thefouramigosblog

All packed and ready to start our 20 day adventure across the pond. We began with a Lyft ride to Miami airport. Our driver was a nice young man who was fascinated by travel and hopes to do a bit himself. I use Lyft because my card gives me 5X points per dollar spent and I love my points. It’s part of the reason we are able to travel as much as we do.

We arrived at Miami airport with three hours to kill. My Platinum American Express card gives me access to a lot of lounges with Priority Pass and Turkish Air Lounge was right near our gate. So we settled in with cappuccino, sandwiches, cookies and fruit to wait.

We are flying Air Canada premium economy. Our first flight was to Montreal. We are flying Air Canada because I opened an Air Canada Credit Card that gave me two tickets after I met the minimum spend. So our flight cost us $14.40 for two, the amount for taxes.

Montreal was a very quick layover. We had to go through a mini customs and then found our way to The National Bank Lounge, which is also part of priority pass. We had a quick bite of cookies, soup and pasta, then headed to our gate.

We have premium economy seats to Paris and they are as nice as the seats in first class domestic on Delta and American. We were given a little kit which included a toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, eye mask and ear plugs. We also had bottled water and headphones.

We arrived at 7:45 am with very little sleep but excited to be in the City of Lights. Our hotel set up a car service and our driver was waiting for us at the exit. All went very smoothly. We arrived at the Hotel Bel Ami at around 10 am and they had our room ready. I booked this through my American Express Platinum card which offers a $200 discount on Fine Hotels. I also was upgraded to a deluxe room with a $100 voucher for food or spa services.

After checking in, we went out for breakfast. We stopped at a little outdoor cafe and had coffee and fruit tart. The fruit tart was more like an apple cake with a little chocolate swirled through it. It wasn’t what we expected but it was delicious.

It was fun to sit and watch people as we enjoyed our breakfast.

We returned to the hotel and took a long nap. It was much needed as we were planning to walk many miles to the Eiffel Tower. Our stroll took us along the Seine River.

It was a beautiful fall day and many people were out and about enjoying the sunshine.

Tour boats and barges were going up and down the river.

We stopped for a cappuccino and tea on a boat cafe!

After a two mile walk and then some, we finally saw the Eiffel Tower.

We could not get tickets to go to the top, so we were satisfied to see it from the outside.

I wanted to see it lit up at night, so Bruce and I ate at a little cafe right by the Eiffel Tower.

I had a goat cheese and tomato quiche and Bruce had an omelette. Very tasty.

For approximately 20 minutes, the tower sparkled with little lights and then became fully lit.

It was an amazing first day in Paris!

#paris #eiffeltower #hotelbelami #aircanada #prioritypass

We woke early enough to have the hotel’s buffet breakfast and to find out how to get to the air strip for our flight to the Arctic Circle. Breakfast was the usual, waffles, sausage, biscuits and gravy, but canned peaches and no other fruit. Coffee was good though. I do like my coffee.

The hotel is quite interesting. Tacky enough to be cool. Funky enough to be interesting. The ceiling in the barroom area, also the breakfast area, is tin plated with Tiffany lamps.

Lots of artwork decorate the walls, along with animal heads, harpoons and assorted Knick Knacks.

There was even an old time piano in the seating area.

Our excursion for the day was to fly north, crossing the Arctic Circle and landing in a small town called Coldfoot. During the base briefing, we were told that due to adverse weather conditions, we may not be able to go to Coldfoot and would need to land in Bettles. Since our trip was already paid for we said we’d go. Our plane was an 8 seater but it was the pilot and five of us. There were two other planes as well.

If you had any fears of flying, this would put you over the edge. It was so bumpy that at times it felt like the bottom was falling out. It reminded me of the Disney ride, Tower of Terror.

It was very soupy too and visibility was a big concern. We went down to 2500 feet and visibility was better.

One of the other planes had equipment failure and we could hear that on our headsets. Our pilot was instructing her what to do. I thought it was getting dicey.

