More Alaska Adventures

As readers of this blog well know by now, we like to travel by road trips in the U.S. and, in recent years, to other countries. We consider ourselves fortunate in that we can physically and financially afford these adventures, knowing that there are many people, who for reasons of health, money, obligations or other reasons, are not able to do the same. We also know that our tolerable aches could restrict future travels. 

Mark Twain advised that, Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. Twain advised living life to the fullest to avoid future regret. We're following his advice.

A late August post shared highlights from our Anniversary Adventures in Alaska. It was wonderful to explore some of the 49th state with the motto, The Last Frontier. To explore all of Alaska would take a very long time since it's the largest U.S. by total land area. To give you more detail, it's over twice the size of the second largest state, Texas, and bigger than the three largest states of Texas, California, and Montana — put together. We only saw a very small part of the state.

Alaska's population of some 741,000 is low for its size, placing it as the third-least populous U.S. state., ahead of only Vermont (648,493) and Wyoming (587,618) as of 2024. While Alaska is the largest U.S. state by land area, it has a very low population density, with less than 1.5 people per square mile. By comparison, California is the most populous U.S. state. (nearly 40 million), then comes Texas (over 32 million) and Florida (23 million).

Our land-cruise trip included two days (hardly enough) touring Denali on an Alaskan sternwheeler, converted school bus through Denali National Park and in a domed railcar from Denali to Talkeetna also a tour bus. This post includes some highlights from those forms of travel and sights along the way.

Our land modes of transport: a sternwheeler, school bus, tour bus, domed rail car

The day after our arrival in Fairbanks, we traveled by tour bus to Steamboat Landing where we boarded the Sternwheeler Discovery III. A sternwheeler is a type of paddle steamer propelled by a single, large paddle wheel at the vessel's rear (stern). These ships navigate rivers in shallow waters. The Discovery III traveled on the Chena and Tanana Rivers during a narrated 3+ hour tour. 

Steamboat Landing and the Discovery III sternwheeler

The tour boat company is a family-run business started in 1950 by Jim and Mary Binkley who began a river cruise business with Godspeed, a 50-foot gas-powered boat that held 25 passengers. They later upgraded to the Discovery sternwheeler which held 49. In 1986, the Binkley family expanded the fleet band by commissioning the 260-ton, 156-foot Discovery III which has a capacity of 900 passengers. Binkley grandchildren now operate the family business.

A bush pilot demonstrated takeoff viewed from the sternwheeler

After boarding and starting the river cruise, we saw one of Alaska's bush pilots taking flight on the Chena River. Monitors set up on the boat allowed the pilot to communicate with the passengers visually. There was a demonstration of the pilot taking off, landing further down on the river and then flying back.

Traditional methods of salmon preservation

Continuing along the river, the riverboat paused near a riverside fish camp for a demonstration of how Alaska natives traditionally prepare salmon for smoking and drying. Once again, monitors provided a closer look at the procedure which involved cleaning the fish and then hanging it to cure in a drying shed.

Dog sledding demo at Trail Breaker Kennels

The next site viewed from the boat was Trail Breaker Kennels, founded by the late four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher. It's now operated by her daughters, Tekla and Chisana Butcher-Monson. Both women are involved in the family legacy of dog mushing. David Monson, their father, is a Yukon Quest sled dog race champion. 

The sled dogs were harnessed to an ATV as, of course, there was no snow for a sled demo. The ATV was pulled it in a circle around the kennel, afterwards, the dogs were treated to a dip in the river.

Trapper's Line Cabin was a shelter used by Athabascan trappers for overnight stays

The only stop on the sternwheeler tour to disembark was an hour visit to Chena Village Living Museum where passengers were split into several groups. Native Alaskan guides presented highlights of a native Athabascan village and spoke about the culture. The Athabascan people are known for their nomadic lifestyle which includes hunting and fishing along major river systems.

This cabin was a more permanent residence as shown by its furnishings

This outdoor museum is an educational attraction which is only accessible as a stop on the Discovery riverboat tour. It provides a look into the traditional lifestyle of the Athabascan people, who lived in the region historically. 

A cache built higher to protect food from wildlife displayed the furs of trapped wildlife

The village includes cabins and caches (buildings on stilts used for food storage) and fish camps, which according to the guides, showed methods of living and survival. Families would historically move to fish camps during the summer and use outdoor drying racks to prepare salmon for preservation in smokehouses.

Clothing was made of fur, hide, beads and very elaborate

Two of the village guides modeled clothing made of hide and furs and decorated with beadwork. They explained how the Athabaskan people thrived for over 10,000 years in harsh climates necessitating the warm outerwear.

