Hilton Garden Inn Anchorage

... back slowly, never look at him in the face and never run; if you did, you would become a potential prey! I was never confronted with such a situation even though I saw a great number of grizzlies fishing in the lakes and in Brooks River.

You need to take the local bus and travel along the 37-kilometre dirt road to reach the Valley of the Ten Thousand Smokes. The landscape is gorgeous. In September ...

... I hate these overnight flights...)

Anchorage airport is interesting as it is a cargo jet haven. They must just stop to refuel from Asia - the cargo carriers here have been Eva Air, China Airlines, Korean Airlines, Asiana, UPS, Shanghai...none seem to empty any cargo...just park for an hour or two.

It's been a great trip...pictures will be on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmbell64/c ollections/72157622360839812/

We woke up early as we had to be at the ferry terminal by 07:00. Packing up camp was fast and we were there in plenty of time so we detoured for coffee. Yum!

The ferry trip took about 6 hours. We had breakfast onboard and then proceded out on deck where we stayed for a good part of the trip. The panorama was again spectacular and our cameras were constantly clicking. One of the highlights was seeing a seal fighting off seagulls to keep ...

... to King Salmon. We spend the night there at the King Salmon Inn (after getting the passport stamp at the King Salmon National Park Visitor Center). The next morning, we are picked up and taken by float plane to Brooks Camp Visitor Center. From there we go by bus and foot to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes.

There will be no blog tomorrow; we will combine it with Monday for all the details about Katmai National Park. This is another of those ...

The last night at Alaska. No specific schedule, just shopping, and easy short drive to the berry farm to see the chocolate fountain. Our flight was like 1:28 a.m., so we got to the airport around 10 p.m. Finally, the night fell. I was so glad to see the night. My eyes felt comfortable. No wonder we all felt sore for the eyes, the sun's been shining all day long!

... an adventure into Alaska's beautiful mountains. Not too far into the trip, we stopped for coffee at "The Grind," a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop located in Girdwood, a popular ski area. We enjoyed a visit with the owner and his girlfriend about his interest in Star Wars and the life lessons and philosophy that ooze from its message. I guess, the more I tried to grab his meaning, the more it slipped through my fingers ...

... 20320 Fuss resp 6194 Meter hoch) und seine Nachbarspitze Denali North Peak (19470 Fuss hoch) geniessen. Gemaess Einheimischen wird die Chance in Juni, Juli und August auf 3 von 10 Tagen geschaetzt, wo der Berg nicht komplett verdeckt sei, aber derart klar zu sehen, sollte eine sehr seltene Gelegenheit sein. Bis spaet morgens konnte ich bei anhaltend klarem Himmel die Bergwelt bis zum Denali Viewpoint South und fast bis nach Anchorage geniessen, wo es aber dann wieder bewoelkt ...

... but still no answer. Now around this time I was going to take the truck to Costco to get the tires rotated and balanced. Lucky for me, the Costco is right across the street from the other RV park. My first place to go was the RV park where I did find out that we had reservations there. I tried to call Pooh several times but her phone was not working. I went to Costco and spent about an hour and a half there to get the tires serviced and ...

... of their antlers. Still no sighting of Rudolph! Next we were bused to Wasilla, to the Iditarod Race Headquarters where we learned about the world famous annual dog race of over 1,000 miles. We got to meet some dogs and even some of their puppies before going for a dog "sled" ride. It technically was not a sled as it had four wheels. This made it much easier for the dogs to pull as there was not any snow! Our day with the group ended at a local ...