Day 4 in Alaska - Tuesday Denali Park

• Got up about 4am again :) and ate the complimentary b-fast at the Hotel starting at 5am. A good b-fast, bagels, fruit, juice and coffee. At 6am the driver picked us up for the Wilderness Tundra Tour and we proceeded to pick up the bulk of the passengers from the Princess Hotel/Cruise Line Lodge. I think there was about 48 of us on the Bus. I met a nice couple from Canada who were taking a cruise from Whittier, AK after this portion of the tour.
• The bus enters the park and starts down the park road. If you were to take your car you can only drive the first 14 miles and after that there is a ranger station where only the tour buses can pass. The views/vistas are spectacular.

• The bus ride took about 8 hours and our job was to spot wildlife. We saw 4 bears, a couple of moose, some caribou, birds, a wolf and Dall sheep high up on a ridge. In the pics below you can see a Momma Grizzly walking right down the road with her cub and also a Willow Ptarmigan (state bird of Alaska) and her chicks.

• Back to the hotel and a few hours break before the white-water rafting ride on the Nenanna River. This river flows from the Nenanna glacier so the water has a bluish-tint and is only about 38 degrees. They put us in "dry" suits to keep us warm and it was pretty spectacular as I got drenched in about the first 2 minutes. The suit keeps you warm but my hands were freezing: Pic below of dry suit and the river:

• Back to the Hotel about 9:30pm and I'm exhausted. The day was Great !! and the weather so far has been picture-perfect. I would definitely recommend this but don't forget your wallet :) Went to bed and awaited my train ride back to Anchorage scheduled for tomorrow.

Day 3 in Alaska - Monday

Hello everyone, well the few that come to this page :): Been up at the National Park in Denali and no internet access. Just arrived back in Anchorage so I'm going to try and get up to date:

• Ate at the Country Kitchen again and then walked into downtown Anchorage. My bus trip to Denali wasn't until 3pm so some time to kill.
• Went to the National Park Visitor Center on 4th Street at 9am and walked around. They have a lot of info about Alaska and you can watch some "free" films here. Watched one about the animals native to Alaska which had some great film work. Here is one of the native animals: A Dall sheep:

• After this, I walked around and ended up at the Tony Knowles hiking/bicycling trail. Saw from the outside the home of Oscar Anderson- He was the 18th person to move Anchorage back in 1915 and was one of the first to open a business.

• Back to the visitor's center and they had a walking tour starting at 11am which focused on Captain Cook. Cook was one of the first European explorers to come to Alaska and the Cook inlet is named after him. If anyone saw the Glenn Beck interview with Sarah where she mentioned going to "Tastee Freeze". She has the cook inlet behind her like the photo below. Also notice the mountain in the background, Mount Sustina, the sleeping lady. This was the mountain that Team Sarah used in the birthday greeting to Governor Palin. Also notice that the Tide is out, this inlet has one of the most extreme changes of tide in the world, second only to the Bay of Fundy -- 40 Feet in a 6 hour period:

• Back to the Days Inn, checked out and took a taxi to the Anchorage Museum to catch my bus to Denali. Very new and nice museum, I particularly liked the section on the History of Alaska starting in prehistoric times. Great info about Alaska Statehood and the pipeline. This pic is taken outside the museum while we waited for the tour bus.

• We left at 3pm and the bus takes you North out of town past Elmendorf AFB and eventually onto the Parks Highway. On the way you pass through the Mat-Su borough and Wasilla. The bus driver said "Over to the left is Lake Lucille, home of THE Governor Sarah Palin."After you pass Wasilla, about the only community of size is Willow. We traveled a few more hours and took another road to the east towards the town of Talkeetna and the Talkeetna lodge. This lodge is owned by a Native American corporation and on a clear day has views of Denali/Mt. Mckinley but as you can see from my pic it was very cloudy -- Traveler's note: they say that for my visitors the chance of seeing the Mountain is only about 30%. Also the town of Talkeetna is where they take fly the mountain climbers from that are attempting to climb the mountain.

