Alaska is vast and stunning. Of course this was kind of a major one in my quest to see all 50 states. It did not disappoint.
Traveling with young children means a different pace, so we definitely didn’t do the level of exploring we might have if we were solo. Still, we enjoyed ourselves more with the girls along and it was fun discovering a new and beautiful place with them.
We had plans to take a small plane around the summit of Denali, but due to smoke from wildfires were unable to do that. The glacier cruise out of Whittier was a perfect way to spend a Sunday. The views were fantastic and the water was the bluest I have ever seen.
It reached record-high temperatures while we were there, hence my sleeveless shirt while cruising around glaciers.
We got up-close views of wildlife.
Of course I had to take in the food scene, which meant eating a lot of delicious seafood (halibut, salmon, and crab), as well as reindeer sausage.
Anchorage has no shortage of delicious bakeries. Macarons at Sweet Caribou were a fun treat to take to the park.
The cardamom buns at Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop were amazing.
We explored the adorable town of Talkeetna.
Here we shopped for a few souvenirs and I had the best blueberry ice cream ever.
The girls were interested in stopping at every playground they spotted from the rental car window.
They also couldn’t get enough of the hotel pool. Again, traveling with kids means taking time for the things that we as adults maybe don’t find as exciting. The reward is that the kids have a blast and we do a little more relaxing than we might have otherwise. (Like sitting in the grass eating a vanilla blackberry macaron.)
My husband did some halibut fishing while we were in Alaska and we shipped some delicious fish home to enjoy in the months to come. Alaska is a special place with so much to see and do. We definitely plan to return.
I only have two states left and I would love to hear your suggestions for places to go and things to see in Michigan and West Virginia. I’m looking at plans to cross at least one more off next year. Which will I choose?
The Updated List
Michigan (I have been to airports)
West Virginia
A HOUSE WITH CHARACTER 