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Alaskan Adventure: Cordova

September 12, 2014 by Jess 10 Comments

Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

I grew up in a fishing family.  Not a family that enjoys to fish, or goes fishing on weekends to unwind, but a family that does it for a living.  The fact that we spent every summer of my childhood on a boat, the fact that my family talks about boats as if they were people–“oh look, it’s the Miss Veldee!”– or the fact that entire conversations are often had around the price of fish didn’t really strike me as unusual until I became an adult and realized that not everyone owns a pair of xtratuffs, and the phrase “well, out on the boat we…” generally needs some further explanation.

Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaskaIn fact, lest you think I jest, here’s a picture from waaaay before I was born.  This handsome man is my grandpa in his early days of fishing.  Lookin’ pretty shnazzy eh?

Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

Since my family sold out of (quit) fishing several years ago, we no longer live in Cordova and have rarely had a reason to go back.  Finally, this summer, my mom and aunt decided that it was time for those who joined our family after we stopped fishing–my younger cousins, my aunt’s husband, my husband–had to travel to Cordova, Alaska to get a taste of what it was like to grow up there.  So, we all loaded on to an the Alaska Airlines plane headed for Cordova.  (This, by the way, is a plane that seats half the normal amount of passengers to leave more room for…fish.)

xtratuffs! Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

Not wanting  to look like an outsider, after landing my mom immediately donned a pair of xtratuffs.  These are to Cordova what a north face fleece is to Seattle.  Or, what yoga pants are to female college students regardless of the activity they are participating in…

Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

Despite the fact that we were fishing for some of the most highly sought after salmon in the world, Copper River Salmon, summers in Cordova (pop. 2000) were not exactly the culinary treat you might imagine.  (Why isn’t there an eye roll emoticon?)  Mostly we had salmon.  So. Much. Salmon.  Salmon with onions, salmon with lemon pepper, salmon with barbecue sauce, salmon with ranch dressing, pickled salmon, smoked salmon, basically salmon with anything to trick you into thinking you were eating something other than salmon–the real treat was when you got something else–spot shrimp, steamer clams, razor clams (more on those later), or halibut.  If you are interested in hearing a few good commercial fishing stories, and learning some creative ways to fix salmon–that are tastier than the aforementioned ranch dressing trick–check out the cookbook Fishes and Dishses.  Our disdain of salmon, especially as kids, is a bit ironic now, since these days I love Copper River Salmon, but can hardly afford to buy it…  There is at least one “can’t miss” foodie destination in Cordova and that is Baja Taco.  Whether made with salmon or halibut (still my preference), Baja Taco will ruin all other fish tacos for you.  As you can see above, Baja Taco has expanded their original truck to allow for a few indoor seats.  I may have forgotten to mention, Cordova gets over 80 inches of rain a year (compared to Seattle’s 36), so indoor seating is essential.

Road to child's glacier, cordova, AK  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

When you live in a town of 2000 people with no roads in or out, you have to get creative.  Growing up, on one of the three days when it wasn’t raining a fun outing might consist of going “out the road” to see the glaciers or play on the sand dunes.

Bear Tracks!  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

All but the most cynical seasoned fisherman can’t help but be in awe when granted a close up view of a bear, moose, or eagle in the wild.  This summer, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a cub, and saw a few massive prints, but otherwise were forced to be satisfied with swans, otters, and other Alaskan critters.

Million dollar bridge!  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

Despite the rain, Cordova is beautiful.  And on a sunny day, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to live anywhere else.  One of the towns only actual “sights” is the Million Dollar Bridge, which crosses the Copper River between Miles and Child’s Glaciers.  (The road them promptly stops.)

riverside inn and airboat!  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

Unfortunately, one of the bridges closer to town washed out a few years ago, making it impossible to cross the river by car and make it all the way “out the road.”  But, thanks to our friends at the Riverside Inn who offer an airboat tour to Child’s Glacier and the Million Dollar Bridge, we were still able to complete our nostalgic adventure.

