The Andersons at the Temples and Towers of the Virgin, Zion National Park.
Yesterday I was on the phone with a guest making a reservation for next summer, and she asked me if we live in Alaska year-round. We actually get asked that question a lot. Yes, we do. At the end of summer, we trade in our fishing rods for skis and wait for the snow to start falling.
Years ago, towards the end of my first summer up here, Jeremy told me I should stay for the winter. I did, and that is when Alaska lured me into living here. Had I not stayed, I would not have seen the full spectrum of extremes that define this place. The balance of life here occurs in seasons, and aside from beautiful, Alaska in winter is opposite of summer in every way. But that’s what we love about it.
The quiet of fall and winter replace the busyness of summer like the long nights replace the endless days. It’s when we reflect on the past season at the lodge, and prepare and re-energize for the next.
Each fall we spend a little time traveling as a family. It’s our chance to relax and bond as a family, but it’s also our chance to be travelers. We love seeing how other people run their businesses and the unique ways in they provide their customers with positive experiences. As business owners in the tourism industry, we have learned a lot from being tourists and have gained a better understanding of the hosts that we want to be.
This year the kids put the first stamp in their National Parks Passports at Zion National Park. It was an amazing trip, made even better by a few local businesses that we’d love to recommend. If you ever make it to Zion, be sure to check out:
Meme’s Café
Zion Adventure Company
Majestic View Lodge
National Park Service – Zion National Park
We are Andrea and Jeremy Anderson. The summer of 2026 marks our 23rd year in the tourism industry helping people plan the best fishing and sightseeing vacations on the Kenai Peninsula, and our 11th season operating Alaska Silvertip Lodge and Cabins. In the spring of 2016, we purchased Silvertip Lodge and Cabins from Dean and Mary Talley, who built the first cabin in 1999.
Andrea grew up in California but fell in love with Alaska after visiting her grandparents in Cooper Landing. After graduating college in 2004, she moved up to Cooper Landing and worked in nearby Moose Pass. Jeremy grew up in Wisconsin, and in 2001 he spent his first summer in Alaska working at the Russian River Campground. Jeremy spent the next few years working as a rafting guide on the Upper Kenai River. In July 2004, Andrea and Jeremy met and began a great adventure on the Kenai Peninsula.
Over the past 23 years, Andrea and Jeremy have developed a diverse set of skills in the Alaskan tourism industry and have spent countless hours recreating outdoors. Andrea has worked as a guide for several rafting companies, ran a fishing lodge, and currently manages reservations, logistics, and accounting for Alaska Drift Away Fishing. Jeremy is co-owner of Alaska Drift Away Fishing and guides on the river for trout and salmon.
