2012 July 6-20 Alaska Land and Cruise Adventure Review with LOTS of photos!

[dsw39]

LOL - I did wear it several times - but I seemed to always have to set too high, or too low. One of these days I'll buy one and figure it out. We live just a bit outside Charlotte, NC. Where are you all from - I see you've got a lot of cruises under your belt!:D

 

L.J.

 

Hi Walleye: Loved seeing your pictures of your Alaska cruise. Where is outside Charlotte? We live on Lake Wylie just across the border. We are sailing a b2b in Alaska the end of August. Haven't sailed there in 10 years and find it looks like quite a change. We are sailing to Whittier and back. I bought a Sony camcorder today to record the whales in Icy Strait. They say they see around 70 whales per tour along with many other sealife, eagles and bears on the island.

Dave

[WalleyeLJ]

We got off about a block or so from the upper entrance to Creek Street. There are several pretty flower plantings in this part of town, a tribute to the short but intense growing season, and LOTs of rain.. Looking up on the hillside, the funicular up tot he Cape Fox Lodge was heading up the hillside, so I grabbed a quick shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way across the road to the entry bridge to historic Creek Street. An easy way to find it if you're in this part of town is to look for the VERY tall totem pole that dominates the view in this area...it's got to be 50 feet or so tall...there's a small parking lot right behind the pole, and the access bridge is off to one corner of the little parking lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the totem pole is bridge that marks the entry way across the creek. The area was once the red light district for Ketchikan, right up until the 1950s. Some of the legends we've heard of the area include that during Prohibition, people would smuggle alcohol in small boats under the pilings holding up many of the buildings, and the hoist the liquor up through trap doors and into the establishments above! These two shots below were taken on our 2009 trip, but I wanted to add them since I didn't get any of the entrance this trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the far side of the creek is a boardwalk that runs north and up into the trees. It's a recreation of the "Married Man's Trail", which was the unobtrusive way that the betrothed made their way down to the brothels...back in the day.... Here's a shot of the creek and the boardwalk right at the start of the bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Straight across the bridge, here's a view of the first few shops in what is now primarily shopping area of varied types, some just t-shirts and souvenirs, others featuring local artists featuring an assortment of mediums.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boardwalk of Creek Street runs along the far side of the creek in a large semi-circle arc, and as we go I'll keep up the tour and photos to give you an idea of what the loop looks like.

 

 

 

L.J.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Here's to hoping Tony gets back on top this year!!! These are a few of my favorite photos I've been able to get of Tony and the #14 the last few years...

 

Since you're such a big Tony Stewart fan, you'd be in 7th heaven if you worked where I do. Due to our contractual relationship with Office Depot, they hold an annual event with Tony every year. This year, he came to our office for a meet and greet Q&A session and autographs. I took my son's #14 ballcap for him to sign and he was very impressed because I was the only one with a TS item :)....everyone else got an autograph on a standard photo he had stacked next to him.

 

Last year, Office Depot gave us several VIP tickets to his race at TMS (Texas Motor Speedway) complete with hospitality tent, pit tour, M&G with Tony, and tickets to the race in great seats and those special headphones w/ monitor. I'm not a NASCAR fan (note my avatar :) and a huge Cowboys fan) so I gave my son the 2 tickets I got. He was on cloud 9!! Yes, I'm the coolest mom on earth...just ask him. :D

 

Here's a very bad picture taken with my droid phone of one of Tony's cars that sat in front of our building all day. One of his crew was stationed by the car all day to answer questions. Really nice guy!

 

 

[allzcwbyfan]

Fellow Tony fan here too and live in DFW-Rowlett and am OH SO jealous of you. Would love to work there. What a cool treat for you guys. Thanks for the pic think it turned out great but u did have great material. lol ;)

[WalleyeLJ]

Hello to all this is a good chat we have here now the big question.. what to pack I see a lot of diffrent ideas... We do plan on doing a few glacier tours a lot of walking and maybe some atv pre cruise and than who knows what on the cruise... Whats the must pack items.. And light weight boots or no boots..

