I have been missing in action for a few weeks.

I had to make a couple unexpected trips back to the Midwest as my mother was suffering some complications from cancer treatment. Sadly, things did not go well and I eventually had to return for a funeral.

Obviously, the circumstances surrounding my travels weren’t very enjoyable, but I did notice some things on those trips –- Alaska is even more beautiful than I thought.

Generally, Gina and I don’t leave the state during the summer months; we simply enjoy the Alaska summer more than we would enjoy vacationing elsewhere. These trips were not a vacation, and they took us out of the state at a time we haven’t left before revealing scenery we hadn’t seen previously. When we usually leave Alaska, the mountains are all covered in snow, but this time some of that snow had melted off.

On one trip, I flew to Seattle before heading to Michigan. The route took me over Prince William Sound and along the coastline before heading into Seattle. We flew past the Malaspina Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. I’ve written about the size of this glacier previously –- according to the National Park Service it is larger than Rhode Island –- but I had no real grasp of the size until we flew past it. That piedmont glacier is massive.

On a return flight, we came across the Chugach Mountains north of Anchorage. Our flight path took us almost directly above Lake George and Colony Glacier, which empties into the lake. Again, it’s one of those off-the-beaten path places that most visitors –- and most Alaskans –- will never visit. From 25,000 feet or so it looked simply stunning.

So if you’re coming to Alaska soon, fly during the daylight, be sure to get a window seat and hope for clear weather. The flight in might just be one of your highlights.

--Steve