In the summer of 1999, my brother Tom (being of sound mind and body) decided it was time for a change of scenery and headed out west. Loading everything he owned into a Toyota 4-Runner and a 6' X 12' U-Haul trailer, he rolled out of town late one warm July night and didn't stop until he hit Anchorage, Alaska. I figured it might be the last chance to see him for a while, so I decided to tag along.

This page contains: brief synapsis of the trip, lots of pictures, and fun facts and tips for your own trip to Alaska.

If you're in a hurry, the cliff notes are as follows:

• Brothers Mason load up earthly possessions and leave scenic Fulton, Maryland.
• Drive like hell through the midwest and make it to Canadian Border in two days.
• Bike, camp, bond, and drink tasty beers throughout Northwest Canada.
• Arrive in Anchorage a week later, spend next week touring the last great frontier.
• Elder Mason checks in to short term housing, Younger Mason hops on a plane back east.

Mountain seen from about the half-way point of the Crescent Lake bike trail. The pinkish flowers seen in the foreground and in clear spots on the mountain itself are called "fireweed," so named because it is usually the first plant to grow in an area after a fire has cleared it of vegetation. Also notice the very distinct tree line two-thirds of the way up the mountain, and the fact that there's still plenty of snow at the top, even in late July.

This is the oil spill museum located in downtown Seward. We thought about giving it a look-see, until we found out they charged like ten bucks or so just to get in. They get 18 jillion dollars from Exxon in the Valdez settlement, and they still have to charge us for the museum?! I don't think so, Jabroni. For ten bucks you'd better be able to grease up an otter or something, and they had better provide the motor oil.

A shot of our campground at Riding Mountain National Park in Central Canada. We camped here for a night and rode the "Moon Lake" trail. The bells are for the sake of our good friend Mr. Bear. Supposedly if you make a bunch of noise while riding you're less likely to take a bear by surprise, and therefore less likely to get eaten. I yanked the bells off a Christmas decoration, which explains the red bow. Also note the gen-u-ine Canadian-style beer, the handy GPS receiver, the bottle o' Gatorade, and the shameless plug for Cycle-Recycle.

This is the bottom of exit glacier, near Seward. A quick hike takes you to the vantage point this picture was taken from. Note the distinct tree line on the mountains in the distance, and the milky-gray nastiness that is a glacier stream.

This is, quite possibly, the world's largest snowblower. It's mounted on the front of a steam locomotive and is used to clear the tracks around Anchorage so supplies can get through in the winter. There's a festival in the spring where native Alaskans come to the train to celebrate having made it through another winter. They traditionally bring vegetables, breads, or a cut of meat to offer to the train. The giant engine is fired up one more time, and the natives throw their offerings into the whirling blades of the snow blower. The resulting shredded food is collected and mixed together into a dish known as "Alaskan casserole," which has a taste not entirely unlike shepherd's pie.

Northern Rockies Lodge; a none-too-good restaurant on the Al-Can highway where we stopped for lunch. It's annoying to be forced to wait a long time for bad food. I include this picture in the hopes that you might avoid a similar fate. The unfortunate truth, however, is that you really don't have many choices along the Al-Can highway. If you don't like the looks of a particular restaurant and you're not willing to wait for another 100 miles or so, you're pretty much stuck.

River at Independence mine near Hatcher Pass. The mine was shut down after WWII and is now a museum. Guided and self-guided tours are available. It was rainy & foggy when we went, but there were enough inside exhibits to make it interesting. The road up to the top is pretty sketchy, but the scenery is well worth it.

A nice scenery shot of the sun setting on some mountains. Well, OK, the sun doesn't actually set, but it gets low in the sky and creates the same effect. I don't remember exactly where this mountain is (they all start to look the same), but for some reason I believe it's just south of Tok, Alaska.

Bridge Somewhere along the Al-Can highway. More than this I cannot say.

Things to do in Alaska when you're not dead

• Grizzly bears, Kodiak bears, and Brown bears are all the same species of bear. Kodiak bears are brown bears that live on the Kodiak peninsula. Because of their high protein diet (salmon, mostly) they grow much larger than other brown bears. Grizzly bears are bears living inland in the wooded areas, and tend to be smaller than kodiak bears because of their more vegetarian diet. Neither variety appreciate the "hide the cub" game.
• Never, ever drink anything claiming to be "pure as a glacial stream." Glaciers grind up all sorts of dirt and rocks as they make their way down a mountain, and the resulting powder (known as glacial flour) gives glacial streams and rivers a milky gray color. In fact, this glacial flour gums up the gills of fish and makes the water uninhabitable.
• In the same vein, DO NOT LICK GLACIERS! The extremely cold temperature combined with the moisture on your tongue will form ice and cause your tongue to stick like glue to the glacier. I learned this the hard way. The park rangers at the Portage Glacier museum mentioned that they have to free about 100 tourists a year after glacier-licking incidents. The usual approach is the localized application of heat using nothing more fancy than a hair dryer. It is a relatively painless process, but highly embarrassing.

If you're heading up to Alaska some time soon, be sure to bring along this handy "to do" list and wildlife spotting checklist. I've filled in my scores, see how you do!

Alaska "To Do" list

Activity	Status
Lick a Glacier	Done
Free Gumby from glacial mud @ Portage Glacier museum	Done
Ro-Sham-bo a moose	Moose wouldn't hold still
Pan for gold	Found about \\$0.06 worth
Pretentious drinks @ Crow's Nest in Anchorage	Done
Bike/Hike Crescent Lake Trail	Done
Eat some salmon	Done
Eat some Alaskan king crabs	Not yet
Go dog sledding	Kinda hard in the summer...
Take bus into Denali park	Nope
See Independence Mine & Hatcher Pass	Done and Done
Whimper "Thank you, Seward" with tears in your eyes in public places	Multiple times
Pawn off #\\$%&* left-over Canadian change at every opportunity	Absolutely
See Northern lights	Sun never set
Stare at Russian River for half an hour	Done
Climb Mount Mckinley	Uhhh...Nope.

Alaska wildlife checklist

Critter	Seen 'em?
Bald Eagle	Yep
Brown Bear	Yep
Black Bear	Yep
Moose	Yep
Elk	Yep
Caribou	Nope
Wolf	Nope*
Doll Sheep	Yep
Lynx	Yep
Two fat guys whipping a mule	Nope

^*Note that wolves are nocturnal predators and generally avoid humans unless they are hungry. If you do see one, things could go horribly awry in the immediate future.

If you miss any of the above critters in your travels about Alaska, you can catch most of them at the Anchorage Zoo. This doesn't count, of course, but at least you get to see them.

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