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The Best Halloween Costumes for Dogs

October 11, 2023 by Everyday Alaska

I’m not one to dress my dog up in sweaters, raincoats, and tutus, but when it comes to Halloween costumes we’re all in! Ever since our pup was a rambunctious little (but actually giant!) lab, I’ve been getting Halloween costumes for him. Believe it or not, I put a lot of thought into these costumes (he’s my baby, after all). I wanted to share his costumes of the past years with you since I think they’re the best Halloween costumes for dogs. The costumes listed below come in a variety of sizes, so whether you have a small shih tzu, an extra large lab, or anything in between, there’s something for every pup!

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The Gregarious Giraffe

Trapper spent his first Halloween as a giraffe, and boy was he cute! He didn’t know what to think of the costume situation at first, but was he excited! You can order your fur baby this giraffe costume here.

A Perfect Pumpkin

For year two we went traditional with a pumpkin costume. I was a pumpkin for my first Halloween, so I thought he should be a pumpkin at least once. He was a wild little pumpkin, so all of my photos of him in costume are blurry, but you can check out a variety of pumpkin outfits here. I think this is one of the cutest ones.

A Proper Postal Worker

Year three has been my favorite costume so far, and I don’t think any other will ever top it. Trapper’s obsession with our USPS delivery driver (who gave him treats whenever he saw him outside) led me to find this costume for him. Our pup even posed like a proper gentleman for photos, so I think it was his favorite, too. You can find this cute pup postal worker costume here. They have UPS costumes, too!

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this lab from the swift completion of his appointed rounds.

One Tired Taco

Who doesn’t love tacos? I know hotdog dog costumes are popular, but why not switch it up a bit! I thought the taco costume idea was funny. Plus, as you can tell from this snoozing guy, it’s clearly pretty comfortable.

A Distracted Dinosaur

I thought this was such an adorable costume. It’s fun, colorful, and kept him cozy in the snow. He was much more distracted by his trick-or-treat candy corn, though, so there was no good photo opportunity of our big guy in his dino costume. P.S. This dinosaur costume is a great option for very large dogs as it goes to 4XL.

A Bucking Bronco

This year we’re going buck wild with a cowboy rider Halloween costume. Trapper will be the bronco (or bull?) and his rider will be in for quite the adventure this Halloween!

That’s a wrap of the best Halloween costumes for dogs! I hope you’ve found an idea that both you and your best bud will enjoy and get a good laugh out of. And don’t forget those dog treats for you pup’s trick-or-treating, too!

11 Arts and Crafts for Small Spaces

October 9, 2023 by Everyday Alaska

So, you’ve got a big love for arts and crafts but nowhere to do them at? Same here. We have a small home with very little space for me to spread out and do all of the crafting hobbies I enjoy. But don’t fret, this minor inconvenience has helped me to come up with a list of arts and craft ideas for small spaces. Many of these ideas even work with smaller budgets as well, and you can even use all these ideas to create items to sell so you can make money for more crafting supplies or maybe even a place with more crafting space!

Calligraphy

Get artsy with calligraphy! My mom and I had a great time learning faux calligraphy and doodling. It’s so inexpensive; you just need paper, calligraphy pens (this beginner set is great!) or basic makers, and a workbook or free YouTube tutorials. It’s a really relaxing hobby, and so handy for making cards and letter writing.

Card Making

Speaking of letters, why not make some cards? Go “old school” and create some beautiful snail mail. There are endless card creating ideas on Pinterest. You can really dive into it and get stamps, embossing tools, and more, buy card making kits, or just get some scissors, craft paper, and a glue stick and let your imagination take care of the rest! Once you’re finished making some cards check out the Veteran Pen Pal Project and The Angel Card Project on Facebook to find some recipients who would love to get your crafty cards in the mail.

Painting

Although it would be convenient, you don’t need an art studio to enjoy painting. Go online or to a local craft store and grab a canvas, brushes, and a few colors of paint. Head outside for inspiration, or check out Pinterest for ideas. Or, download the Procreate app on your phone or tablet to take your medium of choice with you wherever you go. Procreate is a user friendly, inexpensive app that lets you chose from an endless array of colors, digital brushes, pencils, and more to create a unique piece of artwork without even taking up any additional room in your home!

