The air temperature was 50 degrees. The water temperature was much colder. Of course, I couldn’t let G3 be the only one to defy the cold, so I too changed into my swimsuit and ran into the water.

I hate boats! I hate being on boats. Yet, I continuously find myself voluntarily on them. If someone is going to be gripping the rail, leaning over the side, and throwing up, you can bet it will be me.

Going down the rapids, I got smacked in the face so many times that I got brain freeze. On the raft, the look on G3’s face was one of pure joy.

There were even some fascinating etchings in the ice. Some looked like a mosaic. Others looked like jellyfish. The roof of one looked like a dinosaur’s spine. None of the caves were deep or dark but some of the walls seemed to have a slight glow due to the sun’s light reflecting off them.

I had never had mead. I read about it—often. Usually in novels or historical accounts. I knew it was alcohol and that in a time long before water was safe to drink people drank mead. I also knew that it was made from honey but that people sometimes, when talking about it historically, mislabeled it as a type of beer.

It seems the national park opened a visitor center here to do nothing other than draw tourists who wish to experience the beauty of America so that local Alaskans could take advantage of their fellow Americans.

The glacier was beautiful. I know, in every Alaskan post I have gone on about the stunning views, but I am not exaggerating. Seeing the glacier up close was amazing. The glacier looks like water frozen in motion. Parts of it look like waves.

When I was planning the itinerary for this trip, I did my best to take into consideration what all three of us wanted to do. I successfully managed to squeeze everything in except for Valdez. It was the one place I wanted to hit that didn’t make the cut. It just seemed too far removed and too long of a drive to make work. I was disappointed, but realistic enough to recognize that I just had to let it go.

Tonight we are boondocking. It’s what they call dispersed camping up here in Alaska. That means we can camp for free on public land. Finding a site was a bit of a challenge. Most—perhaps all—of the pullout areas are more geared towards RVs. We also wanted a spot with a good view

The knives are forged by Mark Knapp and right on one of the glass counters was a plaque that read “Mark Steele Knapp Champion Forged in Fire.” There was a time that was one of G3’s favorite shows. It was even a show I enjoyed watching.

Sled dogs are working dogs, not pets, although many of them seemed to really like the attention they get from tourists. They came right up to the ropes and let us give them a bit of love.

We were ten minutes out from the visitor center, returning from our bus trip, when we saw a moose. It was further away than the one we saw yesterday but she was out in the field drinking from a pond, not partially hidden by trees.

G3 caught up to us on our way back down and then pushed on ahead. The steep downhill killed my knees far more than the uphill had but they didn’t hurt as badly as Kati’s did. When we were about a mile away from the visitors center I spotted G3 up ahead frantically waving for us to catch up.

As we drove, off in the distance, the craggy snow covered peak of Mt. Denali rose up on the horizon. The sight of America’s highest peak—completely white and backed by a bright blue sky—was awe inspiring. Not since I first saw Mt. Kilimanjaro have I found a single peak to be so stunning.

The scenery, allegedly, is beautiful but I wouldn’t know because all the lovely mountains surrounding Anchorage are obscured by clouds and the rain is being a persistent nuisance. Disappointing. Oh well. That is part of traveling, dealing with weather that refuses to cooperate.

The views from the plane, as we approached and reached Alaska, were absolutely stunning. Snow capped peaks rose up out of the clouds and made the ground appear much closer than it was.

I received an email from my publisher informing me that Unsolicited Press accepted my memoir—Fire and Ice: A Nepalese Travelogue—for publication. The release is currently set for 2028, although that could possibly change.

We were on the road for less than five minutes when one of the scouts got a flat tire.

What can I say, he’s my kid. The lure to swim was simply too great.

For four years, G3 has talked about his Boy Scout trip to Block Island. It was his first Boy Scout camping trip and also his favorite.