annegeluna's Diaryland Diary

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the 1st day

It�s hard to believe it�s the first day of December. Where does the time go?

Alaska: We headed to Byers Lake for a hike as recommended by Teddy and as we were driving into the camping/parking area a black bear crossed the road right in front of us. He or she was very graceful, crossing the road in just a few steps that looked like a dance. We were both amazed and truthfully, a little nervous yet excited about hiking. We parked, got suited up, read the bear sighting posting on the bulletin board (there were 4 notes) and then I quickly wrote a note with our names, our hiking plans and the date and time and placed it on the dashboard before we headed out (one never knows). Teddy was right, it was a spectacular hike - beautiful setting and colorful foliage - and the bear sighting made it even more interesting. As we were hiking in we heard an almost creepy bird calling and when we arrived at the lake we saw a loon couple teaching their baby how to dive underwater. We watched as we hiked around the lake before the trail headed up into the mountains. We hiked for a while, all the time keeping an eye out for bears and talking or singing loudly. At one point we came across a very muddy section of the trail and we noticed what looked like a large bear paw print in the mud. The claw marks looked pretty deep and after Bryan put all of his weight on one foot next to the print (to see how heavy the bear was) we decided to turn around and see how our little loon family was getting along. We reached the lake in time to see the little bird go under for the probably the first time ever - so sweet!

Driving from Byers Lake through Denali and up to Fairbanks was some of the most beautiful country I�ve ever seen - the fall colors were breathtaking. We spent the next three days up in Fairbanks celebrating Bryan�s sister�s wedding and visiting with family and friends. Lots of fun, late nights, food, drink and laughter. And the Aurora Borealis at 3:00 am the morning after the wedding. Talk about spectacular! On the way back to Anchorage to catch our flight home we spent one night in an old log cabin just outside of Denali National Park and were treated to another night of the Aurora. We spent our last night in Girdwood at a very beautiful ski resort, the Alyeska Prince Hotel in Girdwood and had dinner at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant. It was a wonderful night and quite a treat. It was raining the next morning - our last in Alaska - so rather than go for a hike we relaxed in the huge salt water pool and hot tub with a view of the mountains. The perfect end to an awesome vacation!

3:12 p.m. - 2006-12-01

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