Eventually we all made it to Coldfoot where it was raining. I was hoping for a little snow.

Our tour guide, Steven, met us at the plane and took us to the Coldfoot Camp for lunch.

We had some sandwiches and I had a nice warm hot cup of coffee. Steven told us this is the northernmost saloon in the US.

It was difficult to take pictures in the van. It was very crowded. Steven, took us to the Alaskan pipeline and talked about how it was built.

Our next stop was at the Arctic Circle. This is where we changed tour guides and vehicles. Our new tour guide was Tom.

The bus was a bit more comfortable but the windows were so dirty we couldn’t see out.

We took a short walk on the tundra. This was very interesting. It was very wet and boggy, almost impossible to walk. I was so glad I had my boots on.

The animals eat the many low growing plants on the tundra. The pipeline was everywhere. The pipeline carries approximately 1.8 million barrels of oil daily. It has helped the US become less dependent on other countries for oil. It was an amazing engineering feat, yet it also swathes across this beautiful country, where Alaska loses some of the feeling as the last frontier.

It started raining really hard and it was good to get back on the bus.

For dinner we stopped at the Yukon River Camp. This was very similar to the Coldfoot Camp but it was located on the Yukon River. Tired of being cold and wet, I opted not to hike down to the river.

The chili was very good. A bit spicy but very tasty. Then I had a piece of cherry pie and Bruce had blueberry. We sat and chatted with our tour guide, Tom. He lives in Fairbanks and has been a guide for 3 years.

These beautiful sunflowers were still in bloom outside the restaurant. It really was amazing to see how many flowers were still blooming despite the cold.

We had a two hour drive until we reached our next stop at the Arctic Circle Base Camp where we would spend a few hours waiting to see the aurora borealis.

Everyone was tired. Some people cozied up under blankets and took naps while others did jigsaw puzzles as we awaited the arrival of the lights. It was raining and cloudy so it wasn’t necessarily going to happen.

The bathroom facilities were outhouses – they were lit which was helpful.

Finally we had our first opportunity. They weren’t great because the sky was very cloudy.

But then I finally took one photo and another person did as well, where we captured the vivid blueish green. After that nothing.

And that was about the best there was! I had two nights of Northern Lights. I’m a happy camper.

#northernlights#pikeswaterfrontlodge#arcticcircle#

Our journey continued on the Alaskan Railway from Denali to Fairbanks. We left at 4pm, literally being the last guests in the hotel, employees working diligently around us to clean up for the closure during the winter months. One last view from our beautiful hotel and then on to the rail depot.

After getting our tickets we bundled up outside in the freezing cold waiting for the train to arrive. Cheers went up as the train’s horn blew announcing its momentary arrival.

We were in B car again, Gold Star which includes done ceiling, a meal and 2 alcohol beverages for those who drink. I wasn’t expecting much for scenery but the beginning of the trip was awe inspiring.

As we traveled out of the park, again the fall colors dotted the landscape, yellows and greens, burnt oranges and reds. It took my breath away.

We could see the snow colored peaks off in the distance, more snow then yesterday, proof that winter was fast approaching.

We went under a long steel bridge. As we approached, we could see the River, the canyon and the bridge.

In one moment we were traveling under the bridge.

We saw the Dall Sheep but that was it for the wildlife.

Bruce and I had pot roast for dinner and our table mates had Caesar Salad. We spent some time discussing travel plans and cruise lines. They were very well traveled. For dessert we had these tiny cheesecakes. The food on the train is edible but not outstanding.

The trip was four hours around mountains and along rivers. We finally arrived in Fairbanks at 8 pm. It was still light out. We collected our bags and they took us to Pikes Waterfront Lodge. We asked for a wake up call if the northern lights presented and they did.

It was the end of another beautiful day in Alaska.

