Travel: Alaska

My Aunt and Uncle invited my sister and I on their June trip to Alaska and it was the experience of a lifetime. Alaska seems like a whole new world compared to everything else I've seen.  

Alaska: Day 1. Traveling into Anchorage took two flights of 6 and 9 hours. Needless to say Hannah and I were beyond delirious, exhausted and in need of serious leg room upon arrival in Anchorage.

After landing at 10pm we immediately began the drive the 7 hours to Homer, Alaska. We stopped for some amazing photos. We couldn't believe our eyes but Uncle Pete assured us, "You ain't seen nothing yet." He was right. 

Meet Hannah, the star of most of my photos besides the beauty of Alaska. Thankfully she is great about having her photo taken! Getting to experience this trip with my sister is something that I will remember forever and am so thankful for. If any of you have seen the movie "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock, you know we were quoting the Alaska segments of that movie at least every hour.

Can you tell we've been traveling for 24 hours? This is my beautiful Aunt Sarah, she is a gem inside and out! She was like our third sister for the week! 

Here are our guides! Uncle Pete and Aunt Sarah, the sweetest couple you will ever meet! They love each other so well and it was such a beautiful thing to see throughout the week.

Day 2: Our first sunrise in Alaska was absolutely breathtaking. After the drive we arrived at 5am. It was beyond exhausting but being awake for this sunrise and driving through an empty Homer Alaska was so worth it!

It is amazing how many different terrains are in Alaska. These are the wetlands of Homer.

We made a stop at Bishops Beach and I almost felt the gates of heaven open as we stepped onto the sand. It was such a beautiful, majestic, overwhelming sight. We still hadn't slept in what seemed like ages, but this certainly woke us up.

Wow a picture of me, thanks to the insistent Hannah.

Alaska: Day 3. We traveled a few hours from Homer to Girdwood to for some snowy hiking. This is was another mind-boggling experience.

On our way back to Homer we stopped at the amazing Virgin Creek Falls. The fact that we just left a snowy mountain, and were at the beach just yesterday, and now are in a rainforest was crazy to me.

A shot from the drive home. Can we just recognize the proximity of beach to snow, so crazy.

Day 4: This was our most action packed day and definitely one of my favorites. The bike ride on Bishops Beach was incredible, we saw so much wildlife and had the entire beach to ourselves. Our amazing guide brought breakfast and coffee, so he is a winner in my book.

This eagle spotting was a huge highlight of the trip. They are such majestic creatures, seeing them up close as they take flight is truly incredible.

After our amazing bike adventure, we embarked on a boat ride to Yukon Island where we explored the coves via kayak.

This otter was so laid back (literally). Our guide told us that normally they don't allow us to get so close to them!

Day 5: Then we embarked on our road-trip across Alaska. We traveled through such beautiful sights, I could hardly believe my eyes. We also took a bus tour through the Denali State Park and saw some incredible views from within the mountains.

This moose was absolutely massive and loved posing regally for the camera.

Day 6: We visited the relaxing Chena Hot Springs in Fairbanks, much needed after an amazing yet long bus tour.

Day 7 We were thrilled with some incredible zip-lining. It may have only been for 90 seconds in the air but boy was it riveting. Hannah and I got to race each other side by side which was oh so fun. No photos from this but some great video coming soon!

Glacier Day 8: Our final adventure in Alaska, and boy did we go out with a bang. There are no words to describe what hiking with spiked shoes on an ice glacier feels and looks like. It was certainly an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.

Hannah also loved this experience, but let me tell you, she was not crazy about how Bob the builder hat. Honestly I thought she never looked better.

These are the boots before we put the clamps on them. Our guide taught us about "quick-mud", which is super cool yet just as scary as quicksand.

I cannot express how special this trip was. Spending time with my Aunt and Uncle was priceless and the sights and experiences we shared are forever memories. Our trip song was, "Nenana" after a sandwich we ate in a diner, and our trip cookie was Oreos so we must have gone through at least 3 packs. Thank you Aunt Sarah and Uncle Pete for bringing us along, we love you both so much and I wouldn't trade this Alaska trip with you for anything!