Wrap your head around this: There are 14 species of whales in Alaskan waters; residents of Fairbanks can see the Northern Lights an average of 240 nights per year; approximately 1 in 66 Alaskans is an active pilot; and Alaska is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries. This is NOT your average vacation spot. With over 650,000 square miles of mountains, rivers, and glaciers, the 49th state is open for adventure.
This year, trade the city break for the Last Frontier faster than you can say ‘former governor’ and discover Alaska beyond the cruise ports - there’s plenty of it.
Earlier this summer, my husband, Hank, and I piggy-backed a wilderness voyage with Un-Cruise Adventures in southeast Alaska with a tour of the southwest and southcentral regions. Here are our recommendations for making the most of your explorations.
photography by Ellen and Hank Barone
[before you go]
What NOT to Wear: Forget dress to impress. In Alaska, the focus is not on fashion, but rather the outdoors. Local wisdom has it that “there is no bad weather, just bad gear.” Key items should include fleece, waterproof rain gear, good walking shoes, a hat, lightweight gloves and quick-dry everything. Other items you’ll want to bring: sunglasses, sun block (yes, even in Alaska, especially on the water and ice), a swimsuit (many lodges feature hot tubs and/or saunas), camera, and lots of memory cards!
[Anchorage]
For guaranteed wildlife sightings, load up your camera and make the scenic drive south to Portage for a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. With consent from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the center takes in orphaned or injured animals for treatment and rehabilitation. We could easily have spent the day there watching the resident bears romp and swim, but bring bug spray. The June day we visited the mosquitoes were fierce.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
For the past decade, ever since my husband and I moved to the rural mountains of New Mexico, I told anyone who would listen that I could never live Back East again. Too crowded. Too gray. Too conservative. A true blue New Mexican convert I am.
So, I had to chuckle when, during a recent stay in Baltimore, I caught myself thinking, I could live here. Truth told, this infatuation happens more than I’d care to admit. I’m prone to falling fast and easy for a place. And Baltimore, in all its springtime glory, had me at hello.
My action-packed 48-hours in Baltimore revealed a vibrant city overflowing with outdoorsy energy, oodles of green space, innovative eateries, indie coffee and teahouses and historic neighborhoods that march to their own Baltimorean beat. Sure, the city’s tourist-ready staples – fresh seafood, bustling Inner Harbor, historic Fell’s Point, Camden Yard, to name just a few – still assure visitors a great time. But beyond the crab cakes and paddleboats lurks a refreshingly authentic and creative city.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".