#alaskarailroad#goldstar#pikeswaterfrontlodge#northernlights#fairbanks

Denali in Fall Bloom

Denali in Fall Bloom

— Read on thefouramigos.blog/2022/09/16/denali-in-fall-bloom/

Around 15 years ago I bought a National Park Passport Book. Whenever I go to a National Park Visitor Center, I get my book stamped with the date and park name. I really never thought I’d get to Denali but I did make it.

We took the bus from Talkeetna to the McKinley Chalet Resort. We started out around 5:45 so it was coming on close to dusk. But I was able to capture some of the mountains as we drove to the hotel.

The hotel, McKinley Chalet Resort, is part of the Holland America Cruise Line. It was a lovely place and several people we met said it was their favorite in Denali.

For dinner, we ate at the Canyon Steakhouse in the main lobby of the resort. It was the last night they would be open. I had a salad and Bruce had French onion soup. Then we had a puff pastry with ice cream and caramel sauce for dessert.

After a good night’s sleep, we woke to this fabulous view.

In the morning we took the shuttle to the visitors center so I could get my stamp. We also watched two films about the park.

For lunch we ate at Karston’s at the resort. We had tomato basil soup. And the view from our table was spectacular.

While we waited for our afternoon tour I walked around the resort. What beautiful views.

Our afternoon tour of Denali with Tundra Wilderness Tours began at 2:30. It was in a converted school bus with about 35 people. Our tour guide, Peter, was informative and shared about living in Alaska for the past 25 years. He said it snowed in the park the day before, offering us a glimpse of winter to come.

We were looking for wildlife and saw a male moose, bull and his harem, females.

We were looking for grizzly bears, but alas none. We did get to see Dall Sheep, note the tiny white dot on the side of the mountain.

Peter said that usually the colors have faded by this time but I felt that they waited just for us. Oh the splendor of the yellows and reds with the snow covered mountains behind, to see winter and fall as one.

I am so glad that we chose to come here at this time of year. Everything is closing around us. The hotel closes as I sit here and write. All the staff are excited about going home or onto new adventures. There won’t be any more hotels open, the roads close down and the rails and bus stop running. It will be a ghost town. But we were able to enjoy the end of the season’s beauty and charm of this expansive park. Now it will only be open to the snow shoers, cross country skiers and dog sleds.

It was cold when we got off the bus, but I didn’t want to miss any photo opportunities.

Today we woke and had a buffet breakfast at Karstans.

I took a few more photos of the beauty that surrounds us. Then we are off to Fairbanks by rail!

#mckinleychaletresort#denali#alaska#tundrawildernesstours

No train this time – but the bus did have huge windows to take in the amazing landscape. Instead of playing games on my phone or reading my book, I spent my time relishing the beauty from Seward to Anchorage. It wasn’t a trip with lots of wildlife, although we did see another bald eagle. It was the rich hues of yellow, gold and burnt orange that kept my rapt attention.

We stopped in Anchorage for an hour. There was a little coffee shop, Dark Horse Coffee, across the street from the bus drop off. So that’s where we headed.

I had coffee and a pumpkin cookie with maple glaze and Bruce had a caramel cream frappe and a mixed berry scone.

Our drive from Anchorage to Talkeetna was not as picturesque. The clouds were so heavy that we couldn’t see the mountains. The houses along the route were dilapidated. The area seemed so remote and desolate.

Much of the landscape reminded us of Maine. Especially the houses with broken down cars.

We finally arrived in Talkeetna and the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge was lovely.

Bruce and I had a delicious meal at the lodge’s formal restaurant, Foraker Restaurant.

Bruce had a seafood chowder and I had a salad with pistachios, orange segments and cranberries.

Then we shared a meal of Alaskan halibut, rice and zucchini.

For dessert I had cheesecake and Bruce had crème brûlée. I was so thrilled with dessert I forgot to take a picture.

After dinner we took a little walk and then spotted some moose on the back lawn. I wish I had my Nikon with me but I just had my phone.

