Hello! I’m Anshul Roy (Grade-4). I am going to tell you about my magnificent Alaska trip. Also, I will

tell you all about our 8-day trip. From day one - to day eight.

It is day one. We woke up from our hotel in Anchorage, AK, US. We got ready and dressed up. After

that, we went to the lobby and had breakfast in our hotel. For breakfast, I had scrambled eggs, 1

pancake, 2 small sausages, and 1 muffin. After breakfast, we headed outside for Anchorage downtown.

We had our 2 hr Anchorage city trolley tour that day at 11:00 a.m. So, we arrived at the Anchorage

visitor center and took a few pictures. As we were waiting, we went to a gift shop called “Once in a

Blue Moose.” Then we waited and saw our bus and got on it. When we got on the bus, the lady(bus

driver)told us facts about Anchorage. One of them was that the flag of Alaska was chosen in an

orphanage in Seward, AK, where orphans drew a flag for their state. And one of the orphans named

Benny Benson won. For his reward, he got an expensive gold watch. Another fact is that there is a

place called Earthquake Park where houses sunk into the ground, long ago because of a massive

earthquake. Next, we saw a female moose at a point on the first day. After she told us a few more

facts about Anchorage city she dropped us back at the visitor center. Then we walked back to our

hotel and got in our car and drove to the Chugach State Park in Alaska. When we arrived at the visitor

center, we took a map and the ranger said there were frequent sightings of bears in the park. I

wanted to go on a hike in the mountains, but my dad said it was too tiring for the elevation. So instead

we took the main trail. While we were walking, we came to a viewpoint where you can find beaver

dams. So we saw a few dams and took a few pictures. Then we kept on walking. My dad and I were a

bit ahead than the others. When we were about to get to the viewpoint my dad turned his head right

and saw a black bear. But I didn’t believe him because I didn’t see it. I was thinking “Where is the

bear?” but my dad nudged me back because I could have yelled and threatened the bear to come near

us. My dad told us all to go back because if it jumped right it would come near us and if it jumped left

it would go away. None of us saw it so we weren’t sure. Two seconds later, a teenage black bear leaps

near us and jumps into the forest. After we saw the bear we believed my dad. We all agreed that

seeing the bear was an adventurous moment. After we saw the cute bear instead of going deeper into

the forest and going near the bear’s family we chose to go back where we started. When we went

near the parking lot I thought that we should tell the ranger that we encountered a black bear. When

we told him our fascinating news we figured out that we were the first group to sight a bear that

day. We were amazed! Next, we got in our car and drove back to the city. While we were driving we

saw two male moose bathing. After we came back to the city, we were walking and after a few minutes,

we got hungry. So we searched for dinner places downtown. And we luckily found a fancy restaurant

called 49th State Brewing Co. I had a delicious mac & cheese and had sweet, sour, and heavenly

lemonade. After we had all the lip-smacking food we went back to our cozy hotel and had a great night.

It is day two. We woke up, got dressed, and went to the lobby. Today was our Alaska Railroad and

Glacier tour day. Since our hotel was in the city we were able to peacefully walk to the railway station.

After we got our ticket at the station, a few minutes later we were able to get on the train. A few

moments later, the train departed. While we were on the train, we passed by a muddy pond. Near the

pond, we saw another female moose. Then, we saw eight dall sheep high on the cliff on the right side.

On the left, there were breathtaking mountain views and frozen stiff lakes. After we went a bit

ahead we saw three beautiful bald eagles. After we saw all those “wild” animals in the wilderness we

saw some quicksand by the stiff lake. There was another place called Beluga Point where you can find

beluga whales in the winter but we were unlucky we came in the summer. Next, we went through a

long black tunnel with no lights. Then, we saw our first glacier. But, it was quite small. Later, we

arrived at our destination... Whittier, AK. Here we got our ticket for the cruise tour. Our cruise was

called Klondike Express. It was an enormous catamaran. Also, there was no seasickness guaranteed

because the waters were very calm. On the first part of the journey on the cruise, we saw an adorable

little sea otter chilling in the sun. Then we saw a complete blue glacier. Here, the cruise stopped. We

couldn’t go any closer because there were a bunch of kayakers very close to the glacier and we didn’t

want to harm them. Next, we saw the Ivy League glacier which was partially blue and thin. And while

we were going to Harvard glacier we saw some more sea otters and we found a few harbor seals. Then

we saw a massive doll’s porpoise which is kind of like an orca but smaller. (It looks more like a dolphin

and has a short dorsal fin.) Then we saw the Harvard glacier at Prince William Sound. It was gigantic.

