In Alaska is hard to get lost on the roads. There are only two roads leaving Anchorage, one going North toward Denali and Fairbanks and one going South towards the Kenai peninsula. If you don’t want to stay on the road you may have the chance to meet a bear or a moose in your hike, A current resident told us that is totally unconcerned about the North Korea nuclear missile threat comparing with the moose threat that is a daily occurrence for him.

Denali National Park opens sometimes in the middle of May when the snow melts and it closes at the beginning of September when is expected the first snow. Bald eagles hover on top and occasionally you spot bears, grizzly or black bears with cubs in the bushes. Dall sheep peppering the mountain slopes and the occasional mountain goats are moving specks of white between the stripes of snow.

In Fairbanks you feel that you are far, very far away. You are at just one degree latitude off the Arctic Circle. Just a little bit to the north of the town the pavement ends on the long haul road that goes to Prudhoe Bay.

On Richardson Highway to Valdez you drive between snow-capped peaks and immense bodies of water, cascading rivers, or green valleys tucked under tall mountains. The weather changes from bright sun, to clouds, drizzle and again sun and all peaks around glitter in this whimsical weather and scintillating light. In Valdez harbor a boat will take you to Columbia Glacier, the second largest glacier in Alaska.

Homer is all about fishing. Fake fish hang from its entry sign, fish freezing and packaging shops are all around town and fish shipped by FEDEX signs abound. Not far from Homer is Seward, on the other side of the Kenai Peninsula, the main destination for cruises on Prince William Sound. The bay has seals, otters, puffin and lots of birds and several humpback whales feeding by the shore puffing water through their blowholes.