Sled dogs enjoyed the attention from tour group members

The final village stop was a demonstration of sled dogs from a handler and sled dogs from Trail Breaker Kennel. The dogs were quite friendly and very eager to interact with many passengers as shown in the above photos. This was the final attraction as we boarded the steamboat for the return trip to Steamboat Landing where our tour group boarded the bus for a return to the hotel.

Scenes fromDenali National Park 

Early the next day, we boarded the tour bus and headed to Denali National Park. Its vast size doesn't come close to Alaska's total land area and at 6 million acres, the park only represents 1 percent of Alaska's total land mass of over 665,000 square miles. For a size comparison, Denali is slightly larger than West Virginia.

Once again, we traveled on a bus — this time a school bus as these are the only vehicles used on tours in Denali National Park due to their durability in being able to travel on the park's unpaved gravel road. The school buses are also more economical to operate compared to large tour buses. 

Brian, our Denali Park tour guide, inside the school bus, grizzly and elk 

All wildlife viewing was done from the bus and we did see wildlife in the form of elk, grizzly bears (at least 3), moose, caribou and Dall sheep so high on the mountains they were called little white dots by the tour guide, who was also the bus driver. We learned that all the wildlife we viewed were native to Alaska, except, elk as the last the last native populations, from the Ice Age (Pleistocene era), died out thousands of years ago. The elk in Alaska today are Roosevelt elk reintroduced from the Pacific Northwest in the 20th century.

The above photos show the diversity of the landscape in Denali.

There was only one stop in Denali and everyone took this opportunity for some photos. The top photo ↑ shows all the members of our tour group. The bottom photo shows the most of our tour group from the NH Hudson Senior Center; there were 16 total, but not everyone made the photo opp.

Travel friends, Jan and Bob, who we traveled with 2 years ago on a UK adventure

After the sternwheeler cruise and Denali National Park Tundra Wilderness Tour, we stayed overnight at the Denali Lodge, a wilderness lodge and resort, before the next part of our land adventure.

Front and lobby views of Denali Wilderness Lodge

Holland America owns the Denali Lodge and the McKinley Explorer®, a glass-domed train which was our next mode of transport from Denali to Talkeetna.

Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, both owned by parent company Carnival Cruises, operate the largest fleet of dome railcars in Alaska. Most passengers who travel on these railcars are part of cruise line group tours. This private 2-level, glass-domed railcar travels hundreds of miles into Alaska's interior and seats 86 to 88 passengers in the upper level dome. 

The large curved glass dome windows run the full length of the car and gave great 360 degree views. The car had a host guide who provided a narrated commentary and answered questions along the route. The trip from Denali to Talkeetna, our next stop, was 5 hours on an overcast and rainy day. 

Our stay in Talkeetna, Alaska, was very brief, just enough time to walk from the train to the downtown area. is known for being a gateway to Denali. The town is known for its quirky history, including having a cat mayor named Stubbs from 1997 until his death in 2017.

The buildings in downtown Talkeetna were very unique

After an overnight stay in the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, we boarded the tour bus to Anchorage for a brief stop before continuing to the port of Whittier where we boarded the Holland America Noordam.

Holland America Noordam in the port of Whittier, AK

The next part of our trip was on this vessel for a 7-day cruise through Glacier Bay and several port stops. These adventures will continue in future posts. 

Thanks to those who traveled with us through this post. 

We appreciate that you took time to come long..

Friday Funnies

Here, we are at the last weekend of the month. September starts on Monday. Our summer season has gone by quickly with family events and friends get togethers. And, of course, our Alaska anniversary adventure (more to come on that trip).

As yesterday's post was about holiday auto accidents. This one will be a lighter one also about cars. Yes, here's more vanity plates.

For all the dog lovers, this plate was not a fun one to see on a recent walk to the library.

But, that's not all that was on the back of this vehicle, here's what was on the back window.

There is some serious love of pug dogs happening here.

Baseball season will soon be ending in the U.S., but these plates clearly showed the motorists' attachment to favorite baseball teams, both red (New England Patriots) and white (Chicago White Sox).

No comment on what this plate refers to, but it was not spotted on a convertible auto. As noted in a blogger comment, it could refer to the loss of someone's head hair. 

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

It's the unofficial end of Summer 🏖️. Welcome Autumn 🍁.

Dangerous Holiday Driving

If you’re planning to be out and about on U.S. roadways this Labor Day holiday weekend, take extra care. The roadways can be deadly depending on where you live.

