Once again, here I am blogging at 11pm Alaska time in daylight, while many of you are sound asleep in darkness back home. First, a recap on Day 11. There were two highlights…first, our Mt. McKinley sighting. It was one thing I had really looked forward to when I heard we were bringing a group here. It is the highest point in North America. It is one of the most talked about landmarks in this part of the world. As we traveled from Denali to Anchorage…some 300 miles…we remained hopeful we would spot the elusive wonder. You see, when you stand more than 20 Thousand feet high…some 4 miles high in the sky…you can create your own weather. It is normally shrouded in clouds, many caused by air rising up the mountain itself. All of a sudden Lyle our busdriver pulled over. He knows McKinley well. He has spent many a summer driving groups like ours around our country’s 49th state. Lyle has spotted McKinley, or Denali as the natives call it. Yes, we saw it too. The clouds parted briefly, and Lyle put us all in a position to get a great photo of this snow covered mountain. This is what sets McKinley apart from surrounding mountains. It is completely white, the result of it being taller than its neighbors, and getting more snow. OK, I got my pictures. Time to go home!!! Actually, the tour is not over, and even though I miss my kids and friends watching them, we still had some cool things yet to come. Our next stop was the Iditarod Trail training center. This was also a big highlight of the day and the tour of Alaska. Each one of us got a chance to feel what it’s like to be pulled by a team of dogs at a pretty good speed. These dogs are fast and powerful, and the ride around the track was exhilirating! Every one of us got off the ride smiling. We didn’t have to deal with 50 below zero temps, but we did feel the rush. Later in the day, we also visited the Alaskan Veterans Memorial, where we also honored our veterans in our group. It was a nice tribute, and I got some good pics. See the gallery on this page.

Wednesday, it’s off to see Glaciers in Prince William Sound. Will send pics along the way!

Would love your comments about our trip, and your Alaskan experiences if you have any.