Before COVID, the ferry from Alaska back to Bellingham was running every week. But now it has been cut back significantly. We either had to go straight to Alaska and get right on the ferry to come home, or wait around in Alaska for 2 weeks, and then take the ferry home. It was a pretty easy decision that we did not want to rush the end of our trip. So we have been spending more time in Alaska than anywhere else (except Hawaii) and it’s been fun having time to explore different areas.

We left Seward and drove to Denali National Park and Preserve. We stayed in a cute creekside cabin about 10 miles south of the park. What a beautiful location! We felt like we were camping, except we had a real bed. And indoor plumbing. Oh, and a restaurant to eat in. OK, not camping, but definitely some fresh air! Unfortunately, we never did see the summit of Denali. The top was always shrouded in clouds. We read that the top can only be seen about 30% of the time. That made us feel slightly better, that most people had the same experience. We did a little hiking, and a lot of viewing!

Next was Fairbanks! Back when we talked about spending two weeks in Alaska, Larry said it would be fun to spend the solstice in Fairbanks, and then we both thought – and the Midnight Sun baseball game! This game is something Larry has wanted to do since he was a kid, and when he told me about it years ago, I thought it sounded fun too! It would be interesting to have daylight for 24 hours, and we were able to secure tickets for the game. The game started at 10:00 pm and ended about 1:40 am, all played without lights. We also went to a dog mushing kennel and learned about the Huskies that are bred to race, and to a few more museums. We even drove a bit farther north just because we could. 🙂