North to Alaska (Denali Flightseeing Trip)

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear for our float plane trip to Denali! We arrived at Rust’s Flying Service a little after noon, purchased our tickets, and met our pilot Justin. Flights were coming and going pretty regularly from the Lake Hood Seaplane Base where Rust’s is located–hunters and fishers heading out to remote cabins, backpackers…

North To Alaska (State Fair & Back to Anchorage)

Woke up Saturday morning with the Alaska State Fair right across from our hotel. The Noisy Goose was next door, so we breakfasted there. Full of locals and fair-goers, The Noisy Goose was definitely noisy, but the food was very good. We even tried reindeer sausage, which was fine (tasted like sausage).   Drove around Palmer a bit…

Way Up North To Alaska (Denali & Fairbanks)

It was a hairy bear, it was a scary bear; we beat a hasty retreat from its lair… — Schoolhouse Rock; “Adjectives” We left Anchorage mid-morning and headed north-ish through the Chugach Mountains toward Denali. It was misty and moisty, with lots of clouds and occasional drizzle. The countryside was still beautiful, though.    Passed through Wasilla; nice…

Way Up North To Alaska (Anchorage)

So, having arrived in Anchorage, we set out to explore the city:  It’s a beautiful city, and about half of the state’s 600,000 residents live there. It was the end of the tourist season, but still warm (light jacket weather) and full of bright flowers, pocket parks, and interesting “stuff” like this vibrant mural on…

Way Up North (to Alaska)…Intro

Almost two years ago, we started talking about ways we’d like to celebrate my upcoming 40th birthday, my brother-in-law’s 5oth birthday, my graduation from grad school, and my sister’s and her husband’s (the same one with the birthday) 20th anniversary–all of which were happening at various dates in 2009. We finally decided to go “way…