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My Alaskan Vacation

Updated: Sep 26, 2022

7-days in Anchorage, Alaska


Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska



My amazing trip to Alaska! I live in Las Vegas, so when my friend asked me to take a trip to Alaska, I was beyond ecstatic. I have heard many times how beautiful Alaska was, and I was dying to see it for myself. Having never been to Alaska, I wasn't sure what to expect. Spoiler alert, it was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. We land in Anchorage in the early evening and head to our hotel. This is when the only hiccup of the trip takes place. I need a handicapped accessible room as I am in a wheelchair, and when we get to the hotel room, we find out their handicapped room is not so accessible. So, we scrambled to find another room last minute, which we managed to do. A little nerve-racking to start the trip, but it all worked out.


Over the next few days, we took it easy. We walked around downtown Anchorage, visited the mall, ate at some great seafood locations, and checked out the local shops. Day four would be one of the best adventures in my life. We set out from Anchorage along Seward Highway to Portage Glacier. The drive along Seward Highway was breathtaking. There are waterfalls everywhere you look, or so it seems. Snow was still on the tops of the mountains, and the air was so fresh and crisp. It was not the same as the air in the Las Vegas desert, that is for sure.




After a couple of hours on the road, sightseeing, and enjoying the beautiful drive, we made it to Portage Lake. We boarded the Ptarmigan, which was very wheelchair friendly, and we headed off toward Portage Glacier. The boat ride was fantastic. There were mountains on both sides of the lake and an abundance of waterfalls spilling out of them. After a short boat ride, we made it to Portage Glacier. It was a sight to see. This was the first glacier I have ever seen other than on television. The glacier wall was enormous. I am not sure of the exact size, but somewhere around 100 feet would be my guess. Everyone on the boat was looking at this fantastic ice formation in awe. The glacier had a beautiful light blue tint to it that just reminded how cold it was. It wasn't long until everyone on the boat got a show of a lifetime. I would describe the next five minutes as incredibly sad and extremely impressive. As we all stood on the bow and looked on in amazement, the glacier wall began to fall apart. It was such a massive piece of the wall that the boat's captain slammed the boat in gear and started moving away from the glacier as fast as he could. A little wave a few feet high started to head for us. It was not very dangerous, but the captain told us that that was the most significant chunk he had ever seen fall. It was a sight to see and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We stayed a bit longer to watch the pieces bob up and down, and then we headed back to the port. From there, we hopped back on Seward Highway and headed back to the hotel.


Portage Glacier Ice Wall
Portage Glacier


The next few days wouldn't compare to our glacier trip, but we still had a blast. First, we indulged in some fantastic seafood. I had an abundance of crab legs, to say the least. Next, we visited the starting location of the Iditarod (the dog sledding race), and we also went over to Earthquake Park to see some of the devastations that happened when a 9.2 earthquake struck off the coast in 1964. It was a tragic event that dropped the surrounding land by as much as 40 feet, slid it as far as 2,000 feet away, and even swallowed a whole town. Nearly 140 people lost their lives in the event, and today it is remembered with a park that people can enjoy.



Well, that's it for my Alaska trip, and after seven days in Anchorage, it was time to make our journey home. So, we hopped on our plane from Anchorage and headed back to Las Vegas. It was a trip I will never forget. I plan on returning to Alaska in the near future with my family. Next time we will enjoy a magnificent train ride aboard the Denali Star or the Glacier Discovery. Two of the five trains that the Alaska Railroad offers to view the Alaskan countryside.



Author: Dwayne Dahlberg

Phone: 1-725-278-1882



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