July

How do you pick 15 pictures out of several thousand? You finally give up on finding the 'right' ones and be done with it. Following are some pictures of our Alaska trip.

(I think it was Grant who first posted a picture from near his home and suggested others do likewise. I've expanded the idea to include some local trips in the Northwest. If you look at these, you'll see two Farrier-related ones!)

We spent 3 days going up the Inside Passage through British Columbia, Canada, and then Southeast Alaska.

Although we had a stateroom, the ferry is unique because they encourage tenting on deck! My F-22 cap helped me meet several F-boat sailers (both from California).

After debarking in southern Alaska, you have to enter Canada again to drive around Wrangell - St. Elias National Park (which contains 9 of the 16 highest peaks in US, and the largest North American non polar ice cap). The Yukon had its own unique beauty.

Valdez (the end of the Trans-Alaska pipeline) is a harbor surrounded by mountains.

We took another ferry across Prince William Sound.

We debarked at Whittier on the Kenai Peninsula. There I meet Sean, an avid F-boat sailor. It was enjoyable to talk as his family launched prior to a several day cruise. He knew of one other F-boat in Prince William Sound (Valdez).

When I had been researching this trip I investigated a glacier hike out of Seward. One of the links was to a Flicker site with pictures of a man hiking with his sons. But slipped in at the end was a picture of a boat project . . . and I knew what they were - F-22 floats! We e-mailed several times, agreeing to meet if possible. I enjoyed an afternoon talking with Dan (also of note -- a previous F-24 owner) about Alaska, sailing and boat building. (I also gave him Sean's e-mail and know they have been in touch.) Small world.

The van worked great. Before we left I fitted a bug screen that goes around the awning. This gave us room for four people to spread out. The long days were incredible.

Wildlife beyond counting.

Denali National Park was a highlight. Denali (Mt. McKinley) is 20,320 feet tall - with a prominence of over 18,000 feet, which makes it look as big as it really is. Less than a third of visitors see it because it makes its own weather. We saw it one afternoon of three days that we were there.

After Fairbanks, we started down the Alaska Highway. It's 1422 miles long, constructed between March 8, 1942 and October 28, 1942 by over 18,000 people as a military supply route during WWII. Over 8,000 planes, thousands of tanks and trucks, were all hauled up this route and flown into Russia to support the war in Europe.

The drive through Canada was spectacular.

A fantastic trip.