• Back on the bus and towards Denali Park, the drive took us about 6 hours and the bus driver dropped me off at the "Denali Bluffs Hotel." The rooms were very nice and this really is the "Land of the midnight Sun." By the time I had got a bite to eat at the Hotel it was about 11pm and it was still perfectly light. The views were spectacular although you cannot seen the Mountain because of the foothills. This little area of Hotels is where most of the tourists come as the Cruise lines have built lodges and hotels and my impression was that they are kind of "running" the area. There are also gift shops and restaurants for about a stretch of a 1/2 mile and after that, that's about it and the road heads North towards Fairbanks. This area is only active from May till Mid September and becomes basically a Ghost town afterwards as the seasonal tourist season ends and the Winter sets in. The first pic is from the Bluffs Hotel and the other is a shot of the Tourist area taken on Wednesday morning.

Day 2 in Alaska Sunday Anchorage Bus tour

• Had breakfast at the Country Kitchen across the street from Days Inn. Good b-fast, but things are pretty expensive here in Anchorage. I think I am in the tourist trap area :)
• Walked to the Hotel on 3rd Avenue and on the way took a picture of Balto, the sled dog who is the inspiration behind the Iditarod. This was on 4th avenue which was heavily impacted by the Good Friday Earthquake back in 1964 (9.2 on the richter scale, the biggest earthquake ever in North America).
  

• The bus left at 9:30am and we drove along Ship's Creek. This is where the city started back in about 1913 as a railroad depot for the Alaska Railroad. Ships were being used to bring in the supplies for the construction of the Railroad. They still fish for Salmon out of this creek because they come here to spawn.

• On to the Alaska Native Heritage Museum where all the native "cultures" are described. This was good but not great, don't know if it was because it was still early on Sunday and everyone was tired or what but the young interpreters (Alaskan natives) were very interesting and did a great job answering questions. Along the highway to the Museum we saw a Momma Moose and her calf.

• Bus went back to the Hotel and we changed buses and started to drive out of the city towards Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm. This was beautiful and the Alaska you envision from the brochures. The mountains (Chugach range) rise spectacularly from the inlet of the Turnagain arm and their is all kinds of birds and wildlife. We saw a bald eagle being chased by some artic terns. This is also where you can spot Beluga whales and Dall Sheep. The bus ride took us to the town of Girdwood (this is where Senator Ted Steven's had his infamous chalet built) Alyeska ski resort and the tram ride to the top of the ski slope. The views from the top are breath-taking. You rise from an altitude of about 250 feet to about 3,500 feet. The Tram ticket comes with a complimentary lunch at the top.

• We then went further along the Turnagain Arm towards the Begich-Boggs Visitor center which is on Portage Lake. Visitor center gives good interpretation of glaciers. Next to the Visitor's Center is the Days Lodge, a gift shop and cafe. Had an ice-cream cone and back in the bus to the Portage Glacier tour on the ship, Ptarmigan (named after the State bird - the Willow Ptarmigan and I think this is how Sarah came up with her daughter's name- Willow). Simply AMAZING !! This is a glacier lake and as you turn the bend you come face-to-face with the Portage Glacier. Definitely include this on your tour!! We lucked as the weather was phenomenal and the guide told us that 8 out of 10 days it rains at this lake as you are actually in a temperate rain forest. The pics below do not do it justice, the face of the glacier is actually 300 feet tall. The lake has a bluish hue from all the silt and nothing lives in the lake because no photosynthesis can take place because of the silt. AMAZING !! The glacier "calved" as we were there, this means pieces of it break off and fall into the lake. Never seen anything like it.

• Off to Denali today and if anything like yesterday I can't wait !!

My Trip to Alaska Saturday Travel Day 1 June 27th Saturday

While this is mostly a political blog I did want to capture my trip to Alaska.

