Alaska! July 2018

Summer vacation 2018. We took Granny to her 50th and most anticipated state. With a long layover in Seattle, we were able to enjoy some coffee, eat some mexican in Pike Place Market and watch the famous fish tossing. After a few hours in Seattle we continued on to Anchorage. Leaving Anchorage the following morning we enjoyed incredible views the entire drive to Seward. First stop along the way was near Girdwood in Chugach National Forest. Here our 5 mile hike along Lower Winner Trail included a hand tram across Glacier Creek. Next stop was at Byron Glacier with a walk that let us play around the snow fields and ice caves. Finished the day with an amazing dinner with a new friend, Boone the stray cat, at The Salmon Bake in Seward. The next day included a Granny and Nela morning while Kate and Andy went kayaking in Resurrection Bay. Afternoon included a short visit to Exit Glacier followed by a dinner cruise to Fox Island. We saw lots of wildlife including bald eagles, harbor porpoise, a humpback whale, puffins, a mountain goat, and sea otters. The next day we drove to Talkeetna to take a small plane through the Alaskan Range and up around Denali. Besides Denali, the landing on Ruth Glacier, and subsequent snowangel, were two highlights of an amazing trip. We then drove up to Healy to stay in Granny’s (and our) happy place, Earthsong Lodge. Our cabin overlooked the Alaskan Range and included a dog kennel on site. The next day was our only rainy day in Alaska and created a lush, mystical atmosphere for our hike along the Savage River in Denali National Park. The following morning, we added one more hike along the Mt Vista Trail in Denali before making our way back to Anchorage for the flight home. Short and sweet, Alaska was breathtaking and truly worthy of a return visit to enjoy more of its rugged natural beauty!