If you were hoping for a plethora of photos of downtown Anchorage, keep moving. This isn't the post for you. And I'm SO sorry! There is a reason for this...
As a parent, I'm s-l-o-w-l-y learning that you should never plan on your kid for anything.
Assumption #1: Lukas would fall asleep on the car trip down. His bedtime is around 6:30ish and we weren't due in Anchorage until 11:30 -- in my mind, that meant he'd sleep for hours in the car. A logical assumption, yes? Apparently not. In typical kiddo style, he waited until the last five minutes of the trip to fall asleep. I'm going to blame the sun, which didn't set until almost midnight. He wasn't cranky or upset or crying, so there's that (huge plus). He did want me to sit in the backseat with him for the last few hours while he clutched his lovey and gazed adoringly at me (it was a strangely awkward experience).
Asssumption #2: Since Lukas went to bed at almost 1AM the night before, he was going to nap superbly the next day. Strike two. He took no naps that day. We still managed to have a very nice, caffeine-fueled day, but it meant the three of us were running on empty by the time dinner rolled around. The last thing on my mind was lugging a camera around downtown Anchorage.
So please...enjoy our scenic views along Parks Highway. But if you absolutely need to see photos of Anchorage itself, for heaven's sake, google it.
The view from an overlook about 30 minutes outside of Fairbanks. Alaska in the winter is pretty spectacular, but I'm in love with the rich, textured greens and dusky blues of summer.
We stopped for dinner in the tiny town of Healy, just outside of Denali. Quite on accident, we stumbled across 49th State Brewing. It's tucked back from the road in a rambling, barn-like building. They serve delicious pub-style burgers, salads, and pizzas; locally brewed beer (of course); and feature live music. Above was the view from the parking lot.
Tucking kiddo in for the night: pacifier, lovey, and Junie. Check. Turns out, the joke was on me...
If Friday was "explore downtown Anchorage and take absolutely NO photos for posterity," Saturday was "drive to Seward and take allllllllll the photos." The drive was amazing. Spectacular. Definitely one of the most scenic roads I've ever been on (Drew will argue that it was prettier than the Blue Ridge Parkway. However, I'm pretty partial to the Appalachian Mountains and won't hurt their feelings by making such a statement).
Since we were zooming towards Seward--and our 12PM cruise time--we didn't stop for any photos along the way. Those came later. Saturday was foggy and slightly chilly. We had planned for that and came armed with rain jackets, sunglasses, a scarf (for me), and hats, just in case.
Lukas had just woken up, thus the serious snuggles. On Saturday, we were back to our regularly scheduled programming, which meant NAPS.
IN THE CAR.
Thank you, God.
Our boat, the Alaskan Explorer.
The expression of someone who may just be ready for a boat ride.
To be continued...