We simply love our view of Jade Lake with its proximity to Wasilla and Anchorage, yet it feels very secluded.  Big Lake is a wonderful community in Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna valley to spend time on relaxation and recreation.

Our original Alaskan vacation rental website

Even though the website has changed dramatically our cabin is still as secluded, romantic, peaceful and as accessible as ever.

If you’re considering heading to Alaska be sure to check us out.

Today’s Iron Dog course is over 2,000 miles, starting in Big Lake to Nome and finishing in Fairbanks, making it the World’s longest snowmobile race. Participants must traverse in some of Alaska’s the most remote and rugged terrain while confronting some the harshest winter conditions. Survival skills are essential, making it the World’s toughest snowmobile race. All teams in race classes are a team of two persons and two snowmobiles for safety. (from Iron Dog History)

The official start of the 2012 Iron Dog Pro Class Race began Sunday, February 19th at Big Lake approximately 1 mile from our vacation rental cabin in Big Lake, Alaska!

Planned community events for 2012 include:

• Family Fun Snowmachine Run by Big Lake Trails
• Kitty-Kat Races by Big Lake Aurora Lions Club
• Ice Skating at the Big Lake Lion’s Club Rec Center
• Eats available at the Boathouse Restaurant at the Sunset View Resort.
• Beer Garden by RumRunners
• Helicopter Rides by Jay Hawk Air
• Power-drawn Hay Wagon Rides by Big Lake Trails
• Iron Pup Race by AMMC – Sunday

The list included:

• The Galapagos
• Greece
• Egypt
• Japan
• Berlin
• New York City
• Hawaii
• Alaska
• Switzerland
• Cayman Islands

Did you catch that? Alaska! Our home away from home. Read an excerpt from USA Today.

…Alaska is enormous—it’s two times the size of Texas. [...] For an amazingly economical Alaska vacation, book a cruise during shoulder season. As of this publication, we spotted weeklong spring and fall Alaska cruises on our sister site Cruise Critic’s deals page on sale for as little as $569 per person…

I’d like to point out that an alternative, and one that allows you to get the feel of that which truly defines Alaska, is to find a “homebase” and plan excursions to the sites in Alaska which most interest you.

Cruise ships are nice but you are restricted to the “glamorous” coastal view. The sites in Alaska are only part of the adventure. Alaskans themselves have a spirit that cannot be quantified and is truly unique to Alaska. To see Alaska without spending time with Alaskans is like a BLT with no bread.

From a land-based perspective a vacation rental is ideal. Our cabin in Big Lake is near enough to Wasilla, Willow, Talkeetna, Denali, Anchorage and Portage Glacier to make all the sites of these destinations viable day trips. This gives you ample time to return for a BBQ on your personal balcony while enjoying the laid back beauty of Jade Lake.

A trip to the local grocery store to pick up those steaks & fresh salmon may not be as elegant as dinner with the captain, but maybe your goal is not to simply check “cruise” off your list.

Browse our Adventures and Places if you’re wondering whether you’d prefer a shopping trip in Ketchikan or a picnic at a gold mine followed by a stroll through an authentic early 1900′s Alaskan town.

But I do understand if maybe you just want to try your hand at some salmon fishing from the side of that cruise ship and call that “experiencing Alaska”.

Near Wasilla, the Alaska Excursions 120 saw an exciting field of entries with mushers from as far away as England, Brazil and New Zealand. They and several Iditarod and Yukon Quest veterans competed for $10,000 in prize money.

The first day’s fastest finish belonged to Ryan Redington, co-founder of the event and grandson of Joe Redington Sr., founder of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The second day of racing saw Redington’s team overtaken by the world champion sprint racer Blayne Streeper, whose Streeper Kennels is the only kennel in history to have won the World Triple Crown of mushing.

Race fans watching the Alaska Excursions 120 Facebook page were amused by a running commentary which included reports of Santa being on the trail (“…he may be DQ’d due to Prancer and Vixen not being on the official entry list…”) and then disappearing (“Report is that reindeer and sleigh tracks just… vanished.”), and one very unusual note about a musher being “shirtless, wearing only a bib… trying to confirm identity and… gender of said musher. Must be warm out.”

“In 1925, a life-or-death race to rescue the children of Nome, AK, from disease made an international hero of one sled dog – and eventually led to the creation of Alaska’s Iditarod sled dog race.”  (Quote from the inspiring story of hero sled dog Balto and his team’s thousand mile race: Sled Dogs: an Alaskan Epic – PBS)

Dog mushing was designated the official state sport of Alaska in 1972.

