Put in Bay, Alaska

DATELINE: Talkeetna, Alaska 

Three hours north of Anchorage awaits a little town dating back hundreds of years. Time has stood still in Talkeetna.

Downtown consists of one road, with two city blocks. Here, you'll find the general store, eateries and tour operators. Imagine Talkeetna to be a smaller version of Put In Bay, Ohio.  This seasonal town is alive now. But come winter, it's boarded up and quiet. 

The general store has everything inside.  Climbers who have aspirations of scaling Mt. McKinley will gather their final supplies before heading to base camp. 

Including a fresh pair of undies in ziplock bags should you need them.

Back outside, find a few patriotic Moose. 

It's summer here, and the flowers in the cool growing conditions are majestic. 

Dinner on Thursday night was enjoyed outside at Mountain High Pizza Pie. 

No pizza topping is off limits. Since this is Alaska, you can find reindeer sausage on the menu. And it is delicious. 

Those chunks above? Yep. Donner & Blitzen. 

Adam may be sick.  Sorry, Santa. 

NEXT: Buck Skinner from Paddlewheel Excursions has invited us over!

Ice, Ice Baby

DATELINE: Along the Glenn Highway, Alaska

It may be summer, but Alaska has ice! Stop 1 on our Great Alaskan Adventure was an hour north of Anchorage. The Matanuska Glacier dates back centuries.

Massive glaciers like this one carved 

these lands.  And after parking the car,

a mile long hike takes adventure seekers

to the base.

Visitors sign a waiver to climb all over the

glacier. 

In our shorts, we slid, climbed

and navigated with a special friend.

In his saddle bag, even Dexter went along

on the adventure! A group of Korean 

tourists saw the Yorkie at Sarah's side. 

"We just found him wandering," Scott

said. 

"We take him and give him good home,"

a concerned Korean mother said. 

"No, Dex has a good home," Scott quickly 

said before Dexter could leave our side

(he's safely in the back seat now as I write 

this).  

The water is pure (we hope).  Some 

people were bottling up it's chilly 

goodness. 

Then again... Adam said he 

wanted to pee on the glacier and burn

a hole in it. 

NEXT STOP: The Cabin. 

Pants, Pants, Pants

DATELINE: Anchorage

Look close!  Our first bear encounter!

Actually, look at those legs. The guy from Florida forgot pants. So it's off to Outdoor World for pants.

But these are a real bonus for the great last frontier. 

Next: Off to the cabin. 

Snow City

DATELINE: Anchorage 

Gold Mine. The Alaskan Gold Rush is alive and well in Snow City.

Snowflakes dance from the ceiling year round. 

In fact, breakfast is so popular at this diner, you need to make reservations.  

On the menu, Alaskan Crab Omelets. 

When waiting for the bathroom, you can let your meal inspire artwork. 

Saving electricity is popular here. Just wave if the power cuts out. 

Next stop for these two: Talkeetna and a cabin that overlooks the mountains. 

"Welcome to Alaska!"

DATELINE: Anchorage 

And there it was:

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me be the first to welcome you to Alaska," the flight attendant said over the PA at 12:30am. 

Cedar Point had an I door roller coaster from 1990-2012 named "Disaster Transport."  The space-themed ride had a storyline where passengers left Ohio and arrived in Alaska. Exactly 25 years later, I made the trip (minus space pirates). 

The airport in Anchorage is earthy.  And busy at 12:30am. The designer here could easily get a job at Port Columbus.

The first welcome party? A moose!

Soon, Adam and Scott were reunited and ready to hit the road in the spirit of our European Adventure from two years ago. 

Where do you go in the middle of the night? To a TV station of course!

Welcome to KTUU under the cloak of darkness.  

"Our old station was a Hooters that went out of business," Adam says as we proudly turned down the road leading to his gorgeous facility. 

"Did it have the Christmas lights yet?" Scott asked.

"No. But we had to shoot a video around wooden columns," Adam explained about the old facility. 

You've heard the phrase, "Boys and their Toys?"  Meet Adam's big friend: News Star 2!

Nothing like running around the office at 1am!

And since this reporter is exhausted, we'll leave anchoring the morning show at KTUU to Adam's colleagues. 

Good night from Anchorage! 

Goodnight from Arizona

DATELINE: Phoenix 

Quick touch & go on the way to Alaska.

Goodnight from the last "down state."

And We're Back!

DATELINE: Orlando

Like a syndicated talk show returning from break, the EC'13 blog is again live.  

Two years after Europe, travels head west this time to "The Great White North:" ALASKA!

First leg: leaving Orlando:

This Airbus 321 has special effects in full force.  With the humidity level outside at 76%, the A/C in the passenger cabin looks like fog:

Meantime, Captain Hook Finn is in good hands at "Camp Jessie" where he's ready for a nap. Me too!

Follow us for photos and details of the adventures ahead.  Here we go again!