In the morning we had a breakfast sandwich and split a blueberry muffin, while we sat by the fire.

Today we are taking an airplane ride with K2 Aviation. It was originally scheduled to go to Denali but the weather is overcast so we are heading to another glacier in the south.

Our pilot, Garrett, instructed us on safety issues and using our headsets. Once briefed we boarded the 10 seater for an exciting trip over several glaciers.

The flight began with fog and clouds but spectacular visibility of the fall foliage below.

Gradually we flew into the more mountainous range with vibrant colors speckling the landscape.

In the distance we began to see the snow capped mountains and sweet rays of sunshine.

Finally soaring above the glaciers was no less then spectacular. The clouds billowed through the snow filled troughs, reminding me of the whirling of cotton candy.

It was heaven on earth. Peace amid the clouds. A feeling of serenity and quietness came through the cabin.

And before I knew it, the trip was winding down. Time to head back to the airport after this fabulous two hour plane ride. Watching out the window, the glaciers receding in the distance, passing the mountain range and over the fields until we gently glided into the airport.

It was a wonderful trip to Talkeetna. Now on to Denali.

#talkeetnaalaskanlodge#k2aviation#alaska#darkhorsecoffee

After our four hour train ride through breathtakingly beautiful scenery, we arrived in Seward.

Seward is a quaint little town, which reminded us of many of the coastal towns in Maine.

We checked into the Gateway Hotel, the newest hotel in Seward. It was clean, well appointed and the staff were very friendly. The room was ready at 11:30, even though check in wasn’t until 4.

It’s a modest hotel but the beds were comfortable and it was clean.

We had reservations to go to the Alaska Sealife Center at 2pm. Seward has a free shuttle that picked us up in front of our hotel and dropped us at the center. We learned a lot about Alaska’s sea life, touched star fish, saw sea lions being fed and overall a nice afternoon.

We met two women on the free shuttle who gave us pointers on where to eat. Several restaurants were very expensive and not very good. They did like the the Alaskan Seafood Grill. Nothing fancy, almost a fast food restaurant but said the food was great. We decided to go there. Bruce and I shared the fish and chips. The fish was halibut. Delicious, fresh and not too heavily breaded. Bruce also had the seafood soup. It was wonderful.

We walked back from the restaurant after dinner. It was a short walk and it wasn’t raining. This bird was waiting for us.

Early to bed because we are still a bit jet lagged and Bruce needs to take it easy because of a recent heart attack. He’s such a trooper doing this trip so I will make sure he doesn’t over exert himself.

Free breakfast comes with our hotel stay. They had eggs, sausage, pancakes, pastries, yogurt, granola. It was a good array of foods. We won’t go hungry.

From our table we looked out at the snow peaked mountains.

A van picked us up at our hotel and delivered us to our ship for the day, the Spirit of Matushka.

The skies were cloudy, there was a slight drizzle but it had the feel of a magical day.

Moments after we left the pier we came upon a mature bald eagle. He was so close I felt I could almost touch him.

Our tour operator, Major Marine Tours, was living up to our expectations. The weather wasn’t great for sitting outside all day but we did have an assigned table right by a window. We had a lovely young couple, Parth and Lipi, as our table mates.

As we left the harbor, we also saw many gulls along the barrier rocks.

Shortly after that, we saw a humpback whale. I was able to get photos of the tail. I wouldn’t know this was a humpback but the Captain could even identify which whale this was by it’s tail. It’s like our fingerprint!

That was exciting. And the beauty surrounding us was spectacular.

So many waterfalls. I think I saw more waterfalls here then I did in New Zealand.

We saw a black momma bear and her two cubs on a beach. They were pretty playful. We spent a few minutes watching them.

The rains and winds were picking up and it was hard to stay up straight outside. We would go outside when the boat stopped. I fell at one point and cut up my knee.

Dreamy, I thought, with the low flowing fog and slight mist. Sunny days are one thing but this was special. The beauty enhanced by the clouds.

