Winterlake Lodge Anchorage

... the bears (most of them are brown bears or grizzlies) can get all the food they need before hibernating in the mountains. You have to be very careful when visiting the region because bears are everywhere and you may meet them at any moment! As soon as you arrive at Brooks Lodge, the rangers tell you what to do – and not to do! – if you happen to encounter a bear: you should talk to him while ...

Took the train from Talkeetna to Anchorage yesterday...another nice ride. We saw a moose as we crossed through the grounds of Elmendorf Air Force Base. It was dark and rainy so no pictures of him.

I am now sitting at the Anchorage airport waiting for my flight home. It will be a little more pleasant as for an extra 10k frequent flier miles I was able to get first class seats for the return trip. That will be nice on a red eye ...

... full so we met them at the Snow Goose which was great. We had outdoor seating with a view of Mt McKinley.

Perfect!

The next day we just bummed around for a bit and went for a walk. We flew out at 20:30 to Denver going via Dallas. We missed our connection by minutes as the plane was still at the dock but made the next flight which was 2 hours later giving us time for breakfast. We arrived into Denver at 09:30 pretty tired!

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 axe, a claw hammer, wire, and a stick and got in (the keys were in the ignition). Half way through, in a brief weak moment - when they thought it wasn't going to work, the owner tried to break a back window with the axe - the thing bounced off, he hit it hard a couple times and nothing...which leaves me wondering how 'those guys' broke my window???
It was a beautiful drive.

oh, yeah - small world, on ...

The flight between Fairbanks and Anchorage was quicker than I could imagine. Didn't even have time to take a nap, but on the plus side, I got to get this picture of Mt. Mckinley. It's a bit warmer here at 20 degrees vs. Fairbanks 0 degrees ...

... scenery. We awake after our first night in Seward, where the sun sets at about 11 pm, and head off to a day tour we've booked. The tour involves a cruise down Resurrection Bay and around into another bay to view Homer Glacier, with the tentative promise of plenty of wildlife viewing on the way. The brochure promises bears, moose, whales, puffins and all sorts of native creatures you only see in cartoons. The weather is reasonably still; though the clouds hang much lower over the ...

... be quite fun and rewarding. I've met many great people staying in the hostel as well as roaming around the city. I am looking very forward to getting out of the major city in Alaska, even though I have had a great time so far. Sorry there aren't any pictures today, but it's been rather drab all day and I haven't seen much that is worth sending off. I'm not sure how much access I'll have over the next couple of days, but I'll put in an update as soon as I can!

... Shageluk, Anvik.Finally, they're on the coast -- Unalakleet, Shaktoolik, Koyuk, Elim, Golovin, White Mountain and into Nome where a hero's welcome is the custom for musher number 1 or 61! The route encompasses large metropolitan areas and small native villages. It causes a yearly spurt of activity, increased airplane traffic and excitement to areas otherwise quiet and dormant during the long Alaskan winter. Everyone gets involved, from very young school children ...

... track - but not at the same time) and took a sightseeing cruise and saw where the glacier meets the sea, drove up to Denali National Park (didn't see any bears, but I did get a great picture of Mount McKinley). Also got to play cribbage at the Hilton until 2am - and won $20! Just too much cloud to see the Aurora Borealis, which was a pity as an artist displaying his wares at the Sunday market said where he was the Nothern Lights had been amazing.