Category: Alaska

Getting ready to leave Anchorage at 2:10 a.m. on July 23rd, for the 735-mile day. That may seem odd (it certainly did to the hotel desk staff), but that’s when I need to leave to get home at a reasonable hour. A couple of bonuses are that I get...

July 20, 2006: Princess McKinley Lodge to Anchorage – 138 milesI got up just after 3:00 a.m. to see if I could catch the first light on Denali, but was a bit too early, and the light wasn’t good. This shot was taken at 5:50 a.m., with a fog...

July 18, 2006: Fairbanks to Denali National Park – 125 milesI dropped my group off at the Alaska Railroad for their trip to the park, while I went ahead with the motorcoach and got their luggage into their hotel rooms before meeting them at the Denali railroad depot. This...

The sign above the Trans Alaska oil pipeline interpretive site says “Canada my ass, it’s Alaska’s Gas!” – that’s one of the slogans used by the Alaskan Independence Party. It refers to the current controversy about building a natural gas pipeline down the Alaska Highway, which will require paying...

I’ve just returned from my final trip as driver/guide, for a motorcoach tour that took us from Whitehorse, Yukon, to Seward, Alaska, where my group boarded the Celebrity Summit for a cruise back to Vancouver. This was about the 8th trip I’ve done for W. P. Maher Tours of...

It’s 06:04 and I’m sitting in my room at Young’s Motel In Tok. The air conditioning in my motorcoach died a few hours after leaving Whitehorse and it’s been hot as hell. The itinerary for this tour is one of the type designed for people who want to spend...

I’m sure that you’ve all heard about the incredible fishing in Alaska. Some of the really good spots get extremely crowded, though, resulting in what’s known as “combat fishing.” A day of fishing then turns into a ballet of sorts, with anglers coordinating their line tosses to avoid tangles...