One of my uncles was very well traveled. VERY well traveled. The trip he raved about the most was something like this -- fly out to seattle, train trip up to and around Alaska (some kind of windowed roof on the train, and not sure if he had to hop from SEattle to wherever before getting on said train), which eventually got back to the coast -- Juneau I believe.

The a cruise from Juneau, through the Panama Canal, back to Florida. Flew home from there.

I apologize for the vaguenss, but he told me about it 15+ years ago. Someday I'm going to do that same thing if I possibly can.

There was a really neat show on PBS about a guy who went out to Alaska back in the 60s or 70s. He was about 40'ish years old. Built a log cabin (by hand) and all the necessities. Took a fair bit of home footage. Lived all alone in the middle of nowhere. Shows how much snow he had to dig out to keep his path from his cabin to the nearby lake/river clear. Footage of bears, etc. How he kept his meat safe from animals. Just a REALLY interesting show.

The kicker comes at the end. When they tell you he stayed there for 30 odd years until he was in his 70s or something. That's when your jaw drops because you see what hard work it was.

Found it -- Alone in the Wilderness. I imagine it'll be back on PBS someday.

http://www.dickproenneke.com/

When it's springtime in alaska i'll be 6 be six feet below

Ah yes...wasn't that the school where all the "special" kids went? :D

Spent 6 months in Alaska in '78. Scenery is hypnotic... like another world. Teeming with fish & whales & porpoises & sea lions & eagles & bears & otters. You can pick up huge king crabs right off the sea floor. They don't even try to get away or pinch you - about the IQ of an oyster but still my favorite meal. Got a chance to visit Alaska? Take it!

While some of you might guess correctly that Alaska and not Hawaii is the Western most State, most would not guess that it is also the Eastern most state. Find where the international date line crosses the Aleutian Islands

The wife and I took the inside passage cruise 6 days/nights and then 4 days inland. Ports were, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, College Fjord, Glacier Bay. Disembarked at Seward then flew to Fairbanks for 2 days. Then we took the McKinley Express train back to Anchorage (2days). When we go back...and we will go back. We will fly to Fairbanks and rent a motorhome and car.

I managed a restaurant in Denali during the summer of 2007 and sympathized with the cruiseship people that were herded like cattle on their $10,000+ vacation. Renting a motorhome or car and seeing Alaska on your own terms is the way to go. Use the boats to see the coastline, but don't use the lines to see the interior.

Oh, maybe - I really don't know. My family moved when I was 6 so I don't have too many recollections of being special.

I hear ya but despite the blue hairs, we still enjoyed it. However, I want more time around Denali. I also saw some areas from the train ride that looked fun to travel, camp and fish. GPS a Gazatteer and a month to venture.

I heard this geography joke this morning, and I instantly thought of Rain Man.

Ireland walks up to England and asks, "So England, when is the baby due?"

"I'm not pregnant," England said. "That's Wales."

I like it up here. Neat to see the breakdown in the OP.

Really hmmmm I'd need darkness to do my photography stuff so summer is out its damn cold in the winter what to do :)

I think that's where we grow all our meth.

I loved Alaska when I visited in the summer. Not sure how I'd feel about winter.
but it's gorgeous. I'd love to take an Alaskan cruise.