Another early day for us (6:45 pick up), but not as early as for our poor bus driver who had to go from Valdez to Anchorage and then on to Whittier to pick us up from the boat ride. When I saw that this trip had a "cruise" on Prince William Sound, I figured it was a couple of hours in the Sound and back to Valdez. Nope, it's a 6.5 hour cruise from Valdez to Whittier. Since there were only 28 of us (27 tourists and one tour guide who got to play tourist today), the Stan Stephens cruise people put us on the smaller boat, which was just perfect for us. We were joined by one other couple, who turned out to be the captain's parents and were very nice. I think this cruise ... read more

First off, I need to put in a correction to something I said in my blog post about being stuck on the highway. I thought the nice couple in the camper went back to Eagle and told people we were stuck, but apparently, they found the construction camp and that's why the folks who showed up were the ones with the keys to the heavy machinery. Our first stop today was at the Beringia Center. Beringia is the name of the land mass formed between Siberia and Alaska during the last glacial period. They have a nice woolly mammoth skeleton, as well as a scimitar cat skeleton and a megasloth. They showed us a film about the center, and how the First Nation people of the area have helped in fossil collecting. Our second stop of ... read more

Our announced time for leaving this morning was 9 am. As I left my room, I ran into Terry (the gentleman from Ontario), who told me that we'd moved back to 10 am because there were still problems with the bus and Sherry was trying to get another coach. When we met up at 10 am, she said that she'd gotten a different bus, but it wouldn't start, so no go, regroup at 1 pm. The town is laid out on a grid, with Front Street along the river, then 2nd Ave, 3rd Ave, etc... The cross streets are named streets. So I wandered along 3rd and 2nd Avenues, then down to Front Street and the trail on the dike along the river. Walked to the Visitor's Center and asked if the ferry took pedestrian passengers. ... read more

Left the hotel at 8 this morning heading over to the “Riverboat Discovery”. Turns out that’s both the name of the tour and the boat. Huge 4 deck sternwheel steamer boat. It goes up the Chena River to where it meets the Tanana River. On a clear day, it’s probably quite beautiful, but today was grey and foggy and a bit depressing. Some really incredible houses along the riverside. As the boat goes along the river, it stops for a bit near the home of Susan Butcher and her husband, who were/are dog racers. Susan is one of the few women to win the Iditarod. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago, so her husband runs the kennel now and does some runs to raise money for charity. You also see a fishwheel and get ... read more

Last night was our “welcome” dinner even though it was our second night. It was at the Murie Learning Center. Dinner itself was a buffet, with Tuscan chicken, veggie lasagna, bowtie pasta with shrimp and salad. Dessert was tiramisu which was interesting because it was frozen. After dinner we had a talk by a naturalist, which was interesting, but a bit long winded. Another early morning today, bus for the Park left at 7 am. Converted school bus, so a bit uncomfortable, but it was equipped with a camera controlled by the driver, and some screens, so when we spotted animals in the distance, he zoomed in and we were able to see them. This place was GORGEOUS. My pictures will never do it justice. The foliage is changing color, so the meadows are a mix ... read more