I see a lot of people just wear sneakers... for the whole trip Please post some comments

Thanks

Justin

Justin,

 

We did purchase lightweight Keen waterproof boots before our first trip in 2009, and wore them extensively on both trips. That said, most of the time on the ship I wear sneakers. We got the boots because we mostly choose excursions that are outside & active, so while we've been fortunate to have very little rain on our two trips, we likely would have been unhappy watching whales in Junaue if it was rainy for the whole trip with wet feet:). Depending on what you end up doing, you can certainly get some less expensive wetproof shoes, or just skip the idea altogether.

In terms of other clothes, we take two pairs of lightweight thermal bottoms for glacier watching and kayaking, and two pairs of fleece pants. A couple three pairs of casual outddors pants (lightweight, water resistant, convertible to shorts - just in case!). A couple pairs of long sleeved thermal or 100% polyester wicking tops, a bunch of wicking athletic t-shirts, a couple of fleece tops, a windblock fleece jacket, wind/waterproof lightweight shell, some lightweight gloves and a light winter cap. We bring rain pants each time (they don't weigh much at all), but we've only worn them when on our kayaking excursions.

While we enjoy formal nights enough in the Caribbean, we are of the school which doesn't embrace formal nights in Alaska, so we just carry a couple of casual outfits for dinner. This time I just wore my black sneakers instead of bringin my dress shoes along as well. Our choices aren't for everyone, but we aren't alone with enjoying the casual life while in Alaska.

Hope that helps!

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Hi Walleye: Loved seeing your pictures of your Alaska cruise. Where is outside Charlotte? We live on Lake Wylie just across the border. We are sailing a b2b in Alaska the end of August. Haven't sailed there in 10 years and find it looks like quite a change. We are sailing to Whittier and back. I bought a Sony camcorder today to record the whales in Icy Strait. They say they see around 70 whales per tour along with many other sealife, eagles and bears on the island.

Dave

 

Hey Dave,

We're north of the Charlotte in Concord. We would LOVE to run a B2B to Alaska, but I'm guessing that'll be a few years away for us:rolleyes:. We're all in right now for a two week land tour in 2015. Just curious - what looks like it's changed? Are you stopping in ISP? If you do, I would HIGHLY recomend taking a whale wathcing trip there. If not, try to get one (or two, or three) in Juneau. While the boat operators have to legally maintain a minimum distance, we have totally witnessed whales decide they wanted a closer look, and there isn't a good way to describe the sound and sensation of hearing a 50 foot humpback exhale within easy hearing distance. You'll have a blast with the camcorder. While I obviously take a lot of photos, Bev does a lot of video recording on our travels - I haven't even started working on that yet:D!

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Since you're such a big Tony Stewart fan, you'd be in 7th heaven if you worked where I do. Due to our contractual relationship with Office Depot, they hold an annual event with Tony every year. This year, he came to our office for a meet and greet Q&A session and autographs. I took my son's #14 ballcap for him to sign and he was very impressed because I was the only one with a TS item :)....everyone else got an autograph on a standard photo he had stacked next to him.

 

Last year, Office Depot gave us several VIP tickets to his race at TMS (Texas Motor Speedway) complete with hospitality tent, pit tour, M&G with Tony, and tickets to the race in great seats and those special headphones w/ monitor. I'm not a NASCAR fan (note my avatar :) and a huge Cowboys fan) so I gave my son the 2 tickets I got. He was on cloud 9!! Yes, I'm the coolest mom on earth...just ask him. :D

 

Here's a very bad picture taken with my droid phone of one of Tony's cars that sat in front of our building all day. One of his crew was stationed by the car all day to answer questions. Really nice guy!

 

Di,

 

Very cool - any picture of Smoke's ride is a great photo! Bev will be at TMS Superbowl weekend. She's actually works for NASCAR, and she'll be there for a work event. That's how I'm lucky enought to get into a couple of races each year. The Stewart/Haas race shop is about 2.5 miles from our house, and working for one of the cities its located in, I was able to go to their offices when the city threw a party for the team and take photos of the event in an official capacity. Only downside was that Tony wasn't actually there:). Here's shot I got of Smoke at the 2007 Nextel Cup awards dinner in New York City. We were in the upper deck, but it was still awesome to be there. David Spade hosted, and Kelly Clarkson was the entertainment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

FYI, I'm a born and raised New Englander that loves all my Boston sports teams, but I was pulling for the Rangers to win it all the last two post seasons!