Macrame

This trend seems to go in and out of style, but after giving it a try I think I’ll always have some macrame cord in my craft kit. You can create some unique, useful, and beautiful items with just cord, beads, and hooks. It’s a budget friendly craft to try, and perfect for making gifts or items to sell such as keychains, plant hangers, bags, and ornaments.

Ornaments

Speaking of macrame ornaments, crafting ornaments of any kind is a fun and inexpensive craft for small spaces. You can do pressed flower clay ornaments, paint wooden ornaments (a great project for kids to do, too!), hand stitch fabric ornaments, and create beautiful embroidered ornaments.

Embroidery

My aunt got me an embroidery starter kit for Christmas last year and it’s such a great craft to do, especially if you need to contain your crafting space to a smaller area like I do. There are so many different things you can embellish and create with embroidery. From ornaments, as listed above, to embellishing jeans, pillows, curtains, blankets, and creating personalized bookmarks, embroidery gives you an endless amount of places to show off your creativity.

Bookmarks

DIY bookmarks: useful for yourself, handy as gifts, and perfect for craft sales! Create an embroidered bookmark like this one, pick and dry some flowers to laminate into a beautiful natural bookmark, or crochet a cute little marker as a quick and fun project.

Crocheting

The real OG of my crafting obsession: crocheting. All you need are some hooks, yarn, and a good tutorial or two to get started. I’d suggest starting with a simple single or double crochet scarf to get the hang of it and figure out basic stitches and patterns. After that, you can try make pot holders, shawls, sweaters, blankets, stuffed animals, and more. It’s a very relaxing hobby, and is an easy craft to do in a small space. Plus, you can make some useful gifts for recipients of all ages with crochet.

Get crafty with yarn. You can make some things with just one skein.

Window Art

This is the perfect combination of art and decorating. I love, love, love decorating for different holidays and seasons, but we don’t have much room to store large decorations. Solution? Decorating our windows with window markers! These window markers come in a variety of colors, are inexpensive, and wash off easily. It’s a simple way to spruce up your home for the holidays and get a little artsy, too. If drawing is not your talent you can still enjoy creating window art. Check out Pinterest for simple doodles and drawings to give you inspiration and go from there!

Wreaths

Speaking of decorating, why not create your own wreath? This is one of the more expensive and bigger crafting projects on the list, but it’s so fun to do. Just grab a wreath form of your liking (I usually use grapevine), some dried or fake florals, ribbon or other adornments, and go to town creating your custom wreath.

Grapevine wreath forms are very durable and budget friendly.

Blankets

There’s no sewing machine or needle and thread required for simple tie blankets. Grab two pieces of fleece of whatever size you choose, some good scissors, and you’re good to go! Check out the instructions for this simple project here.

I hope this list of arts and crafts for small spaces has give you inspiration to try a new project. It’s getting rather cold and dark here, so I needed a little inspiration myself to start up a new craft and stay busy during these cozy winter days. Happy crafting, friends!

The Everyday Alaska Journal: Year 1, Weeks 1-3

October 3, 2023 by Everyday Alaska

Welcome to September in Alaska, or, as it is commonly referred to, “moose hunting season”, which is a busy time in our household. We normally head north, with at least a full day’s travel ahead of us to get to our hunting spot, but this year David drew an any bull tag near our house on the Kenai Peninsula, so we were hunting close to home this season.

Moose hair found during moose hunting season. — There was a lot of moose sign around, including some clumps of moose hair.

The season started September 1st, but we avoided the Labor Day weekend crowds and headed out to Clam Gulch on the fifth. The areas we normally hunt are private land and fellow hunters are few and far between. Hunting this new area was a whole different ballgame. The parking area where we left the truck and unloaded the side by side wasn’t too busy most days, but once we struck out on the trails there were camps and four wheelers in every turn out.

Alaska State Troopers checking moose hunters. — Our first time getting checked by the Alaska State Troopers. The area is a popular local spot, so they come out to check licenses. Had a great chat with our local AST.

The first day was mostly spent exploring and getting a lay of the land and trail system. The roads were decent and people brought their vehicles way back in to road hunt, camp, or unload their ATVs. Main roads just kept branching off left and right, and there were many off shoots to check out. We found a more open area that seemed to be ideal for sitting and calling or waiting for moose pass through, which is where we sat for a few of the days.

