I’ve been all over the world. The beautiful hills of Southern China, the packed cities of Japan, the eloquent landscape of France, the thrill of Australia. None of these places can compare with Alaska. I know some of you may be skeptical, but please, bear with me. I’m the sort of person who loves to travel. I like to really get into what the locals are doing. In Tokyo, it was walking …everywhere. In France I ate, and I mean I really ate, not the sudden scarfing down of food we do in America. When I was in Ireland, I drank and I shopped, while those may not be as local as you think, you’d be surprised. Of course, I did all those landmark things too. Zip-lines in Australia, castles in Germany, lots of museums, and most obviously, I made funny faces at the guards standing at Buckingham Palace.

How can Alaska trump sleeping in a castle? Alaska is untamed, it is incredibly new. Something we seem to forget about. There are places in the Alaskan interior people have never stepped. It is absolutely the most spectacular place to be a traveler. The cities are just big enough to accommodate most vacationers. They have two 4-star hotels in the state, and both are in the Anchorage Municipality. We stayed at neither.

Instead I stayed at the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Denali National Park. On the bus ride in we saw no less than two bears, and a moose. While at the lodge we hiked, relaxed, and got back in touch with nature. We left out complicated lives behind us, no cell phones, no internet, no traffic noise. Just the soft sounds of friendly conversation, and Moose Creek outside our cabin. Our cabin was sparse, and it was a good thing. Less clutter, less stuff. Just our luggage some towels and bedding. The shower and indoor bathroom were very nice, considering how far away we were from everything. Food was good, but that’s not why we were there. We were there for the rejuvenation that can only come from isolating yourself from distractions. It was the best travel experience and vacation I have ever had.