This summer, University of Georgia student and Abernathy Cochran Group intern, Mary Evelyn Brock had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Alaska with some of her family. In this Hall County Travels blog, she tells about her Alaska experience. 

This summer I got the opportunity to spend two weeks in The Last Frontier, commonly known as Alaska. We visited Talkeetna, Homer, Kodiak Island, and Seward. 

I started off my trip by landing in Anchorage, AK freezing to death. Although the weather was still high 60s, the lack of humidity was odd to me. Once landing, my sister, brother, father and I traveled to Talkeetna AK which is located roughly two hours north of Anchorage. The small city of Talkeetna has much more to offer than I realized. There are many gift shops, tourist activities, and even a pizza place. While in Talkeetna, we rode four-wheelers and dirt bikes, with helmets and all safety measures taken. We also got to go fishing, paddle boating and paddle boarding. Talkeetna has many trails that ultimately end up at rivers and streams. One of my favorite days was spent by sitting and watching float planes land and take off on small lakes. Talkeetna has much more green and luscious vegetation then I would have imagined, and it really does stay light 20 hours of the day! Talkeetna will forever hold a special place in my heart, and it was something that was hard to leave. 

Bull in Talkeetna, AK

Mary Evelyn and Sarah Grace Brock in “normal” Alaskan attire

Mary Evelyn and her family fishing in Talkeetna, AK

Mary Evelyn in front of a float plane lake

Next, we traveled to Homer in hopes to get on a ferry to Kodiak Island. Once arriving in Homer, we were soon told that there was a tsunami warning and we needed to get to higher elevation in a quick manner. Due to the tsunami, we were not able to explore Homer, but after three hours of waiting and little answers, we were able to board the ferry that would take us to Kodiak Island. 

After a nine hour journey, a moment of motion sickness, and a taxi ride to the airport, we were able to pick up our rental car and start exploring the island. 

Kodiak Island is known for its’ Kodiak Bears and scenery. Every half a mile we would be on top of a mountain or in a valley. While in Kodiak, I got the chance to see bears, moose, and even some foxes! Kodiak also has gravel black beaches that we walked on and across. The island is very rural with little to no population. 

Kodiak’s black sand and gravel beaches.

From Kodiak, we took another ferry to Seward, which was my personal favorite. Seward is a fishing town with docks and boats as far as I could see. In Seward, there is a little town that was overflowing with tourism. While in Seward, my family and I got to watch multiple fishing charters finish up their trips as well as interact with many charter guides. Seward is also home to one of the best ice-cream shops I have ever experienced, Sweet Darlings. 

Docks in Seward, AK.

Cotton Candy and Chocolate Chip ice-cream from Sweet Darlings in Seward, AK.

My time in Alaska was nothing short of extraordinary and I cannot wait to be able to go again in the near future!