 

 

L.J.

[dsw39]

Hey Dave,

 

We're north of the Charlotte in Concord. We would LOVE to run a B2B to Alaska, but I'm guessing that'll be a few years away for us:rolleyes:. We're all in right now for a two week land tour in 2015. Just curious - what looks like it's changed? Are you stopping in ISP? If you do, I would HIGHLY recomend taking a whale wathcing trip there. If not, try to get one (or two, or three) in Juneau. While the boat operators have to legally maintain a minimum distance, we have totally witnessed whales decide they wanted a closer look, and there isn't a good way to describe the sound and sensation of hearing a 50 foot humpback exhale within easy hearing distance. You'll have a blast with the camcorder. While I obviously take a lot of photos, Bev does a lot of video recording on our travels - I haven't even started working on that yet:D!

 

L.J.

 

Hi Walleye: Where is ISP? We went whale watching in Juneau last time! The tour was ok but the whales were not cooperative. I bought the camcorder to insure I get pictures of the whales. In the past when I tried to focus my still camera, the whale was gone. We will be taking a cruise from Whittier to visit the glaciers in Prince William Sound. We have been lucky in the last 10 years to have traveled from Alaska to Cape Horn to cover the Americas. Been three times to the Western Med, once to the Eastern Med and Northern Europe. All have been fantastic vacations.

Dave

[Jdfireman]

Thanks LJ

We plan on doing as much as we can this trip is the spare no expense trip lol or i hope it is.. Its just so hard to figure out what to do with so many good reviews and tours.

I am pounding my head trying to find a Bear tour that will take two people not to much fun.

I like how the misses has the Gopro backpack on carrying the cameras lol

 

Well back to planning

Still need to figure out Juneau's free day

and Icy Straight Point

 

the rest is coming together

 

Have a safe day back to playing fireman in the cold

[WalleyeLJ]

Hi Walleye: Where is ISP? We went whale watching in Juneau last time! The tour was ok but the whales were not cooperative. I bought the camcorder to insure I get pictures of the whales. In the past when I tried to focus my still camera, the whale was gone. We will be taking a cruise from Whittier to visit the glaciers in Prince William Sound. We have been lucky in the last 10 years to have traveled from Alaska to Cape Horn to cover the Americas. Been three times to the Western Med, once to the Eastern Med and Northern Europe. All have been fantastic vacations.

Dave

 

Hey Dave,

Sorry - ISP is short for Icy Straight Point. It's located on the north edge of Chichagof Island about halfway along the NE edge of the island directly on Icy Straight. It's about 40 air miles form Juneau. We saw tons of whlaes this past July on our two trips out of Juneau. Maybe 6-10 different whales, but some of them we saw many times.

Things like the whales are one of the reasons why I like and carry my big DSLRs. While many point & shoot digital cameras take excellent photos of still objects/landscapes, they lag behind the DSLRs in terms of response and focus time for things like whales and eagles. The thing that can really help is pre focusing ahead of the whales. Once they surface, they'll usually follow the same path & directions for several cycles until they sound and come up somewhere else. If you pick the right spot, then all you have to do shoot when the whales come up. Easier said than done, especially if the waters aren't calm:D, but with a little time and practice, it works more often than not.

Our travels have been limited to the Caribbean and Alaska so far, but Europe and the Med, and Africa and Zew Zealand & Australia are all on the to do list!

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Thanks LJ

We plan on doing as much as we can this trip is the spare no expense trip lol or i hope it is.. Its just so hard to figure out what to do with so many good reviews and tours.

I am pounding my head trying to find a Bear tour that will take two people not to much fun.

I like how the misses has the Gopro backpack on carrying the cameras lol

 

Well back to planning

Still need to figure out Juneau's free day

and Icy Straight Point

 

the rest is coming together

 

Have a safe day back to playing fireman in the cold

 

Justin,

I hope you had a quiet day firefighting today. Remind me again when exactly you're going? Icy Straight Point IS an option for bear viewing, depending on the time of year. I've also heard of some folsk taking bear trips out of Juneau, but more common out of Ketchikan. You COULD whale watcha AND bear watch in ISP. It would be a full day, but it is an option.