A cow and calf frequented this area, but didn’t seem bothered by us, other four wheelers, or any calling. And she didn’t have a bull trailing her yet, so she and her little (but still big!) calf leisurely walked through the small meadow and the calling, waiting, raking, and more waiting didn’t produce any bull sightings during our time in that spot. It was definitely too early for the rut to be starting, so we realized that we’d just have to happen upon a bull while checking out the trails or spot one over the brush on the side of the trails to get a chance at filling the freezer. This determination led to David creating an addition for the Ranger: the boat seat viewing platform.

In our usual hunting area glassing is king. You can take a spotting scope or binoculars and see for miles around you. At this year’s hunting spot in Unit 15 (Alaska’s hunting areas are broken up into a series of Game Management Units) that was not the case. The tall brush surrounding all sides of the trails made it difficult to see into the woods and spot moose, even if they were relatively close. After seeing many groups of hunters with one or more people standing in the bed of a sided by side to get a better viewpoint (think African safari with people standing in the bed of a Jeep for a good vantage point), David built a handy chair to see over the dense brush. But, before he put that together, we got another tip from a hunter in the parking lot.

Looking for moose from the Polaris Ranger. — Getting a view from the top as we cruised the trails.

This gentleman, who I’d assume had been hunting Unit 15 for some time, said we were missing a whole prime area, and he had seen some smaller bulls out there. Since we had the any bull tag it would be worth checking it out. So the next day we switched things up and took a new trail to explore the spot we’d missed.

The trail we took passed through a pretty well established camp. We were already told it was ok to drive through (which I would assume since it’s public land and all), but for the sake of being courteous and respectful we stopped and talked to the group at the campsite. These guys had a great setup and were very friendly. They told us there was an about twenty-five inch moose they’d seen back in the trail. The area is fifty inches or three brow tines (check out this Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations page for details on moose antler restrictions) with the exception of the any bull tag, so we were in luck!

While heading back to the truck as sunset was creeping in, David looked in a swamp and spotted the bull with a cow. It didn’t respond to calls and was deep in the swamp, up to its belly in water and a long enough distance from us that it would be difficult to recover. With light dwindling and the bull being too far away, we headed home to get some rest and try spot him the next day. We had seen many cows on our way to the hunting area (one precariously close to our bumper, which would have been number thirty-eight killed on Kenai Peninsula roads in the past couple months according to the road signs), so seeing this bull really got us amped up to get back out there and track him down the next morning. But, unbeknownst to us, our morning hunt would be rather short.

The next morning we cruised out to the hunting area. After unloading the Ranger and getting gear ready, we were prepared to head on back and spend the morning looking for the swamp bull. But, just a couple minutes from the parking area, I spotted two large creatures through the fog, standing in one of the few big open areas. I quickly motioned David and he pulled out his binos to see if it was a bull. Sure enough, there stood a bull with a cow, and off we went.

He stood there snacking on his breakfast as we walked closer, fairly unbothered by how close we got, just as the cows were. With two shots of the Ruger American .308 he was down and the work began. We got him field dressed and spend the next two days processing meat and filling the freezer. Our first hunt with just the two of us was a success, and we got to spend our fourth anniversary packing up moose meat. It may not be for everyone, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Bull moose on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. — Time to fill the freezer.

Here a just a few gear notes regarding this year’s moose hunt. This year I got some new Lacrosse boots to try keep my feet a bit warmer when we’re out hunting. They are Lacrosse Women’s Alpha Thermals with neoprene, and a far cry better than my solid rubber boots I’ve been using in past seasons. Although my feet were still cold (because when aren’t they cold), they were much warmer and more comfortable than usual. I’m excited to get some more use out of these.

Next up, I tried out the Sofia Adventure Pant from Ditale. These truly are “ninja quiet” as advertised! They are also incredibly comfortable, and the adjustable inseam makes it so my short legs aren’t dragging the pant hem on the ground. The large pockets hold everything I need, including a good stash of HotHands. If you’ll be in the rain, layer lightweight rain pants over these, but other than that I think these pants are fantastic.

Aside from our adventures in hunting, winterization was the name of the game. Pulling the sparse carrots and potatoes we got from the garden, stashing Trapper’s pools in the greenhouse, unhooking hoses, winterizing the camper, and other pre-winter chores occupied our time towards the end of the month. September is a busy time of year, filled with chores of the fun and exciting variety and the less exciting and more necessary type as well. All said and done, it was a very successful and productive month, and I’m ready as one can be for a slightly early start to winter.

