Alaska

[green40]

Portage glacier was pretty spectacular, we did see some of the calving where huge pieces
fell off into the water. The blue color of the ice was very vivid.
Camped Thursday night about 25 miles west of Wasilla on the Little Susitna river.
Met my guide Friday morning at 5 and spent about 5 hours on the river. Had a family
of 3 with us. Fishing for Silver (Coho) the limit is 2 fish per day. Both my fish were in the
10-12 lbs. and about 30". Lots of fun!
Didn't meet up with Whatley but did stop by his shop, kinda like driving into Kina's yard!
Hang around Anchorage today, road-trip to Hatchers pass (just north of Palmer) and the Independence Mine historic park
tomorrow. Monday we head north to Denali for a few days. We have a 5 year old with us so we don't
know how long we can occupy her while camping.
Cruiser sightings have been few and far in between. A couple of 60's and 1 nice expediton style 80.

 

[green40]

Denali Park was spectacular! About a 5 hour drive for us but worth every minute. Camped in the park and did some wandering around on foot. There is no car traffic in the park, you ride shuttle to get around. Loads of wildlife seen, Grizzleys, Caribou, Dall sheep etc. Unfortunatley Denali wasn't visable because of the clouds (we've only seen the sun 3 or 4 times since we arrived, cloudy and raining most of the time.) Stopped in Talkeetna on the way home, worth the side trip. 2 more days, need 2 more months!

 

[rapovt]

Lane is now making his way back to reality

 

[green40]

The journey home started at 11 p.m. Friday night and we finally
got home at 9 p.m. Sunday. Not what we had planned! Luckily
the Salmon in our luggage didn't thaw!
Hope to go back in 3 years and spend more time there.

 

[green40]

Few more

 

[CruiserStuff]

One of the best things I did in Alaska was to go to the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival. Don't know what dates it is this year, but well worth it. Great time.....

We watched bluegrass with the Northern Lights in the sky.....very surreal....and AWESOME!

 

[green40]

One of the best things I did in Alaska was to go to the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival. Don't know what dates it is this year, but well worth it. Great time.....

We watched bluegrass with the Northern Lights in the sky.....very surreal....and AWESOME!

Festival is this weekend! We stopped in Talkeetna last Thursday on the trip back from Denali.
Very cool little town. Had the best meal of our trip there at the Roadhouse. Would have loved to check out the festival.

 

[VTFJ40]

Festival is this weekend! We stopped in Talkeetna last Thursday on the trip back from Denali.
Very cool little town. Had the best meal of our trip there at the Roadhouse. Would have loved to check out the festival.

Stayed with a friend up there for almost a year back in the 80s. My favorite town and probably the best spot to live if you can find a job. Right in the middle.

When I first got there in June he kept talking about the view of Denali from his cabin, but it was covered in clouds for 2 months. I finally saw it in August and wasn't disappointed.

Sounds like a great trip.

 

[Mad Jack]

Looks like such a great trip!!! Great pictures!! Thanks for sharing, helps push that up on the list of places to go. Thanks!!

 

[Bighorn]

AK Too

Was just up there, hadn't been checking the forums so wasn't up to date on your trip looks like you had an awesome one. I really like the AK brewery summer ale. Here's a couple of pick from my trip, didn't get any fishing in though.

 

[green40]

Must have been fun hauling that big boy out!
Where did you find him?

 

[Bighorn]

Must have been fun hauling that big boy out!
Where did you find him?

In a walkin only area (no flying, no pack animals, no vehicles) in Chugach range. Five days of mountaineering in, we boned him out and split the weight between me and my guide, added about 40# each to our packs. It made for a really long, and painful 3 days of hiking out, absolutely brutal work actually.Cheers!

 

[YupYup]

Many good replies from folks with suggestions on places to visit and things to do.

Southeast Alaska is absolutely amazing. Whether you go just for the drive, fishing, hiking, or camping, SE Alaska is beautiful.

Seward is a must see. The marine life center is supposed to be pretty cool (I stayed home the weekend my gf went down there ) and the Kenai Fjords National Park is breathtaking.

Homer is a sweet place to visit. A nice winery is nestled at the foot of the hills called Bear Creek Winery. Friendly folks and a blast to go in and try all the different and unique flavors. Halibut Cove (short ferry ride from Homer) is an awesome little place to visit with a neat boardwalk and many amazing artists studios and galleries. Of course, there is also halibut fishing. No better place than Homer (well maybe Valdez, AK).

Speaking of Valdez, I love the drive down there from Fairbanks. Beautiful glaciers, amazing waterfalls and some wonderful parks. Of course, I haven't been down there since the massive flood several years ago, so I am not sure on the condition of the highway.

Fairbanks (my hometown; born and raised) is also filled with fun things to do. Pioneer Park (Alaskaland to us locals) is a great place for a sunny saturday afternoon. Playgrounds for the kids and many historical buildings and shops.

The Midnight Sun Festival during the Summer Solstice is always fun. Nothing better than beautiful weather and 21 hours of daylight.

During the frigid winter months, Chena Hot Springs Resort is a nice place to check out. Definitely nice to relax in natural hot springs underneath the northern lights (aurora borealis).

Denali National Park is a wondrous place to visit. While I have yet to see any wildlife other than a moose getting hit by a truck, I have heard stories of neat encounters. I personally think park has been turned into a tourist trap, but the experience is still once in a lifetime.

Anyway, I am sure there are hundreds of other great reasons to visit Alaska. Should most definitely be on everyone's bucket list.