Usually one’s idea of a winter holiday vacation is going someplace warm where you can spend a few days on the beach and escape the nasty winter weather. I have been to Southern Florida twice in winter and never quite understood the appeal. I love winter – the cold, the sparkling snow, quiet nights, holiday…
Today we get to sleep in after getting up early almost every day for the past couple of weeks. We get on the road by noon and leave Denali behind intending to stop for lunch in Talkeetna. Talkeetna is a 876 person village just 13 miles off the parks highway and is a popular place…
August 19 I am one of the few people who actually enjoy driving. I am not talking about driving on the streets of New York or in stop and go traffic on I-95. I mean driving on open roads passing through beautiful scenery with no traffic lights and no de facto speed limits. The roads…
August 18th Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska after Anchorage. Only about 2 hours north of Denali, it often takes longer due to the never ending roadwork on the Parks hwy connecting the two cities. As one saying goes, “there are two seasons in Alaska -winter and roadwork.” Because the snow free season…
August 16 Denali, a native name meaning “The High One” is probably the most famous among fifteen National Parks in Alaska, and is one of the few accessible by road. Park is accessible by a well maintained one lane Parks highway stretching from Anchorage to Fairbanks. From the park entrance, a narrow gravel road is travelling…
222 miles of Sterling Highway connects the end of the road town of Homer and the largest city in the state Anchorage. While we already made several stops on the way to Homer, we had plenty left for the way back. We make our first stop at the pullout overlooking the Kachemak bay with informative…
August 15th Getting up at 6 am is usually not a part of my dream day unless it is already light outside because we are in Alaska and we are about to take a float plane to Lake Clark National Park and preserve, home to coastal brown bears fishing along the shores of park lakes…
August 14th Passing small towns along the West coast of Kenai Peninsula, we gradually make our way down to Homer-the southernmost point on the Sterling Highway. A trip on a state marine highway is required to visit any of the island communities further southwest. Colloquially known as the Halibut Fishing Capital of the world, Homer…
August 11 The next stop on our list is Seward, a coastal community in the Southcentral part of the Kenai peninsula. Seward is famous for its fishing charters and wildlife viewing cruises in the Kenai Fjords National Park, most of which is only accessible by boat. Seward is a small place with perhaps no more…
August 10, 2014 After our short stay in Seattle we are finally on the way for our final destination. I entertained the idea of going to Alaska before I even started school several years ago and was truly excited to finally be mere miles away. We take a late evening flight from Seatac to AIA (Anchorage…
August 7th Before we reach Alaska we spend a few days in Seattle. I have been planning to visit the Pacific Northwest for a while and see an old college friend, Anton, and this trip presented a perfect opportunity. Seattle is usually rainy but we arrive to a beautiful sunny evening. Just by looking out…
I’ve been considering a trip to the 49th state for a while, but could never comfortably fit it into my schedule or budget until now. Now with the school finally behind me, I look forward to this vacation. The first stop is visiting friends in Seattle, Washington. Stay tuned.
wilderness impressions 