The glacier was a beautiful blue. The Captain said it’s because of the density of the ice.

We also saw an iceberg floating.

On our way back, we stopped and saw some Stella Sea Lions. They are considered endangered in this area.

And just some random beauty!

We also saw some sea otters playing in the water.

It was a wonderful day spent on the water. We went to Alaska Seafood Grill and each had a bowl of their seafood chowder. Tomorrow we are off to Talkeetna.

A view from our room!

#majormarinetours#spiritofmatushka#seward#alaska#glacier

What a long day! We didn’t get to the hotel and to bed until 3am and woke up at 8:30 so we could enjoy a sunny day in Anchorage. The weather ahead isn’t looking promising so this may be our only day of sunshine.

Our hotel is a Comfort Inn! I’m not crazy about this brand but the person at Alaska Tours who set up our itinerary said it was in a nice location. It’s right next to the train station which will be easy to get to tomorrow morning.

Breakfast included waffles, scrambled eggs and sausage. It was tasty and is free. I like free. The hotel shuttle also picked us up at the airport in the middle of the night and took us to the visitors center this morning. This was complimentary as well.

We were going to take the trolley around town but it was $25 each for an hour ride and I really needed to get some walking in. Bruce can walk a little and we took it very easy and slow.

Found some neat wall art. I like to photograph graffiti from different cities.

We spent a few hours in the Alaska Museum. It was quite large and diverse.

They had exhibits of sea life. We thought this turtle was fake until it started swimming. It’s a large snapping turtle.

And we watched the museum worker feed the starfish. They eat mussels.

There were these giant colorful bears on display in the art gallery. The Kodiak bear in neon.

On our way back to the hotel, I took some photos of the mountains.

Then we stopped into a shop that makes Ulu knives.

And back to the hotel for a little rest before we go out for dinner.

In our lobby was a Kodiak bear. These bears can stand 10’ tall on their hind legs. Not something I’d want to run into in the Alaskan wilderness.

Bruce and I decided to eat Thai tonight. We found this hole in the wall place in town – nothing fancy – but the food was great.

We shared shrimp Pad Thai and egg rolls. It was great.

On our walk back to the hotel, the sky was amazing.

Now to bed early because our day begins at 5am tomorrow!

We woke at 5am to catch a 5:30 shuttle to the train station. It was walking distance but it was raining, so I was glad I reserved seats on the shuttle. The train station was packed with half asleep travelers. I was able to take a few photos without people.

Bruce and I got our Gold Star pins, which gave us reserved seats in the upper deck with dome ceilings and included breakfast in the dining car on the first level. The Alaska Railroad was a treat!

The train left the station on time and it was still dark out. But as the morning light edged in, it opened up to a world of immense beauty.

For breakfast we had 3 choices. I chose a barley oatmeal with blueberry compote and coconut flakes and Bruce chose scrambled eggs, reindeer sausage and home fries. Bruce let me have one of his sausages.

Our trip took us by glaciers, rivers and oceans. We saw moose, beluga whales and bald eagles. Unfortunately, the wildlife did not cooperate. But it was amazing scenery.

That little black spot in the field was a moose.

The glaciers were stunning.

The train went through tunnels and over bridges. It meandered around the mountains along the banks of pristine lakes.

It was a great way to admire the majestic landscape without getting wet.

After a four hour train trip from Anchorage to Seward, we finally arrived in Seward which will be our base for the next two days!

#alaska#seward#goldstar#alaskarailroad#mythai#anchoragemuseum#comfortinn

Our drive back to Reno was uneventful. We dropped off the car at Hertz and skipped the lines at the Delta checkin because we are Sky Priority.

We worked our way through security. Another breeze since we have Global Entry and TSA pre check. Love that.

They also have slot machines everywhere in the airport. I guess if you want to get rid of more money.

We made it to The Escape, a Centurion Lounge which I have access through my American Express Platinum.