Glacier trekking and/or glacier dog sledding is very popular withs folks visiting Juneau. The tram up Mt. Roberts is popular - IF the weather is clear;).

Good luck with the rest of the plans!

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

We like Creek Street for a variety of reasons, one of them being the pretty creek flowing between the colorful buildings. The water is very clear, so you can see into the water really well. May was too early for salmon our first trip up, so we were hoping to see the creek stacked full of salmon since it was early to mid July. My Dad, always the fisherman, was on the lookout for some. He swore he saw a whole bunch in the water, so I went over to check it out myself...for once I was on the other end of the camera...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, with the help of polarized sunglasses (not pictured, but even an inexpensive pair will greatly reduce the glare on the water's surface), I was able to see...

 

 

nothing....

 

 

 

Despite my Dad's confidence, I watch for a good period of time, and nary a salmon, or sea otter, or krill swam by. But, he was happy to "see" the fish, so I was happy for him!

 

As I mentioned before, history is a big part of Creek Street. As you walk through the area, there are a number of historical markers/plaques/displays along the way that tell some of the stories of the area. Here's a story of one of the more colorful real life characters that called Creek Street home:

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the first stores you encounter entering Creek Street this way sells all sorts of Ray Troll gift items, particularly t-shirst. Troll is a local artist that has created an amazing number of uniquely Alaska art, with lots of witty and sometimes suggestive double entendre(warning - potentially offensive - but some very funny - - examples below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've gotten a shirt each time there. Lots of fun, and something different than the piles of generic t-shirts that you'll find in every port. Plus, they put the artwork on lots of other items as well if you're not a t-shirt collector!

 

 

 

Now on with the visual tour! Below are three shots continuing the views down along the creek...

 

 

 

Foreground left...The Halibut Hole restaurant. We haven't been there, but very good reviews on Trip Advisor and Yelp...

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit further down the creek...including famous Dolly's House (the green one)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that's it for the night! We're planning on catching a movie tomorrow night, so I may not get to post again until Friday or Saturday...

 

 

 

L.J.

[allzcwbyfan]

AH THE HIPPY HAIRED TONY LOL. I am so glad he got out of the phase. But like you said any pic of Tony or his ride- think u said ride lol but I love either or both so that is great.

[Jdfireman]

Grest pics Well it brings me to my last question about photos. Do you shoot it all in RAW or do you use large setting. So many differnt ideas on it.. Let me know because you have been there I have now been JD

[Hard-habit-to-break]

Finally caught up on this review, what an amazng adventure.

 

We are planning our first trip to Alaska, hoping for sometime around August 2014. Going to cost us a fortune the way we are planning, but hey, why not!!

 

Plan is to fly from Australia up to Vancouver or somewhere, spend a week doing a land tour, then 7 night cruise, possibly hang around somewhere for a few days and then a long cruise back to Australia via Hawaii.

 

Very excited, even more so after reading such a wonderful review with fantastic photos. Really makes you feel like you were right there, along for the ride.

 

Thankyou for taking the time to do this, there are many many people who appreciate it!

 

Kirrarne

[WalleyeLJ]

AH THE HIPPY HAIRED TONY LOL. I am so glad he got out of the phase. But like you said any pic of Tony or his ride- think u said ride lol but I love either or both so that is great.

 

 

LOL - yes, I'm glad the 80s mobster mullet is gone too! I'm getting use to the #14, but in my mind he'll always be #20...

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Grest pics Well it brings me to my last question about photos. Do you shoot it all in RAW or do you use large setting. So many differnt ideas on it.. Let me know because you have been there I have now been JD

 

 

JD,

I posted on the photo forum on this very question before I left. I have no issue or will to argue with folks who shoot RAW, but I shoot Large/Fine JPEG 99.99% of the time. If they make RAW files work in camera like JPEGs, with a baseline group of settings that will give you a "developed" RAW file out of the camera, they then would have the extra lattitude of a RAW file, I would consider it. On the other hand, our first trip to Alaska, I shot RAW + Large JPEG, and the file size for RAW was 5 to 9 times the size per image. That would leave me coming home with a couple three hundred GIGABYTES of photos (I shot 13,000 in 2 weeks last July - they add up quick a 8fps shooting bears, whales & eagles)). Plus all the time to run them through processing. I've sold over 5,000 JPEG photos through an online stock site, plus I've printed 20x30 prints on my JEPGs, and they look fine. So...no RAW for me yet!

