Don Cutler

Next on the tour was Alaska’s capital town of Juneau. Many campaigns to move the capital to Anchorage have failed and this small tourist town, isolated from roads in or out, is still home to Alaska’s first family. We took and adventurous bike ride which took us to nearby Mendenhall Glacier. The base of the glacier ends at a small lake with a spectacular waterfall. The bike ride was pretty easy as biking goes, but perfect for tourists who haven’t been on a bike for few years. The glacier cooled air was a joy to breath as we rode through paths in the forest where one of our guides provided new words to challenge us by. These were pretty interesting terms such as glacial isostatic relief which describes the unweighting of glacier pressure on the ground, ... read more

Glacier Bay – Friday 7-12-13 What Aaaa day, whaaat a day, what a daaaaay!!! We had jumped on board the Coral Princess a couple of days ago, and one of things we did was explore the boat. Good idea right? So we found this place on the back of the boat a few decks below the top decks called The Sanctuary. “Ohhhh,” you ask. “What is that?” The Sanctuary is somewhat of a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the boat. You pay a small fee and get to hang out on the back of the boat where it’s pretty isolated from the wind and cold due to the protective nature of the ship’s design, especially under way. Its next to the gym, has a small little pool that looks over the back of the ... read more

I think I had too much coffee late last night. I went to bed thinking to myself of how tourist act on the big day...... Get to the to your 45 degree, 5AM, pick-up point hours earlier. Stand in line, waiting to get the best front seat for the most awesome view of your road trip. Mark your turf by standing stern with your arms crossed, talking trash how you are the most feared travel trailer to roam the state. Determine to know exactly where that bad boy is going to stop so you can be the one in the front of the line to greet the driver with the best toothless grin you can muster. Then, you can start to drool uncontrollably over that first passenger side seat right above the entrance stairwell. But wait, ... read more

We were able to book a last minute Kayaking trip at a nearby lake. Lake Byers is the largest lake in the Danali State Park which eventually connects to the Cook Inlet. Salmon do make their way up to the lake, but we found out that they are not yet running and a bit too early. When we got to the lake, we quickly suited up in waterproof pants and shoes. Since it wasn't raining, we didn't need ponchos or rain gear. Our tour guide Nate took us around the absolutely pristine lake. As you can see from the pictures, the lake was calm, very little rain, but quite cloudy. The great mountain was still hiding behind the heavy cloud cover. They say here if you do get to see it, you are part of the ... read more