Friends make all these moments special

In the past few days, we have been fortunate again to meet amazing people and were able to spend really fun times with them . When we camped in Valdez, we met Jamie and Brandon at the campsite and spend the evening together around the campfire, drinking Alaskan wine and enjoying Smores (sandwich de chamalos cuit sur le feu, chocolat et biscuit) in addition to enjoying some salmon fishing moments. They have lived in Wasilla for the past few years and we promised ourselves that we would try to get back together when we go to Anchorage. Since we have been in Anchorage, Ali has been hosting us and made us feel welcomed the second we met him. He also rides a motorcycle and has lived in Alaska for 7 years now. We decided to go for a ride together when the weekend comes and take advantage of these nice Alaskan roads.

Meeting the wolves and climbing a mountain

We have been in Anchorage for a few days now and while we spend the first two days focusing on all the things we need to take care when we go to a big city (buy gear, bike parts and perform routine maintenance like oil and tire change), we definitively wanted to have some good times too. In this spirit, we were able to meet with Jamie and Brandon again, and after a delicious lunch, went to Wolf Country USA, a nearby wolves' farm. They were about 50 of them, including two puppies. You are able to pet only a few of them as most are still dangerous and aggressive, even if in captivity. We were just happy that they were all chained up! These animals are so strong and powerful and when we heard them howling, it was a captivating but also scary symphony. We learned that the wolves in Into the Wild, directed by Sean Penn, came from this very farm and that some of the wolves became friends with Sean. The puppies were so cute but already had big teeth that could tear your clothes off and paws the size of a grown up dog. They were really nice to us and we enjoyed playing and petting them.

A few days later, since we had such a great time, we met Jamie and Brandon again in Achorage to hike to the top of Flattop mountain. It is one of the most hiked path in Alaska as you get great views from the top of this mountain and it is easy to access from Anchorage. The hike was about 90 minutes to go up, with the last part pretty challenging as we had to climb on rocks. But what a reward at the top: we had views of the city of Anchorage, the bay surrounding it, the valley and river behind the bay and all the peeks east of Anchorage. With the beautiful sunny weather we had, the effort was totally worth it and it allowed us not not feel guilty about the delicious meal we shared afterwards at the Glacier Brewhouse.

Going on a fun ride with an unexpected twist

We really had a good time with Ali since we met him: fun conversations, experience sharing about bike adventures, dinner with him and also with his friends. We knew it was going to be a blast to ride with him to the Kenai Peninsula. As we followed the scenic route, it felt good to be outside and on the bike again, just enjoying the scenery and the ride on the Seward Highway. Hope, a small town on the Turnagain Arm waters, was going to be our final destination for the day before heading back. After enjoying a delicious apple pie at the local cafe, we went to the river where lots of people were catching pink salmons. We learned greatly about how to clean the fish and get it ready for dinner as the fishermen were using the cleaning tables on the banks. Suddenly, Ali recognizes someone heading towards the river. It was his good friend John and his family, visiting from Homer. We spend the rest of the afternoon with them, fishing, enjoying the sun and catching salmon for dinner. We all had dinner together that John's family had prepared for all of us. When it was time to head back to Anchorage, we decided to stay in Hope and camp there instead. The little town was so adorable, on the water with these beautiful mountains in the back that we could not resist it. We would head back tomorrow! Ali unfortunately had to work so he left that night after dinner.

We are so excited that we had a chance to meet such great people that live in Alaska and were able to share good times with us and give us some good tips for our upcoming travels in the state. Brandon and Jamie will be moving soon to Californie so we may see them again there. We felt like they were old friends since we got along so easily and so well so it would be a treat to spend more time with them. We are fortunate to still see Ali for another few days and can't simply get over about how amazing a host he is and a cool motorcycle rider too. You don't get to meet such exceptional people that often and we feel blessed we have.