PHOTO FINISH (2010) — Paul Gebhard, left, crosses the finish line on the first day of the Alaska Excursions 120 sled dog race, followed by Ryan Redington, who won the race. Photo by Diana Haecker

I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.
Louisa May Alcott
 
 

Quiet in the midst of quiet

For me part of learning how to sail mean times of solitude, times in which I can spend in quiet contemplation. 

That’s what this little piece of paradise up in the Alaskan north feels like to me. 

View of Jade Lake from our Big Lake cabin

Our Alaskan vacation rental 60 miles north of Anchorage

Tosa is big-boat best at Big Lake regatta

Published: September 6th, 2011 10:42 PM

Doug Tosa won the big-boat class and Tim Gould and Jodi Dingle took the small-boat class in the 45th annual Governor’s Cup Regatta over the weekend at Big Lake.

Small-boat class – 1); Tim Gould/Jodi Dingle, 2) tie, Geoff Wright, Anchorage, and Elayne Hunter, Anchorage.

Big-boat class – 1) Doug Tosa, Anchorage; 2) Bruce and Tina LaLonde, Anchorage; 3) Jeromy Reed, Anchorage.

I have never been afforded the opportunity to watch this.  I look forward to the day it is possible to be in Alaska while the regatta is going on.

Oh, for the fire on a cold winters night
Once more to gaze at the great northern lights
For all of the beauty my children will see
Here’s to Alaska and me
Here’s to Alaska, here’s to the people
Here’s to the wild and here’s to the free
Here’s to my life in a chosen country
Here’s to Alaska and me

A look from our front porch toward Jade Lake

This is the place our family longs to be. 

Our Thanksgiving Day was nowhere near the pure white  powder you see all around… but our hearts were.

What a blessing that we can share our home away from home with many others.  Big Lake, Alaska is the place to be this time of year!

Oh, for the fire on a cold winters night!

Road to Portage Glacier

If you were to spend the money on only one excursion while in the Anchorage are I would have a very difficult time choosing between one of two activities.  Alaska Native Heritage Center and a Portage Glacier cruise.

The glacier cruise on Portage Lake is a must.  First of all, you will drive through breathtaking and awe-inspiring scenery on your way up to the lake and glacier. Secondly, the trip is very well narrated by a knowledgeable guide and extremely educational.  Finally, and most importantly, who doesn’t like to see a glacier up close and personal, and let’s face it, it is one of the first images most people’s minds conjure up when thinking of Alaska!

I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and would wish for anyone getting to spend time in the Anchorage area to get to enjoy this site.

Begich, Boggs Visitor Center

Portage Lake

MV Ptarmigan

Up Close and Personal

What to do?  I know what, let’s go to Portage Glacier!  The glacier is located about an hours drive south of Anchorage.   We would drive to Anchorage (about 90 minutes to the vicinity of the airport), make a few stops then head to the glacier.

We were not dissappointed, the drive thru Wasilla and past Eagle River and through Anchorage always has many sights and sometimes even a moose or two to gawk at.  South of Anchorage we drove on the Seward highway along Cook Inlet for about 48 miles, then turned inland.  Only a few more miles to go and we’re already getting chilly!!

Say "Big Blue Glacier!"

At the visitor center we secure passage on the mv Ptarmigan, the only boat operating on Portage Lake, and wait with warm drink in hand.

Once on the boat our experienced US Forest Service ranger proceeds to tell us the history of this glacier as well as educating us on the geology and glacial mechanics involved in an active glacier.  Top notch all the way!

As we chug across the lake to get up close and personal with this very blue ice we had the option of staying in the heavily windowed cabin area or heading topside into the blustery… might I say it – quite glacial, wind.

Now that's a glacier!

The boat stayed a few hundred yards away for safety but the binoculars brought us up close and personal.  Even from that distance we could hear ice cracking and creaking.

All hopes were to see some calving while the boat lingered for 30 minutes or so.  It was not to be.  The glacier itself was a rich blue in color.  A heavy contrast to the overcast, rain on and off again skies.

mv Ptarmigan at Portage Glacier in Alaska

Visit Portage Glacier Cruises website  to find out why this is such a popular attraction for Alaskans and non-Alaskans alike.

One of several Alaskan villages to tour

There are two site seeing excursions that I think are a “must see” when visiting the Anchorage area in Alaska.  One of them is Alaska Native Hertitage Center. 

This center is amazing! 

They have outdoor life-size replicas of different types of traditional Alaskan homes, buildings, and art used by Alaska natives, they offer live performances of traditional Alaskan dance and storytelling, a museum, art and craft store and many on-site docents to answer any questions you might have. 

If you are interested in a cultural experience that will help you to understand the diverseness and rich cultural heritage of Alaska’s native peoples, this truly is a must see!

Live performance of the native story

Come on in!