Biking For Adobo

It's always a thrill to bike. The rush of air is invigorating. New places look better when you face it head-on and not through the window of a tour bus. When I saw there were some bike rental shops in Anchorage, I made sure I'd have time for it. My last day was devoted on just two wheels and my quest to eat Pinoy food.

From Wilderness to the City

"The ferry is not sailing today", Dave announced after we made it into Valdez ferry dock. We've already packed everything from tents to pots and backpacks. All we were hoping for was getting on that boat, sail to Whittier and drive to Anchorage - in the process completing a circuit of southcentral Alaska. Unfortunately, we were subject to the vagaries of weather. Up north in Alaska (and in the same way down south in Patagonia), weather is at its most fickle. We were told the waters were rough. I was so disappointed.

Shoup Glacier

Walking on a glacier. Check.
Climbing an ice wall on a glacier. Check.
Kayaking in front of a glacier. Why not?

Glaciers don't just terminate on a lake. They also end up right at sea. In Alaska, the pristine coastline is dotted with glaciers loaded with ancient ice calving right into the sea, thus the so-called tidewater glaciers. Chunks of ice that break off become ice bergs. Y'all already know why the Titanic sank, right?

High School Hill

A heavy blanket of fog wrestled with the morning sun as I poked my head out of our tent. My 'roommate' Vladimir was still sound asleep, buried in his own sleeping bag. He must have been tired trying to maintain a bonfire while it was raining the previous evening. As for me, I've slept well ahead of others, lulled by the sound of rain and dreaming of a sunny day.

Beauty In The Rain

From Chitina, we drove on Richardson Highway towards Valdez, 120 miles (193 kms) away. It was supposedly one of the most scenic highways in Alaska but the rain and the clouds kept most of the snow-capped mountains hidden. Ma Nature obviously was in charge of the show and there's nothing we can do. To keep our spirits up, Dave had us play the 'temperature game', making guesses of the current temperature based on the van's reading. All of us guessed in the lower to mid 40's. Incredibly, it was in the upper 40's - at 49 degrees Fahrenheit!

On McCarthy Road

"Carry these rocks with you", our guide Dave told us. For a moment I was perplexed what they were for. He wasn't saying anything more but he truly meant something. So off we followed him down the path, each of us carrying a large piece of rock weighing at least 15 pounds. Soon, we were at the base of Kuskulana Bridge, spanning across this deep canyon while below us was this raging river fed by glaciers in the Wrangell mountains. This was just a stop in our road trip from McCarthy to Valdez - on McCarthy Road.

Tale of Two Ghost Towns

 Remote property anyone?

Hardly anything was known of Alaska's interior when it was sold by the Russians to the US in 1867. The American public at the time thought it was such a waste of money to spend $7.2 million dollars on something so remote, so vast and so unexplored. Yet after a few year's time, Alaska would prove itself to be a goldmine of natural wealth and incredible beauty. The Russians must now be regretting that sale.

Ice Climbing

"Belay on"
"On belay"
"Climbing"
"Climb away"

These were some of the commands we learned on our first attempt at ice climbing. Right in front of us was a wall of whiteness - ancient pure ice, sculpted by Ma Nature. Louie, our local guide for the day, was teaching us the basics of hauling ourselves up a frozen wall. It's his first season guiding in Alaska but shows an impressive resume from previous alpine adventures all over the the planet. As for me, my only claim to icy experiences was a measly hike on a glacier in Argentina almost a year ago (and the occasional blizzard that hits New York City if ever that counts!).

Into Big Wilderness

A bush plane takes off from McCarthy airstrip

Alaska is America's big last frontier; so big you can fit 4 times the size of California in it. Its vast wilderness is even more magnified by the fact that it is the least densely populated state in the entire U.S. With 710,000 inhabitants sharing 586,412 square miles, that translates to only 1.2 person per square mile! Anyone who loves the outdoors surely have more space to romp around, not like New York's Times Square where there's probably one foreign tourist every square foot.

When Power Bars Are Not Enough

It's been a long time since I've stayed at a place with a shared bath. Fortunately, my single room at Qupquigiac Inn was just adjacent to one that's spotlessly clean. As nature has intended it to be, my bladder woke me up sometime at 1 AM. In my half-asleep-half-awake state of mind, I opened the door to the loo without knocking. It wasn't locked. And there sitting on the throne was a woman staring back in horror at me. "Hi . . . I mean, sorry!", was all I could say. Not the best place for backpacker's introduction eh?

Goodbye Irene...Hello Alaska!

Seat-back worry aboard Continental Airlines

Exactly a month ago, I was at Newark Airport at 8 AM to catch a flight to Alaska. On that same day, one  hurricane named Irene was spiraling its way up the East Coast, headed for the New York area. The skies were gray, the mood was somber. Not really a perfect day to fly. Especially when you hear the pilot announcing on the PA "please expect a bumpy ride on our way up". Never in my life have I buckled up on my seat as tightly.