As a NH resident the following headline sure got my interest. More details were needed like who, what, where did this info come from?

New Hampshire Found Most Dangerous Place in America to Drive on Labor Day

This headline was read in a recent copy in the Hudson Times, a weekly area paper. The article stated that per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), NH leads the country with the highest Labor Day driving fatality rate, 17.09 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Being a somewhat curious and skeptical person, and a former reporter, I needed to learn more, so (once again) fell into the rabbit hole of online sleuthing. There certainly is a lot of information available. What I learned was interesting, but often contradictory .

That newspaper article stated that research had been compiled by a law office based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to determine the states safest for holiday drivers. This firm is based in Waterbury, CT, and other locations in that state, handling immigration and personal injury.

According to the article, the top five deadliest states for Labor Day driving ranked by road fatalities per 100,000 population were: New Hampshire (17.09), Wyoming (9.72), Arkansas (7.86), New Mexico (6.71) and Mississippi (6.31). It further stated (not sure why) that Easter was not the deadliest driving day in Wyoming, and that it was Father's Day was the deadliest holiday in third-ranked Arkansas.

Seeking further confirmation online, I typed in various searched using words like: Labor Day weekend auto injuries and fatalities. That brought up a slew of websites of legal firms with auto fatality statistics on this holiday weekend and others too.

These websites were not only in CT, but also DE, TX and PA and other states, nearly all specializing in — that’s right — liability and personal injury; none from NH. (No firms will be named here, information can be assessed online.)

Here's what I learned from a few of these sites.

Folks living live in Mississippi should be extra cautious on Labor Day weekend. One site named it first for highest traffic fatalities due to factors like low seatbelt usage and extensive cell phone use while driving. This site also listed higher Labor Day holiday fatalities in South Carolina, Alabama, Wyoming (relative to its population) and New Mexico (rural roads and less access to trauma centers).

The website of another legal firm listed Montana as having a high fatality rate per capita on Labor Day weekend. The states of Wyoming and Mississippi made that list too.

This site also listed the five safest states for Labor Day driving (ranked by fatalities per 100,000 residents): Hawaii (0.99), Massachusetts (1.00), Rhode Island (1.28), Utah (1.63), New York (1.80).

Another site also named New Mexico as the most dangerous state to drive in on Labor Day weekend. Furthermore, the state was cited as having the most pedestrian fatalities per capita and the fourth-most speeding fatalities. I could not completely verify this claim.

And, that site's rundown for the 10 most dangerous states in order after New Mexico were: Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, Arizona, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas. (It claimed that Mississippi has the highest U.S. fatality (24.57 per 100,000). Again, just the site's information.

The study listed the 10 safest holiday driving states as: New York (again), Massachusetts, Utah, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Minnesota, D.C., New Hampshire (after being named the worst in another study?) and Connecticut.

A PA-based legal firm claimed that more people would die in motor vehicle accidents on Labor Day than other day with the exception of Independence Day.

That firm cited its study, Safest and Most Dangerous States to Drive for Labor Day Weekend, based on data available from the NHTSA, FBI and Census Bureau, naming New Mexico and Mississippi as the most dangerous states to drive in.  The safest state to drive on the Labor Day holiday was said to be New York (based on info from NY accident attorney lawyers). 

Here’s the same site's rundown for the 10 most dangerous states in order: New Mexico, Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, Arizona, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas. (It claimed that Mississippi has the highest U.S. fatality (24.57 per 100,000). Again, just the site's contention.

The study listed the 10 safest holiday driving states as: New York (again), Massachusetts,

Utah, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Minnesota, D.C., New Hampshire (after being named the worst in another study?) and Connecticut.

Confusing?  Yes, because of these widespread variations and there's more.

There was also information from the car accident experts at Auto Accident Team. It was listed as a free service compiling information for those seeking legal relief for auto accidents in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MI, MO, TX. According to the site, this was not a law firm or lawyer referral service and did not provide legal advice or endorse law firms in its network.

What state did the site list as the most dangerous? 

Ready or not, it was Vermont. The Auto Accident Team experts claimed to have analyzed 9 years of fatal crash data (2013-2022) from the NHTSA, which lead to it naming Vermont, especially on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, when crashes were 58% above the state’s average, four weeks before and after Labor Day.

This site's top 10 dangerous holiday driving states in order of ranking were: Kansas (especially on Friday), Delaware (largest increase of drunk driving fatal crashes on Labor Day weekend), New Mexico (second highest increase in drunk driving, nationally), Oklahoma (with fatal crashes increasing by 29% over the weekend), Iowa (with an increase of 28%), Alaska, West Virginia, Wyoming and Idaho completed the list with increases from 26 to 23%.