We also saw a chunk of ice (from the glacier) fall to the sea and made a booming sound. Then other

ice-crushed particles (from the glacier) fell into the sea like an avalanche. After that we got to feel

a glacier iceberg chunk. Then, we went back into the cruise seats where we saw a huge iceberg break

apart. Next, we saw a humpback whale. My parents saw a bit of the tail but I couldn’t see it because

I was not tall enough and there were a lot of people in front of me. Then,I found space and saw 3

blows of the whale and saw its huge hump and massive tail coming out of the water. After seeing the

humpback we went back in and saw a fisherman showing us two salmon(his fresh catch by lifting them

up high) from his boat. Then, we arrived at the dock. We got off the cruise and again got on the train

to return back to Anchorage. On the return train ride we saw the same beautiful sceneries again.

We saw moose, and eagles, but unfortunately no dall sheep on our way back. Finally, we arrived back

at the station, packed our things and went back to the hotel. Next, we ate in the lobby and went to

sleep in our room.

It is day three. As usual we did the same things repeatedly. We woke up and got dressed. Then we

left for Seward, AK. On the way we had breakfast at International House of Pancakes aka (IHOP).

After we ate breakfast we resumed our trip. On the way we heard that a person hit a bear with their

car on accident a few moments ago. So by that being said we looked out for bears. But luckily no bears

hit our car. At last, we arrived at Seward, “Home of the Alaskan flag.” There we picked up some

snacks for our whole journey. Then we went deeper into the town. But we almost couldn’t find any

parking spaces. But finally a car backed out of the lot and we parked our car. Then we got some funny

postcards of Alaska. We were planning to get some bear spray, but we didn’t take any. Then we were

walking around when we saw a place where people caught fresh sockeye salmon and were slicing them.

It was completely red inside the fish. We asked them if they sell it but they told us that they bring

it home and eat it for free! But sadly they have a limit of catching fish each day. It is 12! They said

the law for all fishers is that you can only catch 12 fish a day. After we saw their process we went

to Exit Glacier/ Kenai Fjords National Park. It was drizzling a bit when we arrived, but that was fine.

When we went to the visitor center they gave us a map. Just when we were about to start our hike

we saw that earlier the day people saw a black Mama bear and her three cubs. But we were lucky. We

didn’t take the MM trail which was 14 miles long. And by that time I wouldn’t be able to finish the

trail. While we were walking we came across a rushing waterfall and took a few pictures. Then, we

came near a narrow road and you can’t go to the side because there are fragile seedlings that you

might slip and fall from. Also, it was roped. Then we finally arrived at the foot of the glacier. It was

beautiful but a bit smaller than Harvard glacier. We took a few pictures and went back. When we

arrived at the visitor center again, I got a booklet. I filled up the questions for my age range (8-9)

and I got a junior ranger badge with Kenai Fjords National Park written on it. Up to this date it is one

of my treasures from Alaska. Finally, we got in the car and went to the hotel and had dinner. And had

a great night.

It is day four. Today we did the same things as usual and headed out for Fairbanks, AK. When I

figured that going to Fairbanks would be a 6 hour drive I was sad. After a long time we reached

Fairbanks we stayed in a cozy cottage there and had yummy dinner. It was quite a tiring day overall!!

It is day five. Today we just woke up and got dressed and had no breakfast. We woke up at 5:00 a.m

and it was a bit early. Today was our 16 hour Arctic circle trip! So we drove to Alaska Northern Tour

Co. which was not too far away. Then we waited until 6:00 a.m and we got on the bus. Our tour guide,

Suzanne, gave us facts and history about the Trans Alaska pipeline, the Fairbanks gold rush, and the

Dalton highway and more. After we drove a bit and stopped near the Dalton Highway sign. We took a

few pictures and got on the bus again. When everyone got on the bus and the guide was about to

continue our trip, she spotted a female moose close to our bus munching leaves and flowers. Then we

took a few pictures and resumed the trip. While our guide was driving she told us that the road was

feeling rough for all of us because the road was just dirt and gravel. Also, she told us that the road

can’t be smooth because there is permafrost/ permanent ice and if they made the road smooth it

could ruin the fragile permafrost due to all that cement. Then, she told us that the Dalton highway

is 500 miles long, and we will be covering 200 miles of it! And I think that we spent 90% of our trip

on the highway. After a few minutes we saw a pipeline. The guide told us that it was built to preserve

oil and use it for later. And it also lowered the price down for oil. She also told us that the company

Alyeska built the pipeline in 2 years and it was 800 miles long! Also, she told us that we might see the

pipeline go underground when there is less permafrost. Next, we stopped at a point near the pipeline.

