We all have that one friend who is a die-hard adrenaline junkie who loves to discover their next greatest adventure. That friend is me! This feature is all about uncovering Lake Nona and Orlando’s greatest activities, especially if you enjoy living life on the edge!
It’s the morning of Christmas Eve, and I’ve found myself in Anchorage, Alaska. I’m here visiting my boyfriend, Andrew, as he’s working up here for a month. I’m watching the sun begin to rise from beyond the snow-capped Chugach Mountain Range at 9:30 a.m. as my hands clasp around a toasty cup of hot chocolate. It’s 17 degrees outside. I’m still trying to comprehend the fact that I’m in the 49th state, the Last Frontier and, other than Hawaii, the farthest state possible from Florida. I’m in such disbelief that I’m actually in a new state that I have to keep reminding myself where I am until it finally hits me. The first two days I spent in Alaska, lots of places were closed for the holidays, but I took that time just to drive around in the five hours of daylight. I should mention here that I’ve never driven in the snow or ice, so that was a fun and slightly terrifying experience. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I won’t lie, I slid around turns a few times. Luckily, the streets are cleared pretty quickly to prevent any accidents.
Andrew and I visited Moose’s Tooth for dinner. It’s a pizzeria and brewery named after one of the mountain peaks in the Alaska Range. This is a restaurant that lots of locals recommend, and I can understand why. Moose’s Tooth is usually so popular they have an entire outdoor section surrounding a fire pit just for waiting (and enjoying a freshly-brewed beer). Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait as most people were home enjoying Christmas Eve. We ordered the Call of the Wild, which featured reindeer sausage, mushrooms and red bell peppers, and it was delicious! Moose’s Tooth is one of those places where the crust is even begging you to eat more. I left full and satisfied.
Being able to say I experienced a white Christmas in Alaska was one for the bucket list. Although it didn’t snow while I was in the town, the streets stayed icy and the blanket of white remained on the ground.
It’s 4:15 p.m. With a warm cup of glacier green tea and the breathtaking sunset peeking over the awe-inspiring mountains, one can say I’m perfectly content. Honestly, these picturesque views are everything to me. I can stare at the landscape here forever and still not feel like I’m able to take it all in. How does anyone get used to these views?! Every time I look away, my eyes revert to where they were…admiring the mountainous beauty. The golden hues fill the sky, and the terrain pops with contrast against the backlit blue canopy of the sky. It’s a crisp 7 degrees this morning. In the blink of an eye, ice fog rolled in, coating the trees in white. I’ve entered a winter wonderland. There’s nothing more serene than taking in the views of the sunset – those vibrant colors pop even more in the white surroundings.
With stores opening back up now that the holidays have passed and before the year ends, I decided to go for a walk to some local shops. That thought didn’t last long. At the first intersection I walked into, I slipped on some black ice and landed flat on my back. I wasn’t surprised it happened, but I was laughing so hard at myself by myself.
Before the sun set, we made our way to a lookout called Flat Top Mountain, where we drove through winding roads as we gained elevation. The journey up was almost unreal, and as we reached the lookout, the sun began to set, and that was a view I will never forget. The lookout was right above where the ice fog covered everything below like a thick blanket of clouds. The sky transformed into a flame with its warm hues of vibrant yellow, orange and red. We snapped some quick photos to catch the dropping sun and made our way back down the mountain.
Back at the hotel lounge as night fell, I looked out at where the mountains were (even though you can’t see them in the dark). I noticed a shape light up from the side of a mountain and realized it was in the shape of a star. I did some research and discovered that the star was a unique holiday tradition in Alaska. Called the “Star on the Mountain,” the star spreads its light to everyone in Anchorage through the long and dark winter nights. It’s a man-made symbol of hope and is intended to shed a little light on those lives who need it as holidays can be lonesome for some. The star also shines for the men and women who serve overseas while their loved ones wait for their safe return. It began in 1958 and has expanded in size (over 300 feet) to this day. The star shines on September 11th and then throughout the winter beginning the day after Thanksgiving and ending once the last musher finishes the Iditarod sled dog race in March. If it’s foggy, it looks like the star is floating, and that’s pretty cool.
After researching some local and one-of-a-kind eats, I discovered IHOH (the International House of Hotdogs). This quaint shop was listed at number 31 for Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat for 2017 and received UrbanSpoon’s award for Top 40 Franks in America. Naturally, I was intrigued and took Andrew there for lunch. We ordered at a cute little food stand, which is parked right next to a small indoor seating area. I ordered a dog called the Denali, which was a buffalo sausage with sautéed onion and the secret chipotle crème. Talk about gourmet dogs! This little, unsuspecting stand supplied one of the best-tasting hot dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. And it was so good, I really wanted to order another from their extensive menu because pretty much all the hot dogs made my mouth water, but I was stuffed. The two employees provided some of the best customer service I’ve ever experienced. It truly seemed like they loved what they were doing and wanted nothing but the best for each and every customer they called “friends.”
A few other noteworthy restaurants include:
Snow City Café – ranked number one out of the 15 Best Places for Brunch in Anchorage by Foursquare (try the Salmon Cakes and the Snow City Mocha).
Glacier BrewHouse – Alaska’s first choice for wild Alaskan seafood, rotisserie roasted meats and handcrafted ales (try the Beer Fondue, Herb Crusted Halibut and the Rockfish; an added bonus: beautiful interior design).
