| Let me just start by
saying "Brrrrrrrrrr" OK that's not fair, "Brr" OK we were there in
August and wasn't really that cold, but just the thought of it. Alaska!
Home of my brother Rob and family, a plethora of wildlife, and I think
Tina Fey lives there somewhere near the Russian border.
And some nice scenery.
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| We
set out from Fairbanks with Rob, Mary Beth, Avery (pictured twice cause
she's so dog gone cute), Riley, Coleman, Julia and I, and my folks. I
have no idea who the guy in red is. |
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| First stop, Denali.
Beautiful mountain vistas... |
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| ...dangerous predators... |
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| ...and this really weird
green light shooting up out of the ground. |
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"Hey there, folks, happy to see ya!"
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After a swing through Anchorage, we
headed south for a loop around the Kenai peninsula. Homer, Kenai,
Sterling, Whittier. |
| Along the way we saw a
few glaciers... |
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And even climbed up beside one to
this wicked cool ice cave. |
| In Homer we
saw big ships, big mountains, quaint shops... |
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...a Native American center... |
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| ...some rewee
rewee cute aminals... |
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| ...and
generally spectacular scenery. Except for the 2 days we each, in turn
got violently ill, it was pretty awesome. We prefer to block that part
of the trip out from our memories. |
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| Above is a
panorama of the Homer bay (yeah, the pix is really small, sorry).
From Whittier we departed by Ferry across the
iceberg laden Prince William sound to Valdez. |
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| Valdez is
incredible. We hiked and explored its many splendors. If at this point
you're expecting a wise crack, forget it. Valdez rocks. |
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| From Valdez
east to the Wrangle-St. Elias National Park. A park so big you could fit
6 Yellowstones inside it. (6 Yellowstone National parks that is. You
could fit 6 yellow stones in my driveway). |
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| We then made
our way back up the Fairbanks, stopping to see the sights, Santa at the
North Pole... |
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...the pipeline... |
| ...and an impromptu
father-son fishing stop. |
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| Those are some whoppers
boys. |
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| Back in Fairbanks, the
children temporarily went insane...
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...we watched a sea plane take off
in the river next to where we were eating dinner... |
| ...it got REALLY cold for
a short time (inside a freezer designed to let you feel 40 below
zero)... |
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This left everyone really tired. |
| So we spent the remainder
of our time kicking back and relaxing.
But alas, we had to get home to North Carolina
before sunset (that happens in November), so off we went.
Thanks to our hosts for a special vacation and a
great family visit. |
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