How to Prepare for Rainy Days on Your Alaska Vacation

June 22, 2023 by Everyday Alaska

I guess it’s only fitting that I start writing this while it’s pouring rain outside. Today I’ve seen sun, wind, clouds, and pouring rain within the past few hours. Just another average weather day in Alaska! But, what can you do to prepare for these rainy days on your Alaska vacation and continue to enjoy your time in the 49th State? Well, being a born and raised Alaskan has given me some insight into how to best deal with inclement weather, and I’ll share those tips below.

Kayaking the Moose River in Sterling, Alaska. — One minute you’re kayaking in sun, and the next you’re warming up by the fire after a rain.

What is the weather usually like in Alaska?

To sum it up in one word, Alaskan weather is unpredictable. You can start off your day kayaking in shorts. A few hours later you’re bundled up in a sweatshirt, raincoat, and pants trying to warm up by a campfire. It’s a mixed bag and you never know what you’ll be getting. But, that shouldn’t dissuade you from getting out and having an adventure!

A lot of the weather you’ll experience will obviously depend on what season you visit and which part(s) of Alaska you travel to. But, how you prepare for the rain will remain much the same. With the right clothes, attitude, and backup plans you can make a rainy day a bright spot in your trip. As I said in my post about things to consider when planning an Alaska vacation, the thing to remember about the weather is although it might dictate how some of your plans go, don’t let it dictate your mood!

A rainbow after some rainy weather in Alaska. — Looking for the sunshine and that pot of gold!

What activities may be cancelled or delayed due to rainy days on my Alaska vacation?

Inclement weather can change some of your planned activities on your Alaska vacation. If you have a flightseeing tour to explore surrounding glaciers and mountains, bad weather could cancel or postpone your flight. Rough seas can occasionally cause glacier and wildlife cruises and fishing charters to be rescheduled, and dangerous weather conditions may have you canceling your hiking plans. Those are a few of the activities that may be cancelled or rescheduled due to poor weather conditions.

When will I know if my activities are cancelled due to weather?

Unfortunately, with the rapidly changing weather, you may not know about your cancelled excursion until last minute. The ever changing weather can also be a positive thing, though. One minute you may find out your flightseeing tour is cancelled, and an hour later the clouds could clear and give you safe flying weather to go on your adventure! But, if the weather doesn’t clear and your plans get changed this is where having a backup plan comes in handy.

Our glacier and wildlife cruise boat for the day.

How do I plan for a change in my Alaska vacation plans?

Planning for a hiccup in your travel plans is no different than planning for hiccups in daily life. You either have a backup plan or just wing it! Personally, I would do a little research and have a “plan B”. Let’s say you’ve got a flightseeing tour planned one day and a hike a couple days later. Before you leave for your vacation, check out some other popular activities in the area incase you need an alternate option due to weather. Alaska is full of adventure, so even on those days where the weather isn’t cooperating you can still find a variety of things to do!

What should I wear to enjoy my time outside even on inclement weather days?

Most Alaskan’s get outside in almost all weather conditions. If we didn’t, we’d be stuck inside a lot! To take advantage of all Alaska has to offer, in any type of weather, we wear layers. If your plans get cancelled due to weather, just layer up and give your backup plan a try, or check with locals to find a different activity to do. This summer packing list will give you some ideas of what to pack to enjoy your trip to the fullest, no matter the weather. Having a raincoat, warm socks, waterproof shoes (or a spare pair of shoes incase ones gets wet), a hat, and even HotHands will help keep you warm on those chilly, drizzly days.

Wearing layers on a windy glacier and wildlife cruise kept us warm. — Layering up can keep you enjoying the outdoors on cold and windy days.

What activities are best for rainy days in Alaska?

On rainy days you can layer up and head outside to spot wildlife, fish along lakes and rivers, view glaciers, visit the Reindeer Farm, Muskox Farm, AWCC, and more! Check out Alyeska and its Nordic Spa, or spend some time indoors at local gift shops (Check out our list of the perfect Alaskan souvenirs here!), museums, and educational centers such as the SeaLife Center.

