8/12-8/13/2023 A weekend trip to Alaska. And I literally mean weekend trip, with full work day friday before and full work day monday after. But, it's twice the length of my previous visit in '05 - progress?

What prompted this is a FB post by one of my friends, Lucas English, about his scenic flight in Denali. It looked like something I'd want to do. Like now. That was tuesday. Bit of research on weather, options, etc. It's going to rain. But then summer is almost gone, I have much on my schedule ahead, and it's basically now or next year. OK, now it is. Weather will be what it will be.

I have enough miles that airfare is free, premium class guaranteed, first class likely (ended up not getting on the way out but on the way back, only difference being seat width really, free wine either way).

The itinerary: depart PDX friday 9:30pm, land ANC 1am. Get rentacar (counter open till 1:30), drive 4 hours to Denali. Maybe nap in car. Take the Denali Air scenic flight. Mill about. Stay in cabin nearby. Then... not sure, but to spoil the suspense, what I ended up doing: Wake up 4am. Drive 5.5 hours to Whittier. Take a boat tour of glaciers. Mill about. Depart ANC 1:30am. Land PDX 6am moday. Go home. Nap couple hours. Go to work. Check.

Any wonder I travel alone most of the time? :)

Now, for the details.

The flight out is routine. One notable thing is that at altitude, you get the early sunrise. But when you land it's still dark. The partial moon is cool, if you really zoom in on the picture.

On arrival, not many people around. Just how I like it. Rentacar is 'manager's special' - luck of the draw. I end up with an Altima. Works for me. As does whatever.

The drive is long And I'm a bit faded, in part thanks to unlimited champagne on the flight. Still legal because I metabolize it fast, that's it.

About 3am, there are bands of low fog on the road. I slow down. This is exactly when moose would be out. I wasn't wrong. A cow and her calf. Calf got off the road quickly, mother paced the car for a while bfore dashing across the road right in front of me. Onward.

The light and scenery change as I go along...

There is a ting along the way called 'Igloo'. One could likely google it, but I don't. It's just so, for the time and place. I appreciate it as such. Could be aliens and I'd just hat tip and wish them a nice stay.

I get in the general vicinity of my next activities early. I check out the cabin I'm going to be staying tonight. And a local breakfast place (not what I do normally, but breakfast burrito couldn't be all that bad - and it isn't). The rising sun powers some views.

I'm scheduled for a 2pm flight, but weather says it's going to get cloudy and rain by then. It's clear now. Denali Air opens at 7am and their first flight is normally at 8. I stop by just as they open to see if I can get on an earlier flight instead.

Turns out there is no 8am flight today, but there's room on the 10am. Cool. I also ask if there's a chance I could get the co-pilot seat. The reply is that it's by request and subject to weight and balance considerations. So I put in the request and get weighed.

Next two hours are a good opportunity to take a nap in the car, which I do.

The alarm goes off, I reboot, and go to check in. The plane is a Piper Navajo 350 - a high performance piston twin that seats 9 passengers plus pilot. There are several families that will be on the 10 am flight (two planes). I am happy to be asked to board first - I get the co-pilot seat! Sometimes it pays to travel alone, as this was proabaly a factor. And to ask for what you want.

The airstrip is gravel and surrounded by trees. But the pilots do this every day, all year round, several times a day. It's great to watch a professional at work. The takeoff video and landing video illustrate the experience.

The flight is literally the most scenic one I've ever been on. This alone makes the whole trip worthwhile, any additional experiences I get this weekend are bonus.

The flight is about 1.5 hours long and covers over 200 miles of terrain. The variety, from vegetation covered lower mountains and valleys, to glaciers, to snow-covered peaks, is impressive. And no human dwellings - the park is strictly managed as a wilderness preserve, with only one road going through a small part of it.

We're back at noon and I might as well check out the road. So I do, with many stops.

Check in for the cabin is 3pm, and by now I'm pretty out of it having had only two hours of sleep. Also it is now cloudy and raining - just as forecast. So I check in, go through the many photos, do the obligatory social media updates (my mom is waiting to hear of the travel details), and then decide what to do next.

Having already gotten the best possible view of Denali, and not being up for hiking which is what you'd normally do here, I decide to take a boat tour in Prince William Sound for day two. Tour booked, departing at 1pm and returning at 5:30pm. My plane doesn't leave till 1am so there will be some time to explore Anchorage after, if I'm so inclined.

It's a 5.5 hour drive to Whittier, so I set the alarm for 4am and pass out.

The morning drive is spectacular, encountering more moose, sunrise, and scenery along the way.

I pass a sign saying 'floatplane dock' so decide to check it out. Very utilitarian - obviously floatplanes are just transportation here, non-glamorous but very cool and real, if that makes sense.

Passing through Anchorage and continuing on south, the scenery is impressive. It is raining but I don't mind.

To get to Whittier one must go through a tunnel. It's an interesting one-lane, combinded rail and road setup. So the traffic alternates directions on the half hour. From Anchorage side, there are regular 15-minute entry windows at X:30. I just miss one, so have to wait 45 minutes for the next opportunity. There is a waiting area similar to what you'd see for a ferry crossing.

There are a few birds snacking on whatever happens to be caught in the grilles of the waiting cars. Literal breakfast grille.

Then it's time to go. The tunnel is cool and only takes about five minutes to traverse.

Whittier is a small town nestled in some spectacular scenery. Remins me a lot of Norway. I have a couple hours to explore, and so I do. There is a slight drizzle but it lets up every now and then. All part of the experience.

I grab a bite at one of the eateries, not because I'm hungry but just for the experience of it. And to get out of the rain.

Then it's time for the cruise. There is a massive cruise ship docket at the port, but I'm boarding a smaller (but still sizeable) fast catamaran. There is assigned seating but my seat is at a small shared table with other people on the lower deck, so I wait outside until we depart, then claim an open table upstairs. Works out.

The catamaran moves fast. There is a cold 30mph breeze outside as a result, with intermittent rain. So I brave it outside for a bit, then come in to warm up and recover, then repeat.

Scenery is spectacular but often obscured by clouds. The first glacier we stop at is hard to see though the mist. But it's clear at some of the others.

One glacier looks like it calved recently and a portion of it looks ready to go, but it doesn't happen while we're there. That's OK, I got an amazing glacier calving experience in Iceland earlier a few months ago (see the Iceland trip blog).

As we dock, a cool reflection of the catamaran and the cruise ship in the windows of a building on shore. Picture doesn't do it justice but I'll include it anyway.

I now have about six hours to explore, with no particular agenda. I go through the tunnel and just on the other side there is a sign for salmon viewing spot. Why not. It's salmon season.

There is also a trail so I go for a short hike. The trail is narrow, through dense vegetation, and at some point crosses a creek so I take off my shoes and wade through.

Back in the car and on to Anchorage, stopping for a few snapshots along the way.

Stopping to refuel in town, a random bright rainbow. Cool.

At this point I'm rather tired so I look for a place to park and take a car nap. There are some spots along the shore.

I pass out for two hours, waking up to a picture-worthy sunset.

Which is a fitting conclusion to the trip.

The drive to the airport is short, rentacar return uneventful, and I even get a first class upgrade. Too tired for the free wine, I just pass out for three hours. Then land at 6:30am, drive home, a two-hour nap, shower, and off to work. Like I never left. This trip feels almost like teleportation. Which is how I like it :) And ever grateful to have such experiences available to me on a day's notice.