Hi Everyone,

We had an unbelievable adventure this summer.  We left June 22nd for Alaska and returned July 20th!  We took a cruise, land tour, and then stayed in Ketchikan with friends for just under 2 weeks.  We traveled with family--Gary's sister, LuAnn and her husband Rich--the greatest travel companions you could ever ask for! 

Our land and sea tour map.  From Denali we went up to Fairbanks (not shown on the map).

See the map of the North America below.  You can see how big Alaska is in comparison to the rest of the United States.  One of the ongoing themes throughout our trip was:  "Texans think their state is big!  Alaska is big!"

THE LAST FRONTIER*

"Some people say there are no more frontiers to explore without leaving the planet.  But they're forgetting Alaska." *

"Alaska--the Great Land, the Last Frontier--more than 580,000 square miles (1.5 million sq. km) that taunted early explorers and still challenges modern-day researchers.  America's 49th state is so broad, so unpeopled, and so roadies that small airplanes are more common than cabs in other states.  The are more private pilots than truck drivers and cabbies combined.  Men outnumber women (although women have coined the phrase--"The odds are good but the goods are odd").  The population numbers just over 700,000 almost half of whom live in one city, Anchorage.  Nearly the entire state is raw, wondrous wilderness." *

"Alaska has lush rain-drenched forests and fragile windswept tundras.  There are lofty mountains, still-active volcanoes, and spectacular glaciers, as well as 3 million lakes and endless swamps.  No one person has ever seen it all, and no one person ever will." *

We've traveled to many, many places around the world and no place in our travels has ever captured our wild and adventurous spirits and love of the nature as much as Alaska.  

So glad you've stopped by!  

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."  --Edward Abbey
 

Check out BLOG 3--ALASKA:  VANCOUVER AND SETTING SAIL!

Love,

Ellie and Gary

*Excerpts above from:  Insight Guides Alaska, Discover Channel book.

Want more information on Alaska:  https://www.travelalaska.com or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska