Fun Frank Friday on Steriods....Part two

So of course who can resist going to Alaska and not ordering Reindeer sausage?  And of course if you order reindeer sausage you need to ask for the maraschino cherry.  Why you ask?  So you can have a Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer sausage of course.

I tried the reindeer sausage in a few places (this one was at the Sourdough Mining company).  I found the meat to be smooth and flavorful.  This is a type of sausage that could be easily eaten any Fourth of July barbecue.

Being in Alaska there are a few other staples that you must try.  Crab legs and halibut are a given and easily found in just about any state.  But when you eat them in the neighborhood of where they are caught they just have such a fresh taste to them that rivals any fresh fish you've gotten anywhere else.  I wish I could tell you more about the crab legs but I blinked twice and they were inhaled.  I did savor the halibut a bit longer and it was tender, flaky and extremely moist surrounded with a light beer batter.  This is fish that does not need tarter sauce.

Patti chose the Alyeska Chicken Burger, a mesquite chicken breast, grilled over an open flame, and served with teriyaki sauce, swiss cheese, and two grilled pineapple rings.  The most notable item that accompanies each dish is the "Korn Fritters".  So put a muzzle on your hushpuppies and make room for some.  The flour dough is mixed with fresh corn, cut off the cob and rolled into little balls, then deep fried and served with honey butter.  Korn fritters seem to be quite popular and we found them throughout Anchorage.  They served them in many restaurants as well as at the weekend farmer's market.  They are so filling that Patti was only able to eat half of her burger because she stuffed herself with fritters.
Right across the parking lot from the Sourdough mining company is the Alaska Wild berry products store.  Where you will find the world's largest chocolate fountain.  It was so big that we couldn't fit it all into one photo.  There is a sign that warns you not to eat, taste or touch the chocolate.  Having seen Willy Wonka we didn't want to end up like Augustus Gloop so we didn't.  This was an excellent place to buy Alaskan souvenirs to take home (or in our case mail home).

I must say that my favorite part of Fun Frank Friday on Steriods/20th Wedding anniversary was the riding the Harley's through the Alaskan mountains.  Patti and I rode the trike and my piece of advice to you when learning to ride a trike...DO NOT PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN WHEN YOU STOP!  I found out the hard way and actually broke my toe early in the morning.  Not wanting to spend my day in the emergency room, I didn't tell anyone.  That way I could spend my time riding the motorcycle through the mountains.  It was an extremely scenic view.  We passed many waterfalls on the side of the road (down the mountains) and watched bald eagles landing on the opposite side (where the river was).

 Since we were on motorcycles we got more of an open view and Patti took this opportunity to snap photos (look closely in the rear view mirror).  We headed down to Seward where we enjoyed our lunch and visited the SeaLife Aquarium.  On display there were many fish, sea lions, seals and even a discovery center where you were allowed to touch sea slugs, starfish and even hug a sea urchin.  After our visit we headed over to the Exit Glacier.  This was a mile and a half trek up the mountain to where the glacier is now.  The walk wasn't strenuous and it was soothing to hike through the woods.  We found a beautiful landscape overlooking the mountain valley to take our picture.  Please forgive Patti's helmet hair, it's a natural byproduct of motorcycle riding.
As we were walking up there were signs with numbers representing years on them along side the trail.  Each of these spots were representative of where the glacier was during that year.  This shows the gradual receding of the glacier.  We were finally able to reach the glacier and as we stood next to the glacier all you notice at first is that it looks like a pile of dirty snow.  But as you look closer at the cracks and fissures you will see a deep beautiful icy blue.  At this time the temperature outside was about 67 degrees and I was amazed that a mammoth sheet of ice was still standing in front of us.

Now we decided to hike back down to the visitor's center, another mile and half back down the mountain.  Though it doesn't seem that it would be such a strenuous hike, with every step Patti was reminded that she was wearing her sister's motorcycle boots.  As we approached the bottom, I was reminded with every step that I still had a broken toe.  Once we reached the visitor's center, we sat down to rest our feet for a few minutes.  I noticed there was still a patch of snow on the ground, so as Patti took off her boots and socks, I snuck over, grabbed a handful and proceded to "help" her cool off her feet.

By this time it was already 5pm and we needed to start heading home.  As we were on the road home in an area that had zero cell phone service, Patti's nephew Sam got a flat tire on his Harley.  After two, 20 miles each way, runs back to Seward to get "Fix a Flat" and then more "Fix a Flat".  We were fortunate to have a tow truck driver stop in our pull-out as he secured a car that had been involved in an accident earlier.  He quickly was able to plug the hole and filled the tire with air.  All that was left for us to do was wait for Linda and Dave to return from Seward so we could let them know it was fixed.  Since it was getting late, we stopped off at the next town up for dinner.  The Trail Lake Lodge in Moose Pass, Alaska was still open for dinner.

Sam had the chicken fingers.  Linda had the taco salad.  Dave had the French dip.  Patti had a grilled chicken salad.  And I had the Rock Bass burrito.  After being on the road a long time, this food hit the spot and it was perfect in helping us have the energy to return home.



As were on the road home, we saw moose grazing in a field near the road.  But what was truly spectacular was seeing the sun set behind horizon.  It was brilliant hues of orange and yellow and was incredible to watch this happen at 11:30 at night.  I was even more amazed that when we arrived home at around midnight, I still had my sunglasses on because there was still light outside.

The next day we explored the Wasilla Urgent care where the doctor x-rayed my toe and confirmed that my toe was broken.  By this time, we were finished with the motorcycle ride so I was able to take pain meds and limp around without any one threatening to take away my fun.

For our last night in Alaska, we stayed in Anchorage and explored downtown.  We visited various souvenir shops and even got to pose with Yogi (or Smokey, whomever you prefer).  But this will give you an idea how big the bears can be.  We also spent some time at the Bear and Raven theater with it's quaint and kooky exhibits.  This was made more bearable/enjoyable by the pain meds I was under.  They show a couple of films with interactive elements (i.e. blowing snow on your seats).  We watched one about the Iditarod and also one about bears in the wild.

As we walked down the street we found a couple of totem poles that would make excellent Alaska pictures.



There are so many things that we were able to do and eat here in Alaska.  If I told you everything, you would be wondering when we found the time.  But to give you an idea, we took a picture at 11pm to show you how bright and long the days really are.

So if you ever get the chance to go to Alaska, try to fit in as much as possible in your schedule.  Sample some of the local cuisine because if you haven't tried reindeer sausage, try it now.