No matter the weather there is always something exciting and adventurous to do in our great state! Just remember, just because the weather may be gloomy doesn’t mean you have to be! Go out, find adventure, and create lasting memories even when the Midnight Sun may not be shining!

If you have questions about traveling to Alaska feel free to leave a comment below, or sign up for the Everyday Alaska newsletter, and send me an email. You can also join the Everyday Alaska Travel Tips, Information, and Advice group, and/or our New to Alaska Tips, Information, and Advice group to ask any questions you may have. I’m happy to help you get the most out of your time in our beautiful Last Frontier!

Valdez, Seward, or Homer: Which Should You Visit?

June 9, 2023 by Everyday Alaska

Should I visit Valdez, Seward, or Homer during my Alaska vacation? I’ve seen this question asked quite a bit in various groups, and the answer is dependent on many factors. How far do you want to travel? How much time do you have? Are you more interested in whale watching or halibut fishing? Do you like a small town feel or the hustle and bustle of a tourist town? Those questions and more will help you determine which costal Alaskan town to visit on your Alaska vacation.

Below, I’ll answer those question and give you local insight that will help you with planning your travel itinerary. If you’ve got limited time on your travels and need to decided between visiting Homer, Valdez, or Seward, this guide is a must read.

How far do you want to travel?

This will be a big factor in determining which town to visit. If you’re basing yourself in Anchorage and don’t want to have a full day of driving to your destination, Homer and Seward will be your options. Seward will be the shortest of the two drives, being less than three hours, so you can even make a day trip there. Homer is about four hours away, so you’ll want to stay at least overnight there.

Valdez is about a six hour drive from Anchorage. If you have the time, this is the most beautiful drive of the three. Obviously, this is my personal opinion (And being born and raised in Valdez I may be a bit biased!), but the views and variety of scenery are breathtaking. If you are able to break the drive up and stay a night somewhere along the way that would be ideal. Also, with the drive being long, you’ll want to stay in Valdez long enough to explore.

Tip: Check out our local’s guide to Valdez to find some great spots to stop along your road trip.

If you’re traveling throughout Alaska and have no particular starting point or home base, but have time constraints that will allow a visit to only Seward, Homer, or Valdez, the next things to consider are activities you’d like to do and sights you want to see.

Tip: Be sure to factor in road construction, traffic, and weather conditions into these travel times. To learn more about things to consider when planning an Alaska vacation check out this article.

What activities would you like to do on your Alaska vacation?

Activities and excursions are somewhat similar in all these beautiful towns, but they vary enough to help narrow your decision down. Below, I’ll list some popular activities and which towns I’d recommend for each.

Glacier and Wildlife Cruise

Glacier and wildlife cruises are a popular excursion when visiting Alaska. Valdez and Seward are your options for these, and both are incredible. You’ll have the opportunity to see whales, puffins, otters, seals, glaciers, and more on cruises out of either location.

Our glacier and wildlife tour boat out of Seward.

Fishing

Homer is known as the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World”, so you can correctly assume that the halibut fishing there must be good. But, you can also catch great halibut in Valdez and Seward.

All three locations also have salmon fishing. In Valdez you can fish for salmon off the rocks at Allison Point or on a charter. In Seward and Homer you can do the same; either fish on a charter boat or from the shore.

To narrow your choice down, consider the species of fish you’re after, when and what fish runs are occurring during the time you’ll be here, and which places still have charters available during the dates you want. The timing of your trip and your target fish species will help you narrow down the area you’d like to visit.

Tip: Book you fishing charter ASAP as they are very popular and book up well in advance.

Wood carving of man with halibut in Homer, Alaska. — Reel in a whopper like depicted in this Homer wood carving.

Hiking

I’d love to give you insight into the best hikes in Valdez, Seward, and Homer, but I don’t hike much so my qualifications in this category are null. But, I can suggest using AllTrails to view lists of popular trails, difficulty levels, and more.

Are there any specific sights you’d like to see on your Alaska adventures?

Although all of Alaska is beautiful, there are some places you’ll want to visit to see certain sights. From glaciers and moose to National Parks and boat harbors, I’ll suggest the best of the best below.

Wildlife

This is a bit of a tricky one since there is no guarantee of wildlife sightings, but some of these places will increase your chances of seeing certain animals. After living in Alaska over thirty years, I have a pretty good idea of where you’ll have the best chances to see specific critters.

