As I am writing this, I am still in shock over the fact that it has a been almost exactly a year since my last photography trip, and over a year since my last post. At the same time, this gap isn’t a surprise due to the COVID-19 pandemic that dominated and halted our lives for most of 2020. 2020 was a year that flew: it was year where everything happened, yet nothing happened: a statement which is a contradiction on its own, but makes sense to anyone who lived through 2020. Our personal lives and were all put pause while the days kept going on to the next, and before we knew it, it’s already 2021.

This post isn’t about what didn’t happen though, but what did: the trip that I took before the world shut down.

My friend had reached out to me early in the year, wanting to take a trip over Valentines Day to celebrate/commiserate her newly found single single status, with this being the first Valentines day being single. Of course, me being me, I jumped at the opportunity for any excuse for a trip. Without a specific location in mind, we conducted some generic Google searches for affordable flights (which, google is amazing for cheap flights if you are flexible about destination) and ended up picking Anchorage as our location. Yes: Anchorage, in February. Imagine that: Californians in Alaska in the Winter: however will we handle the snow and the cold?

Not only that, we were able to pull a few other friends to come along for the adventure.

Surprisingly, Anchorage wasn’t as cold as we thought it would it would be: according to an acquaintance lives there, it was “warmer than usual” for Anchorage at that time of the year, which worked out for us because we were able to spend more time outdoors. It was key that we had the right clothes (which was a challenge in itself in Southern California: buying proper winter clothes requires going to specialty stores like Columbia and Northface, and even there, the selection is limited). With the proper clothes, we were able to really enjoy the beauty of what Anchorage had to offer.

Another thing I really appreciated about Anchorage is that while it is still a major city, it is still very small compared to other cities in the lower 48. You can drive from one end of the city to the other end in no time, and just beyond the city borders is the great outdoors: we were able to appreciate how untouched by civilization the place was, without being outside of civilization.

A few highlights:

• The drive to Seward on the Seward Highway. It took a lot of willpower to not stop at every turn out to take in the views. The entire drive was beautiful and full of 360 degree views; the stretch of road that hugs the mountains on one side, and on the other side, the frozen Turnagain Arm: the body of water that spills into the Gulf.
• Taking a snow mobile across frozen bodies of water, and seeing nothing but miles and miles of open land. We were even able to spot Denali from the far distance which makes me realize how huge it must be.
• The frozen waterfalls. Scaling a frozen waterfall.
• The wildlife. Seeing so many animals out in the wild just slightly outside of the city was a treat!

We didn’t get to see the Northern Lights, which was disappointing, but we also were realistic in knowing our chances of seeing them were slim. There needs to be perfect conditions and timing for Northern Lights. In addition to those weather conditions, being far away from light pollution also helps. Anchorage, despite being a small city, still has plenty of light pollution, so in less than ideal conditions, the chance of Northern Lights sighting was slim to none.

That being said, we all still had a great time, and all were able to experienced something for the first time. These are the moments I treasure, and these are the reasons why I love to travel.