On an unusually clear day in Southeast Alaska, I find myself peering out the window of a float plane several thousand feet above a swath of wilderness alternating between dense forest and sparkling dark blue lakes. Our pilot was in shorts and a t shirt displaying a prominent skull decked out in a red bandanna framed by the 'cross hairs' of a propeller. I was with a group of journalists on a plane operated by Pirate Airworks. Our departure city … [Read more...]
Visiting Ketchikan, Alaska
For a tiny town, Ketchikan is full of big experiences. Self titled as one of the rain capitals of the country, they average some 13 feet of rain a year, otherwise known as liquid sunshine! One can normally expect to get wet regardless of the time of year visiting. However, remarkably during our two days in town, we had bright blue sunny skies the entire time. When we told people who had been here before and showed them photographs to prove … [Read more...]
Alaska: Wilderness Unbound
Alaska is absurd. Bears, moose, mammoth mountains, soaring pines, jagged peaks, water streaming past boulders, surging down valleys, crashing against sand. We started in South Dakota, attending a wedding in the Black Hills the weekend prior to departure. This was July of 2014. On Sunday, we drove to Denver, hopping an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle, using two companion certificates. Our departure from Seattle to Anchorage was delayed. We … [Read more...]
A Remington and a Volvo
At 9, I thought it was crazy. My dad was going to squeeze Mom and all six of us kids into a boxy, top heavy, narrow Volvo station wagon, and we were going to drive for three months from our home in Paraguay to Kansas where my father grew up. This trip had been his dream since coming to Paraguay in 1951 to found and manage a Mennonite leprosy mission. “Is there really a road that goes all the way from Paraguay to the States?” I asked. Dad … [Read more...]
Going Green: Alaska Ecotourism
There is a rush to Alaska. In 1898 the stampede was for gold. Today visitors are heading to the 49th state seeking the ultimate wilderness experiences in a land filled with superlatives. Alaska is the largest and western-most state. It has the longest days, the biggest fish, the longest coastline, and the most extensive wilderness (53 percent). The challenge is how to balance over two million visitors a year with conservation ethics, … [Read more...]
Driving the Denali Highway
During our eight days in Alaska, I don't think we had a single bad view, and the Denali Highway was no exception. The 135 mile, mostly-unpaved road connects the town of Cantwell to Paxson and was once the only road providing access to Denali National Park. Due to harsh winter conditions, the road is closed from October through mid-May, but if you have the opportunity to drive this road during the summer months, it will not disappoint. If you … [Read more...]
Swim with Dolphins: Good Idea?
It doesn’t take much looking these days when exploring travel options to come across adventures involving animals. There are LOTS of photos of people smiling with a wide variety of animals from their travels and adventures. You can swim with dolphins in Hawaii, stingrays (San Antonio, TX Sea World),and even sharks (Disney Aulani in Kapolei, HI)! On every continent there are animals to encounter and experiences to add to your memories – riding … [Read more...]
Living in the Age of Airplanes: A Film by Brian J. Terwilliger
As Bill Gates said, “The airplane became the first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together,” and that’s exactly what this film proves. LIVING IN THE AGE OF AIRPLANES brings to life the vision of the Wright Brothers, encouraging us to appreciate the luxury we have today to be able to walk onto a plane and walk back off halfway across the world. “You have a lot of disgruntled passengers where their focus is on the … [Read more...]
Guide to National Parks of the United States by National Geographic, 8th Edition
This is the 8th edition of this guide - released in time for the National Park's 100th anniversary. This is a best seller - since first released in 1989 this guide has sold over 125 million copies! In order to update this edition, contributors revisited all of the 59 National Parks. The guide is divided by parks located in the East, Midwest, South Central, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, Pacific Southwest, Pacific Northwest and Alaska - and its … [Read more...]
Heli Ski Alaska? Heli Yes!
My penultimate bucket list ski experience has always been to heli ski in Alaska—miles of untouched powder and fresh lines for days. No lift lines, no resort creature comforts and nothing but badass skiing. As my blog will tell you, after a year of planning I was pretty stoked when my brother and I joined up with Dean Cummings’ H2O Guides to heli ski the 4,000 square-mile playground called the Chuggach Mountains near Valdez, Alaska. Whether … [Read more...]
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