This is my last blog for this trip as we fly home today! 

Thank you for being with us for this amazing, jam-packed adventure that has included breathtaking scenery (every day!), fantastic wildlife and a lot of fun times with my fellow travellers.

See you next April when Mike and I head to Japan, South Korea and China!

Over and out,

The Blogging Brit x

Portage Valley, Alaska.

Crystal-clear Williwaw Creek, near Girdwood, Alaska.

A Harbor Seal enjoying today’s sunshine in Seward.

Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska.

When Mike first arrived in Anchorage in the late 1980s, Portage Glacier was the crown jewels of glaciers! Located some 50 miles southeast of Anchorage in the Chugach National Forest, it was the place to visit and an 18,000 square foot visitor centre was built to accommodate the sheer number of folks visiting. 

The glacier used to be some ten stories high and reached all the way down to the water’s edge. As you can see from the picture below it has dramatically receded from its glory days. 

From left: Kevin, Uncle Mike and Mike with Lake Portage behind them.

The Chugach National Forest is as beautiful as all the other national forests we have visited. Mile after mile of forest, lakes, hiking trails and wildlife. It is simply breathtaking at every turn.

When Mike and I travel with friends we always rent a property versus staying in a hotel. A really important part of the experience for us is sitting around in the morning, drinking coffee, catching up on each other’s lives and deciding on the agenda for the day.

The same routine applies in the evening when we return from our exploits and enjoy an adult beverage and for some, a cigar!

Our rental home in Seward, Alaska enables us to do this with the added advantage of having spectacular views. Pictured above is the view off to the left. The home has gorgeous cathedral windows and as I write this is my view!

Pictured above is the view off to the right!

Last night we had an added treat when a Mama Moose and her calf came into feed, pictured above.

Exit Glacier is one of the most accessible valley glaciers in Alaska. It is a major tourist attraction of the Kenai Fjords National Park and a visible indicator of glacial recession due to climate change. 

What’s unique about this glacier is that year markers, starting in 1815, are located on the approach road to the car park showing how far down the valley the ice once reached.

As you drive and then walk closer towards the modern toe of the glacier, year markers map out the dramatic recession of the glacier over time! The most shocking recording is between 2013 and 2014 when the glacier receded 187 feet in one year!

The blogger’s intrepid fellow travellers! From left: Uncle Mike, Kevin, Ian, Mike and Bob.

Exit Glacier.

The location of the glacier 2005 versus today!

Fishing for Alaskan Salmon is a treat in itself. That one is able to have the catch filleted, frozen and shipped to your home is another matter altogether!

Alleged fishing novice, brother Ian, landed the first fish of the day and was the only one of us who maxed out on his allowance of six salmon!

Our intrepid self appointed fish-catching leader and giver of encouragement (and non-requested advice) didn’t even manage to pick up a rod! He stayed warm inside the cabin and appeared when the shrieks of “fish-on” reached their peak!

Scores on the doors: Ian 6, Uncle Mike 4, Kevin 3, the blogger 3, Bob 3, Mike ZERO!

From left: Kevin and Ian waiting for the fish to bite!

Apologies if you’re yawning with boredom because of the photographs taken in the Kenai Fjords National Park of cute and adorable wildlife and my fellow travellers being, well, my fellow travellers, but here we go again …!

Puffins, pictured above.

A harbour seal, pictured above.

Orcas aka killer whales!

A rare sighting! The very shy and mysterious retirement trio emerging from their winter hibernation! From left, Mike, Uncle Mike and Bob!

Today we spent six hours onboard a wildlife and glacier boat tour of the Kenai Fjords National Park which sits west of the town of Seward where we are now staying.

The sun shone all day (rare for Seward), the water was calm, the wildlife performed and the scenery was spectacular!

A Sea Otter, pictured above and below, enjoying the sunshine!

Sea Lions, pictured above, basking on the warm rocks.

Pictured above and below, spectacular scenery in the Kenai Fjords National Park.

Potters Marsh, pictured above, is a popular 564-acre freshwater wetland and wildlife viewing area located just south of Anchorage, Alaska.

Featuring an elevated wooden boardwalk, it allows visitors to explore the marsh easily without damaging the delicate ecosystem.

The view from Potters Marsh to Turnagain Arm. During his 1778 voyage into Cook Inlet, British explorer James Cook hoped the branches would lead through the continent to the Atlantic Ocean. After exploring the inlet’s eastern branch, his men confirmed it was just a river and a dead-end, leading Cook to label the feature “River Turnagain” because it forced  his frustrated crew to turn around and head back! It was later renamed Turnagain Arm.

Breathtaking scenery pictured above and below.

Kevin, the blogger and Bob in our tour.

Posing with the bear statue! From left: Kevin, Bob, Ian and Uncle Mike.

Proof that we were there! From left: Kevin, Uncle Mike, Ian and the blogger!

The Denali National Park in Alaska covers a whopping six million acres and caters to visitors of all levels. You can sit on a bus and enjoy a guided tour; hike; hire bicycles; book into a camping ground, RV park, cabin and all else in-between! 

There are also Grizzly Bears – so either pick a mode of transport that best fits how you’re going to deal with meeting a bear or choose a traveling companion who is slower than you are!

Happy Birthday Mike!

Caribou … pictured above and below!