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Finally caught up on this review, what an amazng adventure.

 

We are planning our first trip to Alaska, hoping for sometime around August 2014. Going to cost us a fortune the way we are planning, but hey, why not!!

 

Plan is to fly from Australia up to Vancouver or somewhere, spend a week doing a land tour, then 7 night cruise, possibly hang around somewhere for a few days and then a long cruise back to Australia via Hawaii.

 

Very excited, even more so after reading such a wonderful review with fantastic photos. Really makes you feel like you were right there, along for the ride.

 

Thankyou for taking the time to do this, there are many many people who appreciate it!

 

Kirrarne

 

Kirrarne,

 

Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad they've helped heighten the anticipation for your trip. Similar post before our trips to Alaska certainly helped give me ideas, pass the time more quickly, and certainly help build the anticipation before leaving.

I'm jealous of your schedule. It seems that the rest of the world has a better approach to vacationing/holidays. So many folks I've seen post on here from Australia, and other countries around the world, are able to take 3-4 weeks to take a trip, or even more. It's just not possible within the American work culture, at least for the vast majority of people. Taking two weeks last summer for our trip was the most I've ever taken, and likely will be until I retire - assuming we can afford it then:D.

Australia and New Zealand are on my bucket list, but I don't see it happening for another 25-30 years or so since I can't see making that trip for less than 2-3 weeks at least...

Have a great time planning your epic adventure - for me its often half the fun!

L.J.

[Hard-habit-to-break]

Thanyou LJ!

 

Everything has certainly been an eye opener for us - we didn't realise the American's often had a maximum of 2 weeks off. For us, we get 4 weeks a year, fairly standard, if you work full time. Plus, have been in my job for over 10 years, so acruing Long Service Leave - which is currently sitting at 75 days ontop of my annual leave, so we are very very lucky.

 

I love planning, I find it is more than half the fun of the actual trip and get withdrawal symptoms when I have either finished planning or we return from our trip - unless we have another one planned.

 

We didn't think we would be able to be away for 6+ weeks, not with working full time, but looks like we may be able to do it - with alot of budgeting to get the $$ together. If it isn't 2014, definitely 2015. If we are going to do it, going to do it completely, not only part of it.

[WalleyeLJ]

After checking out the Troll shop and getting my obligatory t-shirt, we continued to make our way down the boardwalk, taking in the sights and checking out the shopping opportunities. This part of Creek Street has had good deals on cheap souvenirs and clothing both times we've passed buy, and I can ALWAYS use another shirt!

 

 

 

Cape Fox Lodge Funicular Entrance (left)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bargain Shopping Area!

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's Bev checking out up on the hillside? Is it a bird, is it a plane, is it a funicular???

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it WAS a bird - a Red-tailed Hawk!

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and I DID check out the funicular... a little closer look than the bus stop...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you get a chance to take the ride, it's a lot of fun. The lodge is neat, good food, some totem poles around the back, and it's ALOT cheaper than the Mt. Roberts tram in Juneau (of course, 211 ft or so is a little bit less than the 1,800 ft + of the tram)!

 

 

 

L.J.

[basser]

Walleye

In 2009 My wife, our grandson and I rented an RV and did 11 days in Alaska. We had booked Hallo Bay with Smokey Bay Air out of Homer, but because of weather we went to Lake Clark instead. It was one of the highlights of my life (and I am 71) being that close to those magnificant creatures. We also took a flight over Denali which was another of my greatest experiences. While my pictures arent the quality of yours I think they are pretty good fo ra point shoot super zoom. If you or anybody wants to check them out they are at in 4 albums titled Alaska by RV. We are going back in 2015 (if I live that long).

[WalleyeLJ]

Thanyou LJ!

