Fun day in Anchorage

Thanks to the time difference, we were awake at 6 AM. It really was OK as this got us acclimated to the 3 hour time difference. We ate a good breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and then drank coffee while sitting outside and watching the floatplanes on the lake. It was 55 degrees with a clear sky and very little wind.

At 10:30, Rust’s Flying Service came and picked us up. Sean had said he really wanted to take off and land in a float plane, so that was the plan! Rust’s is a family-owned business that has been in business for over 40 years. We played with their friendly golden retriever while we waited for our pilot. Bruce was the pilot with 30 years of experience flying a vintage 1958 DeHaviland Beaver 6-seater, and we were joined by a young lady and her dad on a 30-minute flight seeing tour of the Anchorage area. 

Bruce’s take off and landing were perfectly smooth, and so was the flight. We flew over the city, and around the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm. We had great views of Mount Spurr (volcano), Mount Redoubt, and we even got to see the peak of Denali! It was a great experience, and I highly recommend Rust’s! 

After the flight, we dropped our bags at the Marriott and walked to 49th State Brewing for lunch. Sean tried a flight of 4 beers and a yak burger (yes, really) and I had a cider and the Crabby Grilled Cheese and Seafood Chowder. Both were delicious! 

We then walked around downtown for a while and checked in as soon as our room was ready. Later, we met our Tour Guide for the 5-day land tour through Royal Caribbean so we could get our full itinerary for the next few days. 

Dinner tonight was a favorite place of mine from when I worked in Anchorage in 2002: Glacier Brewhouse. 

I had the Herb-Crusted Halibut, and it was just as good as I remembered. The place is still super popular, too. 

Tomorrow we get started early on our way to Denali NP!