Guest post by l8dybug
Day 1
- Aspen Suites Hotel Anchorage
The trip was put together by me & a travel agent; it was not part of a tour group. I flew from Cleveland to Anchorage by myself. I had lost my husband to cancer 14 months earlier, so this trip was a personal journey in more ways than geography. I arrived late afternoon, and showed up for my reservation at The Aspen Hotel. It was classy, clean & friendly. I walked around town for an hour or more, taking in the sights & sounds. The long hours of sunlight make the flowers surprisingly spectacular—actually breathtaking! I caught sight of creatively painted 5 foot wooden cutouts of Salmon Fish , decorated by local businesses on numerous corners. Went to bed—waking up periodically & peeking out the window to see how dark it WASN’T! The room was comfortable with great room darkening blinds.
Day 2
- 26 Glacier Cruise
- Turnagain Arm
- Prince William Sound
- Harriman Fiord
Boarded the Alaskan Railroad with my pre-purchased train pass and headed to places like Whittier that I had never heard of. I was mesmerized by the fabulous fauna & scenery. The train ride was fun. Got off & took a cruise on Klondike Express Catamaran for the 26 Glacier Tour with a naturalist on board sponsored by Phillips Cruises . We went to watch for Minke & Beluga whales!!! Spotted a number of them—-very exciting!! The “blue mountains” of glaciers were remarkable and the birds and wildlife were amazing. They served lunch onboard. It was a 110 mile excursion. I was glad I had on my winter coat, gloves & head protection because it was invigoratingly brisk on the water. I slept good that night.
Day 3
- Seward
- Moose Pass
- Resurrection Bay
- Cheval Narrows
- Aialik Cape
- Holgate Arm
- Chiswell Islands
This was a completely different trip from the previous day. I embarked on a Kenai Fjords Boat tour for the day and saw hundreds of Puffins, otters, sea lions and jetted around a Kittiwake Rookery. Spotted more whales too. It was a fabulous day on the water. It also happened to be the 4th of July! Once I got back to the hotel the fireworks were a great distance for any kind of good visibility, but then, they were rather anti-climactic in “daylight” anyways.
Day 4
- Knik Arm
- Susitna River
- Matanuska Valley
- Hurricane Gulch
I secured most of my luggage into a locked storage room at The Aspen Hotel while I took off for a 2 day excursion to see Mt. McKinley (aka Denali). I grabbed my backpack & was ready for the day of northern exposure on the Alaska Railroad Dome Car ride to the entrance to Denali National Park. The train ride included a local young woman as our tour guide. She was a 1st grade teacher by profession who was hired for that summer by the Railroad. She truly made the day fun and enlightening as she shared delightfully humorous stories about hunting, hiking, growing up with 3 brothers and keeping entertained during the long months of dark & cold winter hours by playing games with mining hats & neon painted golf balls, and life as a native Alaskan. The scenery was incredibly awesome and amazing! Ate in the dining car onboard—fun! I stayed overnight at Sourdough Cabins.
Day 5
- Denali Backcountry Lodge
I joined 14 people on an old yellow school bus with handpainted letters identifying our 95 mile transportation vehicle as our ride to The Backcountry Lodge. We bounced, sped, creeped and climbed our way up and down and around mountains on a narrow dirt road past bear, moose, caribou, dall sheep, wolves, and the most pristine wilderness I have ever seen. I decided Alaska is God’s definition of beauty and majesty. The bus driver was congenial and reassuring and accomplished. He had box lunches for all of us and pointed out innumerable things that the tourists’ eye would have easily missed. The long ride allowed us passengers to bond & share our stories and get comfortable with each other, knowing that we’d all be out there in the wilderness together with the lodge staff & bears!!! There were some treacherous places our driver had to maneuver around that us holding our breath, closing our eyes, shifting our weight and saying prayers but we made it to a big log constructed lodge with an inviting wrap around porch, a rows of cookie cutter cabins lined up near a river that was —literally —-at the end of the road and our home for the next 2 days! The lodge was architecturally cool & they had a 2 stool bar with a bearskin rug in the loft, along with comfy couches and chairs, and a small library . There was a retired gourmet chef from San Francisco in their kitchen who made every meal amazing—presentation & taste wise! I slept really good in my own little cabin both nights. There is a tiny air strip nearby that some folks will pay an absorbent amount of money to fly out of the back country rather than take the bus ride back. I can proudly say, my group was brave, slightly crazy and adventurous and rode back on the bus.
Day 6
- Mirror Lake
- Denali National Park
Hopped in the lodge van and rode up and around base of the mountain all day, took a gazillion photos, did some hiking with a naturalist who was part of the lodge staff, panned for gold, (wore mosquito netting & lotion a couple times) discovered bear scat & trudged over the tundra, gazed at the stars and gave thanks for such a rich life experience.
Day 7
- Alaska Veterans Museum
Headed back to the Denali Park Entrance by way of the beloved school bus. Once we arrived there, we all parted and headed for our next destination—mine was back to The Aspen Hotel on The Greyline Motorcoach. Stopped by the Alaska Veterans Museum – left feeling proud & patriotic.
Alaska remains one of my best trips ever—I would do it all over again, exactly as I did it, with one exception— I’d love to have someone special to share it with the next time! But having made it to Alaska I am able to say I have been to all 50 states before I turned 50!!!! And I can honestly say, Alaska is probably my favorite state!
Traveled in July 2005
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