Who: Eleanor Mercier of Littleton and Betsy Vawser of Aurora.
Where: The Gracious House on the Denali Highway. This is a “highway” that connects Denali National Park with Copper Center (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park). It is 100 miles of dirt road and about 40 paved. This was part of our land portion of a Princess Cruise tour.
Best meal: They were all good, especially on the ship. However, our stop at the Gracious House was mid-morning, and we all had dessert first, with a yummy blackberry crumble pie with huckleberry ice cream.
Best deal: The bus trip along the Denali Highway was nine hours long, and one that we were dreading after viewing our itinerary. This trip was worth every hour invested. The scenery was stunning, the autumn color was at its peak, and we saw bald eagles, caribou and moose. The bus driver, a retired horticulturist from Alabama, was very knowledgeable about flora and fauna, as well as the history and geology of the area. The three of us unanimously agree that it was one of the highlights of our trip.
Best time to go: The season runs mid-May through mid-September, but we would highly reccommend either of the last two trips of the season, because the weather was sunny and mild, there are no bugs and the fall colors at the higher elevations were spectacular. And the rates are lower too.
Best travel tip: Bring your own wine for “happy hour.” For the ship portions of your trip, you may bring wine in your checked luggage (but not in your carry-on, and you may not bring it in from any port of call). Be sure to bring a corkscrew.