Childs glacier.  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

The water was pretty low when we visited, but usually Child’s Glacier is quite active and you can usually see lots of calving (when icebergs break off and fall into the river).

Miles glacier.  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

From the bridge, we also enjoyed spectacular views of Miles Glacier.

Prince William Sound.  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

After hitting up all of the Cordova hotspots, such as the Netloft (my favorite craft store), the Orca Bookshop, and Copper River Fleece, we headed to David Rosenthal’s Gallery where my husband may have indulged me by purchasing a beautiful painting of the area.

prince william sound.  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

Finally, my husband and I joined my grandma on the ferry to Whittier to spend a few days with family in Anchorage.  As we pulled out of Cordova, we got a glimpse of Mummy Island (the tiny island shaped like a sandcastle off in the distance) where my grandmother spent her childhood summers while her parents dug clams.

Friendly Otter.  Checkout the wandering fig's latest travelogue in Cordova, Alaska!  #travel #alaska

Stay tuned for part two of our Alaskan adventure in and around Anchorage, plus a yummy recipe for razor clams!

 

 

Filed Under: alaska, travel Tagged With: alaska, cordova, travel, USA

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jackie

    September 16, 2014 at 2:06 pm

    Thanks Jess!
    I love your new website! It lets me live vicariously thru you! One of these days i will stow away in one of your suitcases! 🙂 i will definitly try some of your yummy recipes!
    Was so good to see you both this summer! Have a great time in Croatia! Keep the blog going so I can see all the cool stuff you are doing. I love the name of you blog by the way.
    Have fun!
    Aunt jackie

    Reply
    • Jess

      September 16, 2014 at 3:36 pm

      Thanks Aunt Jackie! We are having fun over here! Let me know when you try a recipe. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jackie

        November 18, 2014 at 2:39 pm

        I will for sure! Also- do u have an easy recipe for fig baklava? I made fig jam again this uear and would like to make something with it for my client

        Reply
  2. kristi

    September 23, 2014 at 1:53 am

    The first picture on your Cordova adventure is the Pacific Sojourn! My husband Roy, and I own it and tender for Copper River Seafoods and fish the rest of the year. I grew up with your mom here in Cordova. Love your blog, and your recipes and I’m looking forward to trying the Shashuka in Jerusalem. Thanks for your lovely posts.

    Reply
    • Jess

      September 23, 2014 at 3:03 pm

      I would say small world, but Cordova has a way of getting around! You wouldn’t believe the places I’ve been where I have run into people with a Cordova connection… We had such a nice visit this summer, and watching the boats deliver reminded me of all the summers I spent tendering with my grandma! Hope you enjoy the recipe for shashuka, I would love to hear how it turns out!

      Reply
      • kristi

        September 23, 2014 at 9:59 pm

        I’ll definitely give a report on my results! Just imagining those lovely poached eggs floating in that aromatic, spicy tomato sauce might be enough!

        Reply
  3. Tami

    January 22, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    So proud of you Jessica! These photo’s are beautiful and your way of telling a story is so fun to read! Such a fun trip to share with you!

    Reply
  4. Cory

    January 22, 2015 at 10:03 pm

    I was a cook at Baja Taco for three summers (: I lived in Cordova until I was 18.

    Reply
    • Jess

      January 23, 2015 at 6:23 am

      I LOVE that place! Never had a better fish taco! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Seth

    March 7, 2015 at 5:47 pm

    Nice little write -up. I have lived in CDV for about 9 years, and I run a tender. Just have a comment about the rainfall – I think it is considerably more than 80 inches annually, although as you probably know official measurements are taken at the airport, which has a different climate than town. This site claims it is 148 inches – http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/cordova/alaska/united-states/usak0061. The first year I was here (2006) we had a couple of big rain events, one of them being a reported 20+ inches in 24 hours! Xtratufs might be a fashion statement for some, but they are a basic necessity for most of us 🙂

    Reply

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