• Got up about 4am in Norfolk, Virginia. My flight was at 6:30am from Norfolk International Airport but was having trouble sleeping and if you ever sign up for a flight from Orbitz they call you and notify you of flight updates. In my case, they called me at 3am-- Geeze , thanks guys :)
• Got to airport about 5:15am and it was packed. Where is this huge recession they keep talking about, I know we are in one but people are still jamming the airports. By the time I checked my one bag and got through security (they took my carry-on toothpaste, deodorant and shaving cream - I had carried them with me because I thought they would lose my luggage but I forgot you can only carry a certain size -- Oh well :) ) it was about 6:10am.
• Went to my gate and it looked like I had plenty of time so I took my laptop around the corner and started sending out twitter messages http://twitter.com/billster
• Walked back to the gate about 6:20am and I didn't see anyone boarding for my flight to JFK, so I sat down.
• About 6:35am I noticed that people were boarding and I walked to the gate and saw that this was the flight to DETROIT. I calmly asked about the flight to NYC-JFK and they said that it had already LEFT !!! THAT's right I had missed my flight :( ... I mean aren't they supposed to call out your name or something, anyway I can only blame myself. So I then ask the Delta lady what am i supposed to do. She says, "Hold on and I will rebook you." At the same time, I am speaking with a lady who works for the airlines and is also trying to get to JFK and she says I will be lucky to get to NYC today because it seems all flights are booked.. OH NO!! I haven't even started and already I am messing up.
• So this huge sinking feeling comes over me as I watch the Delta rep typing away at the computer, thinking I will not be able to get out until tomorrow and I will miss my tour of Anchorage scheduled for Sunday.
• GOOD NEWS -- after about 15 minutes she says she was able to rebook me through Atlanta and I then have a direct flight to Anchorage arriving only 45 minutes later than my intended route!!! I'd like to thank this Delta person as she did a great JOB!!
• Flight leaves Norfolk about 9:30am and arrives in ATL about 10:45am. I have a layover till 2:50 PM. Get a bite to eat at Dominos and I buy Glenn Beck's new book -- Common Sense.
• We leave ontime and of course I get the middle seat on a 767, in the middle row that is between two other folks :). Right before flight, they move the guy to the right of me up to first class so I move over and we have an extra seat between me and another lady :) YEAH MORE SPACE .. I start talking to this lady and find out she is originally from South Africa and is coming back to Anchorage which is now her home. I feel bad for complaining because she has just had a 16 hour Journey from Johannesburg. Anyway, we talk for awhile and she is super-nice and tells me all about sites to see in Anchorage. I watch the movie "Gran-Torino" (great movie btw) and start reading Beck's book.. excellent book as well !!
• Arrive in Anchorage at 6:30pm local time. The views from the plane are phenomenal as I am standing up in the aisle trying to look out the window.. Snow-covered mountains and glaciers.. definitely a different world up here. We land at the South Terminal and when the pilot announces we are in Anchorage, people start clapping.. pretty cool and my feelings exactly :) See some of the pics above that I took at the South Terminal. Click on the last pic and see Sarah's message to the troops
• Since my bag went out on the JFK flight that I missed I find out that, that flight arrived at the North Terminal so I have to take a shuttle over to this new terminal -- named: Ted Stevens International Airport (you know the senator that they stole the election from on bogus charges :)
• My bag is actually still on the conveyor belt so I luck out once again!!
• I used the informational kiosk to call the Days Inn and they tell me the shuttle is right out front by the Taxis, so I venture out front and of course it is not there :) BTW: Temperature is 53 degrees with rain :)
• I call Days Inn and eventually about 15 minutes later get picked up by the shuttle. The driver is in the Army and works part-time for the Hotel.. One other passenger is with us, some guy from New York who is up here for kayaking. Driver makes a joke about "why do you think the flags are at half-mast?" He says, because of Michael Jackson (this was a sad story no matter your viewpoint) and then says "no not really, they are really that way because a troop got killed in Afghanistan and Sarah had them lowered" That sounds like the Gov, being a huge supporter of the troops.
• Arrive at hotel , finally, about 8pm and check-in. This Days Inn is ok, a little shady but OK :)
• About 8:30 pm I go to a Mexican restaurant behind the Hotel called La Cabana -- Have two beef burritos and a Tecate beer. The waitress actually says, "You-betcha" I thought that was funny
• Back to hotel and go to bed about 10pm. I watch some local Tourist channel that has some good info about Alaska including the 1964 Good Friday earthquake.. Note: the alarm clock goes off at midnight much to my chagrin and the girls in the adjacent room seem to talk all night :)
• Wake up at 4am, I think because of the time change and start typing this blog. So that brings me up to date. I have a Anchorage tour today starting at 8:30am from the Hilton .. CAN"T WAIT !!

Alaska Tomorrow

Hello Everyone,

Tomorrow I head to the Last Frontier, the land of the midnight Sun, Alaska. While I have always wanted to go, I became more interested when John McCain picked Sarah Palin for his VP. She inspired me to become more involved in politics and my hope is she chooses to run in 2012. I will be staying in Anchorage but visiting Denail and WASILLA, Sarah's hometown. Stay tuned to this blog as I will be adding daily updates.

NORTH TO ALASKA, NORTH THE MAN MUST GO :)