Travel Log: Alaska
May 14th: Today I was supposed to take the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward where I’ll be taking a wildlife cruise along the coast. Except they’re putting us on a bus instead of a train because of “avalanche risk “ in the pass. Avalanches!!! Sounds kind of fun to me. Hopefully, there won’t be any issues with the cruise. Here’s what I’m hoping to see: Dolphins! Whales! Puffins! Glaciers calving!
We saw several whales, porpoises not dolphins, one lonely puffin, and we heard the glacier crack (but no calving). But the best treat of all? A margarita made with glacier ice.
May 15th: Welcome to the Denali Star bound for Fairbanks! I upgraded to the upstairs compartments with panoramic views and I’m wildly excited. We supposedly go right past Denali, but it’s a fairly cloudy day so views are iffy. But I can always hope!
May 15th: Hurricane Gulch! We’re almost to Denali!
May 16th: Our train ride from Anchorage to Fairbanks was beautiful beyond belief, but dagnabit, that doggone Denali remained behind clouds all day long, even though dozens of mountains not so tall were clearly visible. That's because Denali is so gigantic it creates its own weather systems. We were told only 30 percent of visitors can see just the base of the mountain and only 10 percent can see the whole thing. So I didn't feel so bad. We're taking a day trip down there again on Friday, so there'll be a second chance!
May 17th: Ok, I swear I’ve never said this before in my life — What a rack!
May 18th: Today has been a highlight of my Alaska trip, a “Forest Frolic “ with reindeer at Running Reindeer Ranch. This one’s name is Toby, and he’s just as bossy as my cat with the same name.
May 19th: Back to Denali National Park for a day trip where I am now one of the lucky 10 percent who’ve visited and seen the Big Mountain. It’s the blurry one in the middle. Hey, blurry still counts! And even though it seems much smaller than the mountains in the foreground, keep in mind it’s many miles away from where we were standing. I’m so glad I saw it!
May 20th: Never in my life did I ever expect to travel to the Arctic Circle, but today…. that’s where I’m headed!
May 21st: In addition to my certificate, here’s the photographic evidence I visited the Arctic Circle. It was 72 degrees there!