First off, we’re staying at a pretty great B&B, just a short two-miles from Anchorage’s city center. The beds were really comfortable (I FINALLY got a good night sleep), it’s really clean, and we started our morning with a fantastic gourmet breakfast. On top of it, they had bikes we could borrow for the day!
Downtown Saturday Market
We admittedly had a really lazy start to our day, not leaving until about noon. From there, we hopped on our bikes and met up with Markeata, a wonderful woman we met on the cruise, who happens to be the mom our favorite musician from the cruise (Gordon Daniels). Without intention, we bumped into her almost every day while out on excursions – even on the train from Seward to Anchorage!
We spent a lot of time a the Downtown Saturday Market, where there were various food vendors and things for sale like jewelry, art, handbags, honey, jams, spices, and so much more. We walked around and I picked up a couple last things to bring home. Oh, and we also enjoyed some halibut nachos…because you know, when in Rome.
There were also A LOT of dogs at this market – at least 30. I’m missing my fur babies quite a bit and pretty much accosted every single one I saw. Luckily, their owners totally understood my plight.
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and Earthquake Park
Perhaps the coolest thing about Anchorage is how bike-friendly it is. There are a lot of bike trails – even bike bars along the trails, complete with tire pumps and tools should you run into any issues. We biked along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which as you can probably guess, runs along the coastline. Along the way, we stopped at various informational spots to learn about the area, including the same 1964 Good Friday Earthquake that nearly devastated Seward. Anchorage wasn’t as impacted as Seward, but there was still significant damage to the area.
While we could see a lot of mountain peaks in the area, it was too cloudy to see Denali (formerly named Mount McKinley). On the trail we learned that it’s even higher than Mount Everest, mainly due to the way its measured (Everest cheats a bit). It’s all the more motivation I need to come back with Chris and get up to Denali.
My sister is THE BEST
This was a really wonderful trip, so much more than I expected it to be. I’m so glad my sister and I got to go on this “last hurrah” together before I get married later this year. Asking her to be away from her family for 10 days is a lot to ask, so I’m all the more appreciative she agreed to have this amazing adventure together.
We have one last dinner together before heading home tonight at the Rustic Goat, which was recommended by the B&B owners.
I’m ready for home. I’m missing my bed, my fur babies, and most definitely my soon-to-be husband.
Cecilia the TravelGurl 