Howard Johnson Plaza Anchorage

Last September, my passion for volcanoes incited me to visit Katmai in Alaska. In June 1912, a volcano – Mount Novarupta – erupted, generating a huge amount of ash and pumice that filled the Utak valley. The place was called "The Valley of the Ten Thousand Smokes" because of the countless fumaroles discovered by the first explorers.

Visiting Katmai National Park in Alaska is quite an ...

... 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 ...

... the return trip home, we swung by the airport to see where we go tomorrow.

We are now much farther south from the Arctic Circle, and the calendar has advanced into August. It actually gets dark here in Anchorage after 11:30 pm, but gets light by 4 am. Because it stays light so late, you do not feel that it is bedtime. We have become "night" owls, often finding ourselves still working on trip things (like this blog) as late as 11 or 11:30 pm.

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!

... out, "just for the halibut." The halibut was wonderful by the way. We took a walk along the dock at the bay where we were accompanied by an unexpected friend I will call Otis (second reference in the Alaska blog series to Otis Redding. I can't help it), a frisky, acrobatic sea otter. Otis followed us all along the way and posed for photo ops. He dined on something from a shell throughout the walk. It was so unique to be ...

(Jim) Today we stumbled entirely by accident on Alaska's 50th anniversary of achieving statehood. We walked a few blocks over from the hotel where the cruise ship bus dropped us to the Saturday market, an area where several streets are closed off for a half-day. There was some politician giving a speech in front of the Federal Building, and several Alaskans ...

Greetings from Alaska! After a twelve day road trip across the country (plus three provinces in Canada) we arrived in Anchorage about a month ago. Far from being a marathon journey, we enjoyed stops in the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Banff and Jasper National Parks. The snow was still packed deep on the trails on the U.S. side (although we still squeezed in a short hike) and there seemed to be no shortage of rain in Canada. Nonetheless the scenery was beautiful ...

We're almost packed ... We'll leave at 2:45 AM (Saturday morning) ... a quick 10 hours later we'll stop in Taipei. Then, it's on to Bangkok, with a short hop to Chiang Mai. It's 25 (F) as we get to the airport which was the high for the day. Brooke and Griffin saw us off. As we prepare for take off, please return your tray tables and seat backs into their full upright and most uncomfortable position ... here we go!

Chicago and Anchorage are two very different cities but great in their own rights. I stopped over in Chicago for a couple of days mainly to meet up with my friend Mark. However I was taken back by the city which has stunning architecture and some excellent food. I had a good fun attending a 4th of July party where there was the usual motley crew of guests including one woman who voted for Bush twice "Well ya know he seem to be knows what he is doing, while Kerry does not have a plan ...