The safest state named to drive on Labor Day weekend was Hawaii with a 16% decrease in fatal crashes. It’s one of 11 states with a holiday accident decrease and has the fourth lowest increase in drunk driving rates on Labor Day weekend.

Another online article labelled the states of Wyoming, Montana and Mississippi as the most dangerous states for Labor Day weekend driving. While, the site conceded that the majority of fatalities occur in urban areas, these three states were named as the most dangerous — with nearly three times as many fatalities per capita as the U.S. as a whole. 

It also listed Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington as having the least holiday driving fatalities.

Analyzing data from several years ago (2017–2021), the NHTSA found that states of California, Texas and Florida had the highest rate of Labor Day accidents and fatalities due to population and number of cars. However, states like Montana and Wyoming have higher accident rates per capita (based on the number of residents).

While the majority of fatalities occur in urban areas. Wyoming, Montana, and Mississippi were listed quite often as the most dangerous states for driving with nearly three times as many fatalities per capita as the U.S. as a whole. On the flip side, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington were listed as having the fewest driving fatalities.

I don't know which state is the most dangerous/safest for motorists this upcoming holiday weekend. So many legal firms have online articles and data about holiday auto accidents and fatalities and not all (very few) agree.

What are some contributing factors?

According to a website, which quoted a high-level spokesperson for the Automobile Association of America (AAA), Labor Day caps off summer travel and provides a final holiday weekend before the fall routine begins. And, while some people are going on cruises or far-off vacations, many otherss are staying closer to home and taking road trips to nearby beaches or national parks.

The AAA website didn't include estimates for how many travelers are expected on roadways driving on the Labor Day holiday weekend. However, it noted that two recent 2025 holidays, Memorial Day and July 4, had record number of motorists on the roadways.

What makes Labor Day a dangerous time to drive?

Traditionally, summer holidays have the highest number of U.S. auto fatality rates. Many Americans celebrate Labor Day as the end of summer leading to higher road traffic and increased chances of accidents through factors such as: Impaired driving, heavy traffic and traffic congestion, speeding, fatigue and drowsy driving and increased nighttime driving.

Is Labor Day weekend the deadliest driving holiday in the U.S.?

I'm uncertain as the answer depends on which website, study or statistical data is believed to be the most creditable.

Several law firm sites and the ASC rated Independence Day (July 4) as the most dangerous day to be on the road followed by Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Other sites listed the deadliest driving holidays as Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day and Memorial Day. The popular holiday of Christmas was not listed as the most dangerous holiday for driving on most sites.

After reading through so many online data and statistics, it seems that the most dangerous state to drive on any holiday depends on so many factors: population, number of drivers and more. And, of course, the actions of the driver.

That said, we’re not taking any chances being on the roadways this Labor Day weekend.

Instead, we'll stay home enjoying outdoor walks or visiting friends in the mill apartments. We're not taking any changes that NH could be one of the most dangerous states to drive on Labor Day weekend. 

We hope that all fellow U.S. bloggers and motorists everywhere enjoy a safe holiday too.

Friday Funnies

Regular readers of this blog know my fondness for collecting images of vanity plates here in NH. Apparently they're popular in many other states, including the 49th.

Here was one seen on a car in Fairbanks in the hotel parking lot.

But the best plate find was seeing this car with a NH plate in one of our port stops (forgot if it was in Skagway, Juneau or Ketchikan). It was quite a surprise, unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to meet the driver.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're planning on a quiet weekend at home.

Anniversary Adventure

Today is our 26th Wedding 🥂 Anniversary and, while we'll celebrate with dinner at a local restaurant, we treated ourselves early with a 12-day Alaska Discovery land and sea adventure. This post is a brief recap (more to follow).

Since arriving home at 3 am on Monday, we've been catching-up at home in Nashua, NH. It's true that travel is full of wonderful experiences and anyone who has traveled knows, returning to everyday life takes a few days of re-adjustment. 

There was no blog posting, reading or commenting during this trip. We skipped the onboard wi-fi package which our tour guide advised was erratic and not worth the high cost. (If one person in a stateroom wanted service, everyone sharing the room had to buy it.) So, we went unconnected, aside from texts to family when in port. The free Holland America Navigator app was used to keep in contact with the tour leader and fellow travelers. 

