Back from Alaska

Just got back from on a red-eye from Anchorage. Kids were mostly angels on the way back, which is a huge relief. Note to self: now that JetBlue doesn't have free checked bag anymore, get a decent flight schedule.

Anyways, Alaska was amazing as usual. Those of you who know me know I prefer to putter around the country in my motorhome on my own terms and don't like flying. But driving to Alaska takes about a week one-way, so we flew to Anchorage instead and rented an RV from Great Alaskan Holidays. The good folks there took care of us as usual (2nd time, but clearly my go-to rental place in Alaska), with a nearly new Winnebago Minnie Winnie.

Anyways, when we got there, the skies were clear, and the rental folks said, change your plans and drive to Denali immediately. Good advice. We saw Mt. McKinley on the way out, and had some pretty lucky weather for our stay up in Denali National Park. The hillsides were painted in autumn colors.

We drove up on the Denali highway on a tip from some locals, and saw several moose hanging out.

We hung out in Denali for about a week, staying mostly at Teklanika Campground and exploring the park via the Tek Pass, an awesome deal to get immersed in the park. Most days the weather was reasonable (keep in mind fall comes early when you're in the north!), and we saw plenty of wildlife, including a bear and a wolf that hung out right next to the bus.

We then drove south to Kenai, and along the way saw this eery light on the ocean. It was the moon peaking through the clouds, and it was beautiful. I had to pull over, and was rewarded when the clouds parted a bit.

I got up early the next morning at Russian River campgrounds and went down to the fishing boardwalks to look for bears. I stopped at each of the fishing access points, and at one, I peered to my right and saw a bear right next to the shoreline about 20 feet away. Picture or not? A bit close for comfort, but bears with salmon just wanna eat. So I compromised; took a few snaps and then retreated up the boardwalk.