We can’t resist a few final comments. Whether you ride a motorcycle, come in a motorhome, or just fly to Alaska it is well worth the experience. Alaska is different and the people are a unique breed of folks. From what we hear, the challenge living here isn’t the weather – even where 40below is normal. The challenge is the lack of daylight in the wintertime. The state is 2.5 times the size of Texas and there are fewer miles of roads than Rhode Island. It is beautiful, the people friendly, and very tourist friendly.
Here are a few more thoughts…
· AMTRAK could learn a lot from the Alaskan Railroad. What a great experience with narrated points of interest along the way. Definitely ride the train! We saw two bald eagles along the way and the engineer even slowed down! The tracks are even in good repair.
· The Alaskan Ferry system is considered part of the transportation infrastructure. When we come up here next time, we will probably ride the ferry south and get off to explore the little towns it services.
· We used alaskatravel.com to make reservations for the ferry, train, Denali trip, and some hotels. They are great and really helpful.
· Valdez and Seward are worth your time. Anchorage has half of the State population and it makes for a good base camp. We passed up Fairbanks based on a number of people suggestions. Fairbanks is very historical so you might want to consider visiting.
· If you like to hike and/or camp, you will be in heaven. Your biggest challenge will be deciding which great place to go.
· Expect rain, be prepared, and go about your business. Native Alaskans wear shorts and sandles all summer while we were all bundled up.
We are off to our cruise ship in a little while.
All the best,
Mark & Margo