Tip: Keep in mind that what season you visit will effect what animals you’ll see. Check out a complete Alaskan wildlife bucket list here!

If you want to see whales, head to Seward or Valdez and hop aboard a glacier and wildlife cruise. This goes for most marine life, as I’ve had some great wildlife sightings on these cruises. You can usually spot otters and check out tide pools in Homer, but if you want to have a better chance of seeing the bigger animals, I’d opt for Seward or Valdez.

Moose. A popular highlight of many people’s trip! You may see them along the road to Valdez, but you likely won’t see them in town. You’ll have a chance to see them on your way down to Seward, and you’re almost (but not quite!) guaranteed to see them while driving to Homer and in Homer itself.

Bears can be spotted along the way to any of these places if you’re lucky. But, your best chance of seeing bears in the wild is in Valdez. You can see them on the way to town, in town, and at Allison Point eating salmon.

Look up for eagles! You can see eagles in Homer, Valdez, and Seward. Where there’s harbors and fish, you’ll find the eagles!

A bear hanging out after dinner across the bay in Valdez.

Harbors

Speaking of harbors, which one is the best? They’re all fun to check out, so no matter which town you choose to visit, I’d make time to walk around the harbor. You’ll likely see a sea otter, and it’s pretty entertaining to read all the boat names, too!

Checking out the Homer Harbor with our pup.

Glaciers

There are tons of glaciers around Alaska, so you have a vast amount of options to view them. Comparing Valdez, Homer, and Seward for glacier viewing experiences, though, I would rate Valdez first. You can see Worthington Glacier when driving into Valdez, view Valdez Glacier by kayak, and take a glacier cruise. Seward would be my next choice, with glacier cruises and a visit to Exit Glacier being popular ways to view these colossal mounds of ice.

Tips: Are you looking for the best ways to see glaciers around Alaska? My glacier viewing guide can help you find the best ways and places to see these magnificent sights.

A blue glacier on a clear day out of Seward, Alaska. — A glacier we viewed on a cruise out of Seward.

National Parks

If you want to check another National Park off your bucket list, visit Seward. You can explore the beautiful Kenai Fjords National Park from there. Or, on your drive to Valdez you can stop at a Wrangell St. Elias National Park visitor center and view a slice of America’s largest National Park.

Scenery

This is really a subjective category. Personally, I have to put Valdez first. Maybe I has to do with my bias after living there most of my life, but it’s one of my three favorite places in the world. The mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, and the drive in really seal the deal for me. Homer would be second. The views of the bay, surrounding mountains, and beaches are quite amazing. Next up would be Seward. You can’t beat those big, beautiful trees, mountains, and costal views. No matter which you choose, you’ll have fantastic scenery to view since you’d be hard pressed to find a bad view in Alaska.

Sunset in Thompson Pass on the way to Valdez.

Of the three, does Valdez, Seward, or Homer have better weather?

The weather you’ll have on your vacation, and the scenery that’s visible, will vary greatly depending on which season you visit. Weather in Alaska is unpredictable, though, no matter what time of year. I’m writing this in June. It just got warm enough to plant my garden, and some areas recently had snow, so you never know what you’ll get.

If you’re in any of these towns for any length of time, you’ll see rain. Valdez and Seward tend to see more rain than Homer, though, so you may have a better chance of sunny days in Homer.

During the winter you’ll see snow in all these towns, but it varies depending on the area. Valdez is one of the snowiest towns in the world, Seward also gets an abundance of snow, and Homer tends to get a bit of snow, but it doesn’t get too snowy there.

Mural of whales in Seward, Alaska. — A mural in Seward by the SeaLife Center.

Are there things to do in these places year round?

Seward, Homer, and Valdez are seasonal, as is the rest of Alaska, as far as tourism activities go. They are all very busy and bustling in the summer, but when the snow and cold start to creep in seasonal business and activities close up.

Seward and Valdez are less “touristy” than Homer, though. Of the three, Valdez is likely the most popular during the “off season” due to the immense amount of snow making it a famous destination for winter sports such as snowmachining (snowmobiling), skiing, and snowboarding. Homer has the popular Winter King Salmon Tournament in March, and there are winter fishing options in Seward as well.

Plan a visit to the **Seward SeaLife Center**.

Which has the best food: Valdez, Seward, or Homer?