 

Everything has certainly been an eye opener for us - we didn't realise the American's often had a maximum of 2 weeks off. For us, we get 4 weeks a year, fairly standard, if you work full time. Plus, have been in my job for over 10 years, so acruing Long Service Leave - which is currently sitting at 75 days ontop of my annual leave, so we are very very lucky.

 

I love planning, I find it is more than half the fun of the actual trip and get withdrawal symptoms when I have either finished planning or we return from our trip - unless we have another one planned.

 

We didn't think we would be able to be away for 6+ weeks, not with working full time, but looks like we may be able to do it - with alot of budgeting to get the $$ together. If it isn't 2014, definitely 2015. If we are going to do it, going to do it completely, not only part of it.

 

Well, over time (often 10+ years), depending on where you work, you can get 3, 4 or after 20+ years 5 weeks each year in some cases. The difference is, while you might be fortunate enough to get it, the 2 week mark is usually the limit on what people feel they can take, or are allowed to take, without getting in trouble or even losing their job. Plus, I have NEVER heard of Long Service Leave - but I love the idea! I guess another parallel in the States is that in some companies or government jobs, you can rollever and build a "bank" of vacation hours, sometimes 3-5 more weeks (15-25 days), plus what you get annually, but again trying to take a big chunk of that time at once almost never happens. Unfortunately it seems money is a universal problem!

I go through the SAME withdrawal issue once the trip is over! I think that's why I put some much time into this review - it helps ease the pain:D! Plus, I'm back to watching Alaska tv shows and documentaries, and starting to think about options for Alaska 2015!

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Walleye

In 2009 My wife, our grandson and I rented an RV and did 11 days in Alaska. We had booked Hallo Bay with Smokey Bay Air out of Homer, but because of weather we went to Lake Clark instead. It was one of the highlights of my life (and I am 71) being that close to those magnificant creatures. We also took a flight over Denali which was another of my greatest experiences. While my pictures arent the quality of yours I think they are pretty good fo ra point shoot super zoom. If you or anybody wants to check them out they are at in 4 albums titled Alaska by RV. We are going back in 2015 (if I live that long).

 

Basser,

What an awesome trip you all had! Don't sell yourself short on the photos - they're great! We're Sumgmug people too - we've got two sites! I never thought of being able to photograph climbers on Denali. How was the flight? If you read the early part of the review you know I'm NOT a super fan of flying - especially in small planes without pontoons:). I got both a little sick and excited checking out the shots of the ice fields and the mountains:D.

How did you like Fairbanks? Your trip is exactly what I'm starting to outline for 2015 - Bears & fishing from the Kenai Peninsula, up through Denali for the fall tundra colors, and finally make it to Fairbanks!

L.J.

[basser]

The flight was fine, but I love flying in small planes. I think the plane was a 10 person. We had to use oxygen above 12,000 feet. If you do it be sure to allow extra time for the weather. It took us 3 attempts over 5 days to finally make the flight. The weather on the mountain is so unpredictable. Fairbanks was ok. We originally weren't going, but we worked it in while waiting for the flight. The things we did were pretty touristy. The riverboat and the gold panning were kind of cheesy, but our grandson liked it. It was pretty calm stuff compared to the rest of our trip. We loved Homer and hope to spend the bulk of our trip in '15 on the Kenai.

[WalleyeLJ]

The flight was fine, but I love flying in small planes. I think the plane was a 10 person. We had to use oxygen above 12,000 feet. If you do it be sure to allow extra time for the weather. It took us 3 attempts over 5 days to finally make the flight. The weather on the mountain is so unpredictable. Fairbanks was ok. We originally weren't going, but we worked it in while waiting for the flight. The things we did were pretty touristy. The riverboat and the gold panning were kind of cheesy, but our grandson liked it. It was pretty calm stuff compared to the rest of our trip. We loved Homer and hope to spend the bulk of our trip in '15 on the Kenai.

 

Good to know on the flight scheduling. We loved the week we spent on the Kenai, which is why we want to go back - but we also want to hit Denali again, especially in the fall. We'll likely try for two weeks with roughly a week in Fairbanks/Denali/Talkeetna, and a week along the Kenai!

L.J.