We flew Alaska Airline from Boston to Fairbanks, AK

This trip was organized through the senior center we're members of in Hudson, NH, using the same New England-based tour company (Collette) that we travelled with for a UK trip in 2023 UK. Some former travelers on that trip also were on this one.

The largest U.S. state by area, Alaska is nicknamed The Last Frontier due to its huge unexplored wilderness and remote nature. It's one of the least densely populated states and many areas remain untouched by modern development.

Seen in Denali National Park on a Tundra Wilderness Tour

We traveled in a converted school bus through just a part of Alaska’s interior wilderness in the 6-million acre Denali National Park and Preserve. The school buses are used over motor coaches because they are better-suited for the park's gravel road and dusty conditions and are more durable. The use of these buses, not private vehicles, limits vehicles on the road and helps protect the park's environment.

Ex-school buses are the mode of transport in Denali National Park 

We managed to get a view of the park's centerpiece called Denali (the Great One, formerly Mt McKinley) which, at 20,310-feet is North America’s tallest peak. Not only did we see our first-ever moose, but other wildlife, including Dall sheep, grizzly bears, elk and caribou, and all were quite a safe distance away.

Our next mode of transportation, after the school bus excursion, was on board a domed railcar as we traveled from Talkeetna to Anchorage, AK. Seating was very comfortable, which was much appreciated for this over 5-hour trip.

Window views from the the domed train car

As you can see, the views along this train ride were vastly different than those in Denali Park on the previous day. The daytime temperatures during most of our travels were in the 70s, much cooler than the 90s left behind in Nashua, NH.

Anna, a naturalist intern, boarded the motor coach to talk about the AWCC

After an overnight stay in Anchorage, we traveled by motor coach to the port of Whittier, AK, stopping enroute at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) where many injured wildlife are cared for in a 200-acre outdoor rehabilitation site. We learned that most of these animals including bald eagles, black and brown bears, coyotes, deer, elk, reindeer, moose, foxes, muskox become permanent residents. 

This building houses most of the population of Whittier, AK

In Whittier, AK, about 90% of the town's 250 plus population live in this ↑ 14-story building, Begich Towers Condominium, which houses the police department, post office, convenience store, medical clinic, grocery store and laundromat as well as space for worship services. A school is connected to the building by a tunnel. 

The remainder of the town's residents live in nearby buildings. Because of this very unique residential living arrangement, Whittier is known as the town under one roof. Originally built by the military during the Cold War, the building was later acquired by the Alaska Railroad, which owns most of the inhabitable land in Whittier. 

The Holland America MS Noordam in the port of Whittier

The MS (motor ship) Noordam, part of the Holland America line of Vista-class ships, is named for the Northern compass point. All the ships in this line are named after a compass point, noord means north in Dutch. This ship is the fourth vessel with the same name and was christened in NYC in February 2006. (Vista-class refers to a specific cruise ship design characterized by features like more ocean views and verandas and a slightly smaller size. Noordam hosts a crew size of 800 with a 1,916 passenger capacity.)

Nightly shows presented on the World Stage and in several lounges

There was no shortage of entertainment and dining options on board the cruise ship, all of which were included in the cruise package. Comedy, magic and dance shows were presented in the main theater; the Billboard and Rolling Stone lounges featured nightly music performances.

Food choices were available in the buffet-style Lido Market and two Dining Rooms

As this was my first cruise, I was thankful for not getting sea-sick having used both anti-nausea tablets and sea-bands as a precaution. Several fellow travelers were not as fortunate especially during one day of rough seas.

Some of the captive wildlife that was available for purchase in the cruise ship's gift shop. We did see their live counterparts on the trip.

Our final mode of transpot and travel friends, Jan & Bob

After 7 days on the Noordam, our anniversary adventure ended in Vancouver, Canada. The long trip home was by way of two flights, the first landing in Seattle and the second ending in Boston, MA. Overall, this trip was a memorable anniversary experience. As always, our adventures will be continued in future posts.

Thanks, as always, for your comments and well wishes beforehand. A lot has been happening in the blog world during our time away. Unfortunately, several bloggers have been dealing with serious health problems/other issues, involving themselves, spouses or family. While they are not listed here, many of you may already have read recent posts. Their blog names are included on my side bar. 

Friday Funnies

It seems there's no escaping the preponderance of vanity plates here, either on the roadways or in parking lots. This group was collected over the past few weeks around Nashua, NH.

Love was the theme that was prominent in these plates.

Here's one for pet lovers.

These two plates seem to provide a question followed by an answer.

Here's a question with no answer provided.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We will be doing the same on our travels