I'm not a huge fan of heights. Actually, that's a bit of an understatement. I would rather wrestle a live rattlesnake (and I really, really hate snakes) than get more than 10' off the ground.
The last time we were in Anchorage Kathy wanted to ride the tram at Alyeska but I refused. There's something about trusting my life to a hand-basket on a clothesline that is more than I can take. On this trip I lost the battle... She used the 'face your fears' line on me and like an idiot, I caved.
The Tram runs all year ferrying skiers and snowboarders in the winter and tourists and their mortified husbands in the summer. It's all quite simple really... hand the fellow at the gate your ticket, step inside the tram and in a matter of seven minutes you are whisked 2,300' up to the top of Mt. Alyeska.
Kathy was downright giddy. I was popping vicodin and wishing for a vodka chaser. There were pretty trees, mountain tops and even a rainbow but all I could think about was how the everliving hell I was going to get off the mountain. About halfway up the tram passes a tower that supports the cables from the observation deck and terra firma. The bump as the rollers crossed the support and the subsequent rocking (not unlike like a bassinet in a hurricane) just about caused me to deposit a kidney on the floor of the tram.
When we finally made it to the top, and as I crawled out of the ride from hell, I discovered just how beautiful the view from heaven really was.
The views from the top of Mt. Alyeska are just breathtaking (and panic inducing if you're too close to the edge). Located on the top level of the Tram terminal, Seven Glaciers Restaurant is a must-visit. All the restaurants at Alyeska offer mouth-watering fare, but Seven Glaciers is truly extraordinary. It's not often I offer lavish praise for a restaurant, but in this case every bite from the blueberry halibut appetizer, the moist and tender elk chop to the to-die-for Peahes Napolean was enough to guarantee a return trip... tram ride and all.