We spent several hours there. They had soup, sandwiches, cookies, cheese and crackers but nothing was really noteworthy.

We are flying on an Embraer 175, a regional plane. First class is Meh! But the plane is a two seater throughout which is nice. A little bottle of water was waiting at our seat.

The flight attendants were attractive and well groomed. On US airlines that is not always the case.

We stopped into the Delta Sky club. I get free access but had to pay $39 for Bruce. It was a really nice lounge with soups, sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads. If we drank, that would be free.

This lounge had nice bathrooms with lotions. I didn’t see any showers.

Salt Lake City airport was pretty busy at night. It was clean and very interesting.

Our flight to Anchorage was on time. Seats were comfortable and there were tv screens on the back of each seat. Water was waiting and they handed out head sets.

A four hour flight with snacks went smoothly and we finally arrived in Alaska! As far as first class, it’s overrated unless you are in the lay down beds.

Next up – all about Alaska!!

#delta#deltaskyclub#alaska

For some reason, probably dating back to my years working in corporate America, I ended up as a Hertz Gold member. It usually doesn’t mean much but on this trip it did. The lines for all the rental cars dominated the baggage area at the Reno Airport.

Since I am a Gold member and had booked and paid for my car in advance, I jumped the lines and was able to get my car in 15 minutes. Some of these people were going to be waiting on line a long time. This is the second time I chose the managers special, which is at a very cheap rate. And I ended up with a relatively good vehicle.

We drove the 40 minutes to Truckee to visit Bruce’s daughter Kami, and to meet our newest granddaughter Emmy. She was a delight.

After we left we stopped so I could take a photo of this gorgeous scenery.

We checked into our Hampton Inn a few miles from their home. I like Hampton Inns. Are they luxurious? No! But they are always clean, the beds are comfy and the staff is usually pleasant.

A lovely view from our room.

We met Kami and family at a local park. The girls had fun on the swings.

On our way to dinner the sky was bright orange with a glow around the sun. Apparently it gets like this from the smoke. There are a lot of fires out west.

We ate dinner at Zano’s Pizza. It was good and Emmy and Lilly were able to run around. They are 2 and 4. Sitting in a restaurant is not their idea of fun. So this was a good place to take them.

On our way home the moon was up. It’s almost a full moon.

Bruce and I were in bed sleeping by 10.

We had a good night’s sleep and had the usual Hampton Inn breakfast. I ate a waffle and yogurt, Bruce had eggs and yogurt. Then we headed down to the Local Airport to meet up with Kami and kids.

Kami and family met us for lunch at the Red Truck by the airfield. There’s a play area for kids there and picnic tables to sit at. I wasn’t hungry after breakfast so I just had a bottle of water. The kids ate hummus and pita.

Lilly really does love her Poppop.

After lunch we headed back to our hotel for some pool time. The water was a bit nippy but that didn’t stop Lilly and Emmy.

We stopped at Raley’s, a cross between Fresh market and Whole Foods. We bought some cupcakes, fruit and salads.

We had a nice cookout at the O’Connor’s house overlooking the mountains.

We ate chicken and salad. It was fun with Lilly and Emmy. Lilly was smitten with her Poppop.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped so I could take a few photos of Truckee. It’s lit up like Christmas all year long.

This morning we woke to the smell of smoke. Ash is falling on Truckee and the air quality is 152. Very unhealthy. We are going to wear masks today, not because of Covid but for breathing purposes. So those gorgeous skies at night have consequences.

We walked around the cute little town going into the various shops.

Lilly and Emmy went wild in the toy store. So many things! Lilly ended up with a remote control car and Emmy a duck. Emmy was cheated so we threw in a few other things but she was happy with her duck!

We spent a few minutes together and took a family photo and then went on our way to the airport!

Next up, flying first on Delta!

#Truckee#California#Zanospizza#truckeetahoeairport#hamptoninntruckee