MatSu Valley

We arrived in Anchorage at the witching hour after 9-plus hours of travel, dead tired. We managed to stay awake long enough to collect our luggage and rental car, then hurried to the Microtel near the airport to grab some sleep before heading out to the Mat-Su Valley and points beyond. We got a great deal on Hotwire for the motel, but the location directly under the flight path of arriving and departing aircraft didn't make for a great night's sleep. The hotel was pretty nice for the price, though and it had something we wouldn't enjoy again for quite a while -- air conditioning!

Before leaving Anchorage, we made a beeline for the Moose's Tooth for a brew and the Headbanger pizza. So good! Take it from a pizza snob, the Moose's Tooth makes a righteous pie! It's a must-stop for microbrew lovers, too. Ron recommends the Bear Tooth Ale.

After filling up on pizza, we hit the road for the Mat-Su Valley area and our first (full) night's lodging -- the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn just outside of Wasilla. The Lake Lucille Inn has a lovely setting right at the edge of the lake, where guests can watch float plane activity and enjoy the waterfowl. Our room was comfortably furnished. Unfortunately, it was h-o-t as Alaska was enjoying an unusual run of warm, sunny days. The temperature was in the low 80s and air conditioning is not something that most of Alaska is equipped with. I'm not complaining, I love sunshine and warm (not hot) days, but hubby was not pleased. (Am I a master of understatement, or what?) The Inn also has a nice complimentary breakfast in a peaceful dining room overlooking the lake. All in all, it was a nice place to spend the night.

After locating the Inn, we headed out to spend the rest of the day exploring Hatcher Pass and the Independence Mine State Historical Park. We probably should have gotten directions, but we thought that the Wasilla Fishhook Road leading to Hatcher Pass would be clearly marked. Ummmm, no. We ended up driving to Palmer (nice drive btw) and taking the Palmer Fishhook instead. Turned out that the drive up Hatcher Pass and the visit to the mine was well worth the detour. There are spectacular views of the Little Susitina River canyon and Talkeetna mountains on the way to the mine site. Fireweed was in bloom everywhere you looked.

Talkeetna mountains view from Fishhook Road near Hatcher Pass

We took the self-guided tour of the mine and learned a lot about gold mining history. A tip: you can borrow a gold pan at the Visitor's Center and pan for your own nuggets during your visit. No charge!

The following day, we took advantage of Fred Meyers in Wasilla to stock up on groceries and other necessities before heading towards Denali. Grocery stores just don't exist near Denali, and those places that do sell provisions will make you pay dearly, so purchasing in Anchorage or Wasilla is a good idea. We gassed up there too, for $3.96/gallon. 

Another tip -- you can apply for a Fred Meyers discount card online to be able to take advantage of sale prices and receive gasoline discounts. It turns out that I should have checked into the Safeway loyalty program as well, as we saw many more Safeway's than Fred Meyers on our route. Next time!

You can view more of our Mat-Su Valley area photos here.

Next up -- Talkeetna