north to the future

Alaska is the most amazingly beautiful place I've ever been in my life.  I hope Texas won't feel too bad, but everything really is bigger in Alaska.  There are more mountains than in any other place and they are huge.  The rivers are wide and wild.  Even the small trees are as tall as buildings.  It really is almost enough to turn me into an outdoors-woman.  I can only imagine the hikes and camping and climbs that are enjoyed by the adventurous.

A recent trip took 26 members of the Neeley family to the last frontier.  We started in Anchorage and then drove up to Denali National Park.  (Denali is Mount McKinley.)  We spent a few days up there exploring the area.  We were very lucky in that we got a sunny day to see the mountain.  Apparently, "the mountain" is only able to be seen about 30% of the time because of the weather.

After Denali, we headed back to Anchorage.  The plan from the very beginning of planning this trip was for the Neeleys to participate in the Anchorage marathon.  Most of us (including me) did the half marathon.  It was a beautiful run.  It was hilly, which you should know if you are planning on running it.  But it was one of my favorite races.

And we ended the trip on a cruise from Wittier sailing to Vancouver.  We sailed through Glacier Bay, which has some amazing views.  We had stops in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan.  In Skagway, my siblings and I took the goldrush train up the mountain.  Juneau we went zip lining in the hugest trees I've ever seen.  And Ketchikan was salmon fishing where even I caught a small pink.  It was a delightful time.  I had a cabin at the back of the ship with a balcony and it was just lovely to sit out there and watch the country roll by.

I'm sure the thing that Alaskans hate the most is people's surprise with the light.  I landed in Anchorage at 1 in the morning and it was still just twilight outside.  By chance, we were there at the summer solstice, so we got to enjoy the longest days of the year.  If I could handle the darkness of the winter, I would absolutely love the light of the summer.

In conclusion, Alaska is beautiful, and you should definitely make every effort to visit.  Now I only have 3 states left until I've been to all 50.