I arrived in Anchorage and met my good friends Steve and Jennifer, both friends from college. Steve and Jennifer are married and they are expecting their first child. In fact, by the time you read this, Steve and Jennifer are probably not getting much sleep. Another good college friend and one of my roommates, Pat, also flew to Anchorage for the week. Steve works at the Anchorage Zoo, Jennifer contracts herself out using her masters degree in psychology, and Pat works at RPS in Pittsburgh.

Several days during the visit in Anchorage, we were able to see Mount McKinley, which has an elevation of over 20,000 feet and is located approximately 150 miles north of Anchorage. We were also able to see several other mountain ranges including the "Sleeping Lady".

We allocated one full day for Pat and I to go fishing. How could I go to Alaska and not get a line wet? I forgot my Rabble Rousers though. Steve and Jennifer hooked Pat and I up with "Mr. Alaskan Frontier". This guy fishes for anything, hunts moose, caribou, mountain goats, Dall sheep, bear, etc. Kinda looks like Grizzly Bear Adams too. I was looking forward to the experience (however, my allergies and medication were taking their toll on me). On the way to the fishing spot (and in the middle of nowhere) the truck broke down. We were able to get a message back to Anchorage with the help of a gracious passerby. It was going to be hours before help could arrive, so we shot guns to pass the time away. We are men you know. I kicked Pat's butt in a sharp shooting contest (well, maybe I missed once or twice). Of course, Pat was aiming at a small plastic bottle on a stick, and I was aiming for the mountain behind the plastic bottle on a stick.

The next day we went to the zoo where Steve works. Steve was able to take us into the zoo after hours for an up close and personal tour. We went into a baby moose cage to pet a moose, petted a porcupine's belly, held a fox, etc., etc. I fed a glacier bear with my hands. They have pretty slimy, floppy lips and luckily, they do not have a dietary desire for fingers. We also met an eight-foot grizzly bear face to face (with a big, steal gate in between us). You could feel this monstrous animal breath on you. Steve recommended keeping our hands to ourselves this time. I happily agreed. Steve also let me go into the black bear cub cage were I petted and played with a bear cub. Even though the bear was just a baby, she was very strong and agile. While playing with the cub, she bit my hand in a playful manor. It was enough to spook me though, and I quickly counted my phalanges. With my luck, if I lost a finger, the U.S. would go completely metric and I would be out of luck with only 9 digits.

Next, we loaded up the Tropper with camping gear and headed for a three-day road trip. Steve and Jennifer's dog Schools (or Schoolio as I like to call her) came with us. Schools is a German Shepherd/Collie mix who is also a nut with a fondness for her rock. Not just any rock, but her rock.

We headed north towards Denali National Park and Mount McKinley. The scenery and colors were once again incredible. We saw several moose including one on the roadside, however, I was currently "out" on medication at the time. We didn't see any caribou, but the diversity of the landscape was incredible. We were always stopping to take pictures. It seemed like as soon as the vehicle reach the speed limit, we would yell, "Stop! I want to take a picture!"

Cloud cover during the trip hid Mount McKinley so we didn't get a close up view of the mountain. However, we could see parts of the mountain through some breaks in the clouds and it was pretty awe-inspiring. I would have liked to have seen the whole thing up close. It was getting late, so we set up camp, made moose meat chili for dinner and went to bed.

The next day we folded up camp and continued north towards Fairbanks and all along the way we continued yell, "Stop! I want to take a picture!" It was amazing. Even the streams hundreds of miles from the ocean were full of salmon! I thought I was having the road trip of a life time.

Once we arrived in Fairbanks, we drove around the town and the college campus, then headed for the North Pole, Alaska. We visited Santa Clause's house and I looked for elves all over town but couldn't find any. Of course, it was the off season and they probably were vacationing somewhere in the Caribbean. I bought one square inch of the North Pole and I have a land deed to prove it. I hope to build someday. Steve, Jennifer, and Pat are my neighbors, so its a pretty decent neighborhood.

Our next stop was Delta Junction where we set up camp for the night and spent a pleasant evening next to a roaring campfire, playing cards and reminiscing with friends. On the campsite, we found a legitimate butt tree. Yes, it was a regular tree with a big butt growing out of it. Although we found no droppings below on the ground, the grass did seem a bit greener. On the way to Delta Junction we passed several miles of the Alaskan pipeline and even stopped to get a closer look. Pictures were taken and it was a convenient way to gas up the Trooper.

The next day, we finally made it back to Anchorage. That night we went to a local comedy club which is known for their musical skits on the Alaskan culture and lifestyle. Apparently, Alaskans are fascinated with earthquakes, moose dung (from jewelry to swizzle sticks), duct tape (what male culture isn't fascinated with duct tape) and Spam. The show was very enjoyable and the band that played after the show was very entertaining.

Next we did a few days of touristy things such as visit earthquake museums, shopping, etc. Pat and I also went golfing on a local par 3 course. Whew! I was getting a little nervous. A vacation without fishing or golfing? I'm not sure, but I think there are laws against that sort of thing.

Pat had to fly back home early, but Heather, my friend in Sitka, had flown to Anchorage for work duties. Since we all graduated from the same college, we thought we would try and get together. So Steve, Jennifer, and myself are in downtown Anchorage doing more touristy things and I was trying call Heather to set up dinner plans. We are going to sidewalk fairs, and more shopping when I finally got hold of Heather on Steve and Jennifer's cell phone. Heather asked where we were at, and I told her the name of the store, The Blue Moose. She told me to step outside and look up. So I did. There was Heather. She works above the store. Weird.

We made plans for dinner and went to the Alaska Wild Berry Products candy factory which was next to restaurant. The candy factory has the world's largest chocolate waterfall with 3400 pounds of chocolate. I contemplated tripping over the bump in the floor and falling head first into the bottom tier of liquid chocolate.

We spent the rest of the evening reminiscing with good friends and new friends. It was kinda strange for me. I am good friends with Steve, and good friends with Jennifer, and good friends with Heather, all from college. However, initially I was good friends with each individually before they even knew of each other. And now, they are all in Alaska, in the same room, and two of them are married to each other.

Once again, I am so blessed with a great family and great friends all over the world. I have plenty of places to visit and its always a great time. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Heather, Steve, Jennifer, and Pat for a wonder experience that will never be forgotten. I look forward to the day when I can do the same for you and anybody else who comes this way.

God Bless.

Your friend,

Phil