Alaska 2011 (With a Bit of Canada & Washington)

Kathy and Sister Donna

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My sister and I at the gold mining museum in Central - hard to fathom the size of the equipment needed and the adversities of the process, wow, NOT an easy job

David w/niece Kadance

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Dian's youngest, David, with daughter Jaime's daughter

Dian, Kadance, Jaime & Kathy

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My sister Dian, her daughter Jaime and granddaughter Kadance & Kathy

RoseMarie & Kathy

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Before leaving Fairbanks we stopped to see an old school mate of mine, RoseMarie

Chena Hot Springs

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Just outside Fairbanks is a wonderful hot springs resort with a new ice museum

Ice Museum, Chena Hot Springs

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This is the outside of the ice museum - they keep the inside frozen year-round

Bed inside Ice Museum

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This is in one of the "rooms" of the ice museum and I think with plenty of animal skins one would probably be just toasty

The Ice Museum Bar

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Most visitors go into to have a martini, frozen daiquiri or other frosty drink instead of spending the night

Yard Art

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Chena Hot Springs Resort yard art, i.e., moose antler sculpture

Denali Hwy

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Lakes & glacier views abound

Denali Hwy Bald Eagle

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Because this area has so many lakes, bald (fish) eagles are plentiful

Talkeetna

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I LOVE this town, which serves as the base for climbers of Mt. McKinley. Yes, instead of cars, every imaginable sort of "ride" is used.

Talkeetna Shop

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There were many really nice shops and several fab restaurants in this little hamlet

Seward's Folly Hamburger

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Menu description: Our monster-sized burger is over 4 lbs. of gooey, meaty goodness. We start with 3 layers of sourdough bread and filled with 2 1 lb. hand-pressed Arctic caribou patties, 1/2 lb. of smoked ham, 12 strips of bacon, 6 oz. of Swiss cheese, 6 oz. of American cheese, grilled onions, fresh tomatoes, shredded lettuce and then smothered with our infamous Fat Ass sauce. Served with over a pound of fries, this isn’t a burger for a Cheechako. Are YOU up for the Alaska-sized challenge?

Alyeska Ski Resort

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The main building at the ski resort in Girdwood, which is 39 miles (45 Min.) from Anchorage and the drive along Cook Inlet/Turnagain Arm is worth the trip in itself

Alyeska Ski/Bike Lift

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Summers you can ride up the mountain (bike & rider separately) and have one hell of a ride down. Aso parasail from the top; use the tram from the resort hotel for that

Kelly & JJ in Girdwood Forest Fair

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What a hoot, plus LOTS of great food, music and crafts. Kelly & JJ are sitting near the field into which parasailors landed - we were VERY tempted to try it

Atop Mt. Alyeska

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We took the resort tram up the mountain to a nice restaurant - fabulous views (over Turnagain Arm). This is the view you see when skiing also.

Russian River Camp

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Friends Ernie & Kaye from Charleston drove their RV to Alaska to fish; we met them on the Kenai Peninsula for a weekend of camping