You know the fishing in Bristol Bay will be great, but it’s some of the little touches beyond just on-the-water activities that distinguish Bear Trail Lodge as an exceptional fishing lodge. Here are seven that stood out to us.

When we head up to Alaska, it will be my fourth trip to the 49th State, and Hanna’s second. I always find that my trips are more satisfying if I set up some attainable goals, while leaving my mind open to the possibility of being wowed by something completely unexpected. That’s highly likely on this trip, where the extraordinary could happen every day.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Alaska Airlines canceled our itinerary, which forced us to scramble, and we ended up moving up our departure to Friday the 10th at 5pm, which put us in Anchorage just before midnight. That left us with the need for two nights in hotels, but more importantly 40 hours to maximize.

There’s nothing wrong with being cautious in the era of Covid-19, but at some point, you have get up off the ground and stop being afraid. For those of us who started a website devoted to travel just before this crap hit, we knew that the time would come to hit the road, or the air, as the case may be, but the questions were “when” and “where.”

Hanna and I are back from eight days in Alaska, and our biggest regret is that we didn’t stay longer. It was my third trip to the last frontier and her first, and we are already planning a return. If you like the outdoors, it’s a no-brainer to go there. In fact, if you have the disposable income and you still have unallocated vacation time to go somewhere this summer, it makes sense to get on the ol’ interweb and book a trip now.

When I was a kid, our family vacations were road trips around the country, hitting as many states as we could, trying to fit in as many historical sites, museums, friends and family and state parks as possible. Of course, my sister, brother and I bitched and moaned the entire vacation. We were typical kids who just wanted to be with our friends or go to Florida and sit on the beach. Despite that resistance, when my social studies teachers asked if anyone had been to certain locations/destinations throughout the United States it was very cool that I was one of the only students with his or her hands raised just about every time.

Ever flown in a float plane? More importantly, have you ever landed safely in a float plane?