Preliminary Itinerary
In huge thanks to all of the posts and people who helped me develop this itinerary, here is my trip report. We had an incredible experience. In 15 days, our family of four stayed at nine different places and went on at least 7 “excursions” including flightseeing and landing on a glacier, a bus tour of Denali, a tour of a gold mine, a visit to a Musk Ox Farm, hiking Matanuska glacier, ice kayaking in Valdez, deep sea fishing in Valdez, a 5 hour ferry ride from Valdez to Whittier and a wildlife marine cruise in Seward. We also enjoyed some really incredible hikes, including Horseshoe Trail in Denali, Gold Cord Lake in Hatcher Pass, Portage Pass in Whittier and Tosina Trail in Seward. Had we taken a typical cruise, we would never have had a chance to see all the things we did, or do all that we could. Had we not tent-camped, most of our budget would have spent on accommodations. So, we were thrilled with the options that we selected. Not for everyone, but perfect for us! Day details below, since the report is so long :)
Saturday June 22
Arrive in Anchorage 7pm (10pm home time) Springhill Suites.
Get rental car, find hotel, crash
This was pretty much as expected. We arrived close to on time, and although it was as bright as noon outside, we all felt pretty exhausted. We swung by Moose's Tooth, as it was a recommended place to eat, but the line was long and we were too pooped to pop. So then we swung by a nearby sushi restaurant, but it was also a long wait. Dylan was pretty congested from the flight, and had an awful headache. At this point, we just wanted food and bed, so we drove through Wendy's and then ate in our hotel. The most expensive Wendy's meal we have ever had, but it was what we needed. We knew we had a long day the next morning, so we pulled the blackout curtains and went to bed.
