For some reason these photos uploaded backwards, but no one will know but Jared and I. The story of this trip is that we finally scheduled a get away together and we wanted it to be a great adventure. Out last trip together was checking out law schools in 2008. With Covid going out of the country would be challenging and also make it too long to be away from the kids. Neither of us were excited about a Caribbean or Mexico destination, but Alaska sounded amazing. Jared was able to use Delta miles for the flights, but no hotel points where we needed to stay. Alaska is a little too remote for Hilton hotels, but credit card points covered everything anyway. That way we didn't have to feel like we were being extravagant, but we got to do the coolest things we could think of. Part of enjoying the trip was planning and preparing and we looked at lots of websites and blogs and and then booked our activities and accommodations. In order to get a rental car despite the shortages, we flew into Fairbanks. Most of Alaska's tourist attractions are near Anchorage, so this added a lot of driving time for us but we were also able to see Denali National Park. After our flight landed in Fairbanks we drove for 20 minutes to the neighboring city of North Pole! Santa and Mrs. Claus were available to greet guests near their workshop and Christmas shop. We spent our first full day hiking in the area along the 25 mile road near the entrance to Denali Park. Special buses are required to go further. I was also excited to see the sled dogs. The kids took turns staying with Grandmas and cousins and we had a few photos of them having fun while we were gone. On day 2 we drove for 6+ hours to Anchorage, took a rainy hike to a waterfall and then went to a museum waiting for the rain to die down. The next outing was one of my favorites. We rented bikes and cruised around the coastal trail. We looked for wildlife along the way and saw a plane take off a hundred yards from the trail. It was beautiful and exhilarating. The young man at the rental shop said he was starting school at U of U in the fall. He recommended the reindeer hot dog at the shop next door for dinner. ;) The long days of sunlight helped us squeeze in all the exploring and driving we wanted to do. And cell service in the cities was fairly good and we were able to check in with the kids regularly. Our next accomodations were in Aleska near ski resort. We woke early for a hike to Portage Glacier, and drove through Whittier Tunnel. The Aleska tram was on my bucket list but it didn't end up being great weather, and the crowds was a deterrent as well. We enjoyed the bison chili at the top anyway. From there we drove to Seward. We were now in the temperate rain forest with frequent rain and so much lush vegetation. Alaska is so vast with varied climates! At the same time, we were visiting glaciers, Michael and Jordan were able to hike the glacier at Mt. Timpanogos with Chad, Spencer, and Soren. This was when they planned to be in Israel with grandparents and the Harston family. when those plans were derailed by Covid travel requirements, Chad invited them for a backpacking trip instead. We drove to Exit glacier in Seward and saw the effects of warming over the last century. The next day was our cruise in Resurrection bay inside the gulf of Alaska. We saw a glacier up close and lots of wildlife and then stopped at Fox island for a yummy dinner. The next day was so rainy but we went sea kayaking with Sunny Cove. Our outing was cut short by the high waves and heavy rain, but we did it! brrr! I was very nervous about being cold and wet, but their gear kept us dry. We left to Soldotna and found our very rustic cabin with a leaky roof and eccentric host. We were up by 3 or 4 am to meet our fishing guide at a remote spot along the Kenai river. I wore every layer of clothes I had in my suitcase as well as the waders and boots, but was still frozen standing in the water for hours. My favorite part of fishing was watching the adult and juvenile eagles in the wild. Taking home bags of fresh Salmon fillets was amazing as well. This outing was on Jared's bucket list, and I went along, but ended up being pretty successful at the flossing technique. Most of our meals at this point of the trip consisted of the hummus and guacamole we brought through security as well as bars, chips, veggies and fruit. The grocery store yielded sausage, bread and cheese, treats and a can of beans. We enjoyed seeing the Russian and native american influences through out the state. On our last day of travel we stopped for church in Anchorage near the temple and then drove north to Fairbanks. 8+ hours. We listened to some good talks and read. We stopped in Talkeetna for a nice hike and saw a few viewpoints of Denali. At the airport we tried to sleep for a couple hours and then caught a red-eye to arrive home at 6 am! That was a huge summary but such an amazing trip to remember.
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