Oh, boy! Let me tell you something… I had the adventure of a lifetime last week in Alaska. Before heading northwest by way of Alaskan Airlines, I envisioned Alaska would be a magical place, but I had no idea it was as special, as wild, as giant, as mesmerizing, and as sacred as it was. I spent ten days venturing around the state with my father-in-law Ken, and he is a wild man at heart who spends lots of time in nature and out west, and it was better than either of us had imagined it to be.
Our first day offered us beautiful views in Chugach State Park and along the Turnagain Arm to Kenai Peninsula, but having only arrived in Anchorage at 5PM, we didn’t have a lot of time. However, it was summer in Alaska, and the day is long and the nights are short. We could have powered through to our hearts content since losing the light wasn’t a concern, but we had a busy schedule ahead of us. A couple hours south of Anchorage brought us to Cooper Landing, which is a great little place to stay to be central in Kenai, between Homer and Seward.
Cooper Landing offers some wonderful adventure opportunities like rafting, kayaking, sightseeing tours, fishing expeditions and more. Not far out from town was our accommodation for the night, the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge. The princess lodge is a sprawling compound of buildings spread out, offering a neat log cabin campus experience, found nowhere else as far as I’ve ever seen. Princess lodges runs a range campus style lodging, restaurants, tours and vacation packages. Most buildings are outfitted with vaulted ceilings, private porches and wood-burning stoves, and every room boasts gorgeous wood finishings.
Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge has a quality restaurant with a great view over the Kenai river. Our room was cozy and classy with two big beds, private bath, porch, and plenty of space to spread out and feel like it was a home away from home. Though, my home doesn’t have the gorgeous wood finishings that the princess lodges make their mainstay identity. It was a cool setup that was higher end than most places found across Alaska. We enjoyed our stay very much, and were sad to have to leave so early in the morning on our departure. But adventure was awaiting for us!
Morning came and we left near dawn, making our way to Seward to take a puddle jumper boat through the Kenai Fjords National Park. I’ll post a lot more on Kenai Fjords National Park shortly in the near future, but it became perhaps my favorite place in the world. On that cruise, we saw over 50 eagles, 20+ sea otters, 50+ harbor seals, a black bear stalking a mountain goat mama and babe, playful dall’s porpoise, and so much more. From that day on, we fell deeper and deeper into love with the wildness of Alaska. The natural unspoiled charm of the sprawling untouched forests, dynamic mountains, and ocean fjords created a firm grip on my heart. And now, my dreams are filled with puffins and dramatic cliffs.
Cooper Landing offers some wonderful adventure opportunities like rafting, kayaking, sightseeing tours, fishing expeditions and more. Not far out from town was our accommodation for the night, the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge. The princess lodge is a sprawling compound of buildings spread out, offering a neat log cabin campus experience, found nowhere else as far as I’ve ever seen. Princess lodges runs a range campus style lodging, restaurants, tours and vacation packages. Most buildings are outfitted with vaulted ceilings, private porches and wood-burning stoves, and every room boasts gorgeous wood finishings.
Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge has a quality restaurant with a great view over the Kenai river. Our room was cozy and classy with two big beds, private bath, porch, and plenty of space to spread out and feel like it was a home away from home. Though, my home doesn’t have the gorgeous wood finishings that the princess lodges make their mainstay identity. It was a cool setup that was higher end than most places found across Alaska. We enjoyed our stay very much, and were sad to have to leave so early in the morning on our departure. But adventure was awaiting for us!
Morning came and we left near dawn, making our way to Seward to take a puddle jumper boat through the Kenai Fjords National Park. I’ll post a lot more on Kenai Fjords National Park shortly in the near future, but it became perhaps my favorite place in the world. On that cruise, we saw over 50 eagles, 20+ sea otters, 50+ harbor seals, a black bear stalking a mountain goat mama and babe, playful dall’s porpoise, and so much more. From that day on, we fell deeper and deeper into love with the wildness of Alaska. The natural unspoiled charm of the sprawling untouched forests, dynamic mountains, and ocean fjords created a firm grip on my heart. And now, my dreams are filled with puffins and dramatic cliffs.
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