As mentioned above, all of these costal Alaska towns are seasonal. There are restaurants in each place that are open year round, but many of the food trucks and smaller restaurants you’ll see are just open during summertime.

I would say Homer has the best variety of food options. There are a number of great places to eat, and a handful of them stay open all year. Many of the places you’ll find on the Homer Spit are only open for summer, though. There’s a tie for Seward and Valdez being second. Very few places are open during winter, but food trucks and seasonal vendors widen your options during summertime.

Captain Pattie’s In Homer — Visiting Captain Pattie’s for halibut in Homer.

Are you looking for the journey or destination?

Now, I have a question for you! Are you all about the journey or destination? If a long, scenic drive through the vast beauty of Alaska doesn’t intrigue you, choose between Homer or Seward. Both of these destinations will likely be shorter drives for you, depending on where your starting point is. They are both scenic trips through the Kenai Peninsula, but much shorter than the drive to Valdez.

There are more “tourist” type activities on the Peninsula than there are in Valdez, but personally I think the journey to Valdez, and the scenery you’ll experience there beats any type of paid excursions you could do elsewhere. So, if you’re looking for a beautiful journey and destination, choose Valdez. If you’re wanting a shorter trip and a few more activities, choose Seward or Homer.

Would you choose to visit Valdez, Seward, or Homer?

If someone asked for my opinion on which of the three to visit, I would choose Valdez first, Seward second, and Homer third. Consider this a very biased opinion, though, as I was born and raised in Valdez. The drive there, the people, the views, and the wildlife are unmatched. Although I live on the Kenai Peninsula now, and enjoy visiting Seward and Homer just as much as the next person, there’s no place like home.

I know this is a lot of information to digest, but I hope it give you the insight you need to plan the best trip for you! If you have questions about traveling to Alaska feel free to leave a comment below, or sign up for the Everyday Alaska newsletter, and send me an email.

You can also join the Everyday Alaska Travel Tips, Information, and Advice group, and/or our New to Alaska Tips, Information, and Advice group to ask any questions you may have. I’m happy to help you get the most out of your time in our beautiful Last Frontier!

The 10 Best Freeze Dried Meals

May 24, 2023 by Everyday Alaska

There has really been a huge increase in the freeze dried meal business. More brands, more options, more variety of meals. But, what are the best freeze dried meals? Check out the list below to find out!

Peak Refuel freeze dried camping mea. — My favorite freeze dried meal: Peak Alfredo.

What is a freeze dried meal?

Freeze dried meals are regular meals that have gone through the freeze drying process which removes moisture from the food. This creates long lasting, shelf stable meals that can be rehydrated and used on the go.

Eating Peak Refuel at the cabin. — Refueling with Peak at the cabin.

Who would find freeze dried meals useful?

Anyone! Freeze dried meals are good for backpacking, camping, hiking, and hunting, so they are a favorite of outdoor lovers. Also, they are fantastic for emergency food storage. If you have a natural disaster emergency kit, these are a perfect and necessary addition. There are so many benefits to this type of meal that makes them useful for everyone.

Freeze dried meal storage. — These meals are great for emergency food storage.

Why should I buy freeze dried meals and what are the benefits?

Freeze dried meals are shelf stable and have long expiration dates. They’re also relatively compact, and since they require no refrigeration it makes them easy to store. Plus, they’re are very lightweight, which makes them handy when packing for hiking and camping. According to Harvest Right and other sources, freeze dried food keeps about 97% of it’s nutritional value, which is a huge benefit, too.

Warm up at camp with some mac and cheese!

How do I cook freeze dried meals?

Just follow the simple directions on the meal bag to cook them. For most meals, you can take boiling water and pour directly into the meal pouch. Let it sit for the recommended time, stir, let it sit a bit more, and enjoy! Check into Jetboils to boil the water in a jiffy. You’ll also want a long spoon that’s made for meals like these to stir up all the ingredients in the bottom of the bag with ease.

Peak Refuel freeze dried breakfast skillet while ice fishing. — Enjoying a delicious Peak breakfast while ice fishing.

What are the best brands of meals?

As you’ll see in the list below, I think the best brands are Mountain House and Peak Refuel. They have everything from filling breakfasts and savory lunches to tasty snacks and sweet desserts. Check out my list of the best freeze dried meals below to see some of our favorites!