Mike in the Wild

Judging from the views out of our aircraft's window during descent, we knew we weren't about to take just any cruise.  We were landing in Alaska, passing over the majestic, snow-capped peaks of the Kenai Peninsula.  At almost 11pm, it was light enough at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to make one think it was five hours earlier, the time we left Phoenix.  The visual splendor of Alaska was only just beginning to reveal itself. View over the Kenai Peninsula as my plane descended into Anchorage. The drive out of downtown Anchorage the next morning offered views of even more mountains, including the Alaska Range extending north to the home of Mount Denali, North America's highest peak.  The motorcoach followed Seward Highway southeast, in parallel with the Alaska Railroad along Turnagain Arm, far below the previous evening's flight path from Phoenix. The Chugach mountains stretched to the east and north while those Kenai peaks created a panorama across Turna...