And she told us that if your vehicle is over 14 ft (especially trucks) you can’t go under the clearance

to the pipeline because you have a chance of denting the pipeline. The worst part was that there were

many mosquitoes and I got countless bites. Then, we went to the mighty Yukon River base camp and

the guide told us that there was a gold rush in the Fairbanks area and a bunch of people came to

create a good fortune and get rich. After a bit we saw a lot of dead trees with no branches and leaves

for a long time. Then, the guide told us that there were many wildfires and they were caused by

thunderstorms and lightning. After that, we came across finger mountain which was some tall rocks

which were somehow formed like a real hand with fingers pointing to Fairbanks. The guide and almost

everyone hiked to the finger mountain rock. After taking some pictures we were coming back to the

bus when we saw a marmot which looked like half ground squirrel and half beaver. Then she resumed

the journey. Finally, we reached the Arctic circle. Everyone crossed it to the north side and not the

south. Then, everyone took pictures and had a great time. But there was one problem: there were

millions of mosquitoes! A few moments later, Suzanne told us to wish when we cross the Arctic Circle

because it is believed that if you make a wish, the universe will grant it within 1 year. Then, we got on

the bus and headed for the Alaska Northern Tour Co. While we were coming back the tour guide

stopped the bus and told us to walk around the pipeline tundra. When we were walking on the tundra

we all felt like we would sink into it. The tour guide told us that she was going to dig in the tundra and

we might be able to see the permafrost. But there were many bugs so she didn’t dig too much. We

could only feel cool muddy water. Then, we stopped at Yukon River basecamp again and we heard that

a few months ago a black Mama bear broke into the camp and had cubs and made a giant mess. Then,

a grizzly bear moved in the camp and forced the Mama bear and her cubs to leave. Finally, the guards

came in and killed the grizzly bear. This was stunning news to us. Then, we got out of the camp and

back into the bus and resumed our journey.Finally we arrived at our cottage and had a peaceful night.

It is day six. Today we got dressed and ate breakfast. Then, we went to the Museum of The North

in Fairbanks, Alaska. We learned information about natives and we learned how northern lights are

formed. Mainly we learned about the lifestyle of natives. Then, we saw facts about the Polar bear,

the sea lion saw a bone of mammoths (which lived in Alaska) and we learned about sockeye salmon.

The most surprising part was that there were American lions a few years ago. After seeing a bit more

museum exhibits we headed for McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali, AK. We had a great time there and

the resort was nice. There was a town square where there were shops, restaurants and live country

songs on stage. Finally, we had dinner and went to sleep.

It is day seven. Today was our Denali National Park tour day. Today we had breakfast, got dressed

and took our tour bus for our 8 hour Denali National Park tour trip. After a few moments we saw a

complete white mountain called The Summit. Surprisingly it was 20,310 feet! Almost 5077 times the

height of me! We were pretty lucky because as we came in July we could see the Summit clearly and

if we came in August it would be a bit hazy but we would see the grizzly bears and salmon. Then, we

kept on going and we were driving through a narrow road on top of a cliff! It was very scary to me.

While we were on the rugged mountain road we saw two caribou about 10 feet higher up on the cold

mountain. The guide told us that the caribou live on cold mountains because they like icy places and

eat shrubs on the mountain. Then, we went to a place for a quick break where there were a few whole

caribou antlers, and moose antlers when I attempted to lift the caribou antler but as it was so heavy

I needed help from my dad. Then, we finally reached the foot of the Summit and we did it! Then, we

saw a grizzly bear and her two cubs a bit far away. Then, we saw two more caribou on our way back.

Finally, we arrived at our Resort by bus. Then, we got fresh dressed up and ate lip-smacking dinner

at Karsten’s Public house and went to sleep.

It is day eight. It is the last day.We went to the Stoudburgh Studio in the town square. I got dressed

as an Alaskan Native dog sled boy for pictures. Then, we left and went to the Anchorage Airport

which was 4 hours away. When we arrived there it was late at night and there was a lot of daylight

at 9:30 pm. After we had dinner at the airport we went to our plane gate and waited for the plane

to board. A few minutes later we got on the plane and it departed. After 7 hours we reached JFK

airport in New York. Finally, we arrived home in 2 hours. We came home with happiness, and

everlasting memories, and we all wanted to go back there sometime later.

IT WAS A TRIP OF OUR LIFETIME

(Few pictures from our trip below!!)