Alaska - Day 6 (Highlights: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Chair 5 Restaurant, Helicopter Mountain Ride and Landing & Walking on a Glacier, Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge)

We had an amazing day on day 6.  We started out by heading South to check out the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (a few miles South of Girdwood).  Very neat place with some adorable animals.  The porcupine walked up his little tree logs ramp just to come right up to us and say hi and then turned around and went back down to go eat.  The black bears were pretty active and came right up to us as well!  And of course, the view was beautiful.  The Conservation Center is even getting ready to introduce Wood Bison, an endangered species, back into the wild ~ how cool is that?

We then went back North about 9 miles to Girdwood.  Our main reason for going to Girdwood was due to a place called Jack Sprat, an eating place we had heard was very good.  However, it was closed until 5 pm, so we headed over to a small place called Chair 5 Restaurant.  This place was a cute place and a place I would visit again in a heartbeat.  Good food, good service, and a cozy mountain restaurant.

Did I mention that just before eating, we made a last minute decision to take a mountain helicopter tour with a glacier landing!  Alpine Air is located in Girdwood, so we decided to do something extremely memorable.  Wow, am I glad we decided this...

Even with the lack of animal activity due to the Winter cold, we did still see a bald eagle flying and a mountain goat.  I was able to snap a quick pic of the mountain goat, and I know it's hard to tell, but he is standing on the edge of a very steep and almost directly down cliff.  Crazy guy.

Can you believe this view?

Then, the glacier landing, look at the blue in the ice.  Can you believe that in some places, the ice was as thick as 1000 feet?

As we were almost back to Anchorage, were were passing by the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge again, and what do you know...I spotted that same bald eagle sitting in that same tree.  So I made my husband stop  so I could get a couple more pictures.  I walked the mile down the boardwalk and snapped a couple pics, and then put my camera back in my camera bag to run the mile back (it was cold), and would you believe that the one time I put my camera up this trip, the bald eagle left his perch and flew right over my head!  I was only quick enough to get my camera out to snap a picture of him flying into the sunset.  Good enough I guess.

Since my camera was out again, I went ahead and took some cool pictures of the sun setting behind some mountains, they ended up being some of my favorites.

What a day!  So memorable!  I highly recommend that if you are going to visit Alaska, do a helicopter tour, it is unforgettable!