49th State Brewing Company – award-winning beer brewed on site (try the NY Oscar with Blue King Crab and the Parmesan Halibut).
Due to full bookings or the weather conditions, I was unable to enjoy some of my bucket list adventures as I had planned. For those of you who are curious, that consisted of dog sledding, seeing the Northern Lights and skating on a frozen lake. I was bummed to find out some of my Alaskan dreams wouldn’t happen this visit, but I have no doubt that I’ll experience those adventures another time. I spent the entire visit tracking the Northern Lights and had a good chance of witnessing the spectacle on New Year’s Day, but it was just too cloudy.
The real adventures began as we trekked through a winding road along the mountains and inlet to reach Alyeska Ski Resort, about 45 minutes outside of downtown Anchorage. This had to have been one of the most scenic routes I’ve ever been on. With majestic peaks surrounding you and signs warning of avalanche areas and falling rocks, just as we were watching the car’s thermostat drop lower and lower, snowflakes began to fall so delicately. We’ve arrived. Surrounded by snow-covered spruce trees and elegant mountains, I was ready to snowboard for the first time. We rented our gear and were off. Since neither Andrew nor I had any snowboarding experience, we started off on a super easy baby hill (more like a mound) and had no issues. As a child, I skateboarded a lot, and snowboarding seemed to be pretty familiar territory. My only issue was nailing the true way to stop while gliding across the snow…I went for the quicker and probably more dangerous option of bailing out and just throwing myself to the ground – definitely not a good idea. I had some rough impacts, and my body was not happy the next day.
From the training wheels to what felt like the big leagues, I found myself on a ski lift up to a larger mountain with Andrew convincing me that I was ready. I was not ready. As I fell getting off the ski lift, I found myself facing Blueberry Hill, and I was completely out of my comfort zone. I’m pretty sure I even asked where the guardrails were, even though I knew that was certainly more dangerous to those snow sport enthusiasts. I discovered the hard way that my board was clearly more waxed than Andrew’s as I zoomed past him every time. I’d throw myself to the ground to wait for him to catch up. Andrew would pass me and then fall. It was like a domino effect. As I rose back up to hit the slope some more and snap a quick video, I heard Andrew yell, “Watch!” but it was too late. I was slammed into and knocked back down. Turns out a young boy didn’t see me and ran right into me, knocking his ski poles out of his hands, and my phone and GoPro went flying. It was like a scene straight out of a movie, and I was so upset I didn’t catch the accident on video. The poor boy was just lying there with his legs bent awkwardly repeatedly saying, “Ow,” as he writhed in pain. I was so scared that I was going to find his legs broken or worse. He apologized, and I helped him up, placing the ski pole back in his hand and telling him to be careful but to get back out there. I thought I was unscathed until I stood back up. Wow, my back was sore! That kid almost body slammed me off the mountain! I’m still laughing about that situation! Blueberry Hill felt like it was about 200 to 300 feet tall, and I’m not going to lie, I was scared. It literally felt like it just dropped off and went straight down, but it didn’t. This was rated an easy trail, but for someone like me who hadn’t mastered the stopping motion, it felt like a black diamond. I sent Andrew down first because I was too chicken and figured I should catch whatever madness was about to happen on video. As soon as he got about two feet down the hill, I lost sight of him. That terrified me even more. I swallowed my fear and took on the slope and immediately psyched myself out because of how fast I felt I was going. It seriously felt like I was going 50 mph, so I threw myself down again and I flipped, whacking my head and then sliding head first down the hill. I had to dig my board into the snow hard to stop and felt my ankle pop. Immediately, I thought that was it, my ankle was broken. I clipped my board off and before I could stand up, the medic arrived to ask if I was okay. With a few tears rolling down my face, I said yes and stood up to begin my descent via foot. I was relieved to know I could put some pressure on my foot, but it still hurt.
I made the mistake of stretching my foot at dinner that night, and that irritated the tendon. I was in pain, in tears, and I couldn’t even put any weight on it. My ankle had blown up like a balloon. The thought of going to the ER crossed my mind, but I couldn’t waste my time in Alaska.
The absolute highlight of this expedition was our visit to Eklutna Lake our last full day in the 49th state. About 50 minutes in the opposite direction of Alyeska comes the absolutely breathtaking vision of a turquoise lake encircled by the mountains. If you’ve ever seen photos of Banff, Alberta, Canada, this is its U.S. twin. The drive was slightly unnerving as the road was covered in ice. You’re driving along the edge of the mountain, then once you turn the corner and see the lake peek out from behind the spruce trees, life is nothing but a dream. We walked down to the opening, and I was at a complete loss for words. The absolute natural beauty silenced me, and I began to take in all of the wondrous views. We made our way out onto the frozen lake, where locals flocked to skate, play hockey and ice fish. I could’ve spend the rest of my life just sitting there, and I still wouldn’t get sick of those views.
If you’re wondering if I saw any bears or moose, I did not. Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you are. I expected to see some Alaskan wildlife. With all of the “Moose XING” signs I saw, I started to joke that the wildlife hid because they heard I was coming.
So there you have it, I traveled to the Last Frontier and fell in love, injured myself in more ways than one and created many memories to truly last a lifetime.
Have a suggestion? Send an email to nicole@nonahoodnews.com or fill out our NonaVentures column form at http://nonahood.to/nonaventure. What do you want to see me review next?
