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Alaska Vacation Review
Cyndi Peterson of the USA went on a self-guided Alaska vacation at the end of July/beginning August 2008 and shared a bit about how she did it via an e-mail interview with me...
We went on an overland self-guided holiday to Totem Bite State Park Ketchikan, Abandoned Fish Cannery in George Inlet, White River Logging Camp, Blueberry Festival in Ketchikan, Creek Street Ketchikan (Salmon Run).
We did not rent a vehicle but found that public transport worked well enough and also got rides with other travelers.
We stayed in a private cabin owned by a family friend on Bull Island, George inlet near Ketchikan.
A typical day on our Alaska vacation included, fishing, hiking, sight seeing, boating, souvenir shopping, photographing nature and wildlife, exploring, and conversations with the locals.
I thought we would catch bigger fish, like seen in brochures. We caught a lot of good fish but no whoppers.
It was fairly easy to book things as needed. We got a lot of local input at restaurants, stores, and visitor centers.
We did do a lot of boating. Some motion sickness was controlled fine with over the counter meds.
It was nice to have a distant friend of the family that lives in the general area who told us of the attractions and best times to go.
The weather overall was warm but over cast part of the time. Mid-day was dry, mornings and evenings had some slight rain showers. A light jacket was needed for most of the trip.
We saw black bears, salmon, eagles, jelly fish... we would always like to see more wildlife. It was the funniest part of the trip, seeking the animals.
The highlight was seeing a wild black bear steal a salmon from a bald eagle right on the beach in front of our cabin. The eagle put up a good fight, but the bear won. The two wild animals didn't even seem to care we were watching.
My advice for those who want to experience Alaska is to plan ahead and schedule tours and visits in between the cruise ships, so there isn't as much tourist traffic and people, it gives you much more of a actual view of how the land and wildlife are. The prices change when the cruise ships pull in.
The most useful items in my luggage were bug spray, camera, brochures and rain gear!
9 out of 10. Almost perfect, but it cost more money than we wished.
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