those moments some of my favorites from the trip. We then went to a fancy restaurant named Jack Sprat, where I thought it would be fun to order something adventurous, which I decided was the "dol sot bibimbap".
After leaving Aleyska, we drove back along the Seward highway to my home-away-from-home for ten days, and finished getting ready for our journey back to Minnesota. We then had a few hours to spend wandering around the Anchorage airport before our flight left at 1:30 AM.
Well, the last day had finally come, and it was gonna be a long one since our flight didn't leave until 1:30 AM on Sunday. We started the day by heading to Aleyska Resort, which would be a wonderful place for a family vacation, there is truly something for everyone. They have a beautiful hotel, incredible downhill ski mountain (one of the runs is the longest and steepest in the United States), a spa, stores, winter trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or walking, and I'm sure much more. After we split off to do activities, some of us went to the tram to go to the top of the mountain. The views from up there were breathtakingly beautiful, and even I was speechless. You felt like you were on top of the world and it was an incredible feeling. I also have to give credit to the people brave enough to go down some of those ski runs, cause wow. After we took all the sights in, we headed back down toward the trails where we decided we would walk through the snow since the resort ran out of snowshoes. Between the deep snow and inappropriate equipment, we were all falling though the snow, which made for cheap entertainment. There were so many laughs in those five miles, making those moments some of my favorites from the trip. We then went to a fancy restaurant named Jack Sprat, where I thought it would be fun to order something adventurous, which I decided was the "dol sot bibimbap".
After leaving Aleyska, we drove back along the Seward highway to my home-away-from-home for ten days, and finished getting ready for our journey back to Minnesota. We then had a few hours to spend wandering around the Anchorage airport before our flight left at 1:30 AM.