June passed so quickly because we spent two weeks in Alaska! Many of my Alaska intentions were met and exceeded! I can go on for hours about our trip – 7 days on land and 7 days cruising. It was a fantastic trip! I recommend it to everyone.

This is longer than usual to bring you some of our experiences.

Yes, we heard Alaska was huge. This map shows the its size. It is matched by the beauty. We saw only a small part. Notice the archipelagos reaches to California and northern Florida!

In Fairbanks, we had continual daylight. The sun set at midnight and rose at 3 am with twilight in between. We closed our blackout curtains by 9 pm so we would mentally be ready to sleep.

The flip side — in the winter, Fairbanks sees the sun for a very short time! I won’t complain about Minneapolis’ short  days of winter.

Our first stop was Denali National Park (NP) and Preserve covering 6 million acres with one ribbon of road. Only NP buses are on the road. We took an 8-hour guided tour stopping at various spots.

Our guide spotted animals (moose, bears, birds, etc.) and we saw some of them through her video displays on the bus. Imagine spotting a bear about 1 mile away – not easy!

The first of my Alaska intentions was “I’m going to see Mt Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) even if I had to take it plane through the clouds.” Denali is the tallest peak in North America at 20,310 feet!

Actually, only 30 percent of visitors see Denali! Most of the 30 percent see it through clouds. Now my intention grew stronger. I didn’t know I had four opportunities to see Denali!

The first opportunity was from the NP bus. Denali was hidden with clouds and over 20 miles away. Turns out I had three more chances — all involving small airplane.

I felt I would see Denali on the third day. (I just knew!) Monday night I was too tired. Tuesday night all flights were canceled due to weather. I told our tour guide I would see it Wednesday morning. He just looked at me.

Wednesday morning we could see Denali 60 miles from our hotel! Everyone was so excited! Even hotel staff were excited!

With 7 other passengers, I flew in a plane with skis. From the plane my Alaska intention of seeing Denali was fulfilled. Not a cloud in the sky! Another passenger and I kept mouthing “wow” as we looked out our windows.

We landed on Kahiltna Glacier – the longest glacier in the Alaskan mountain range. The glacier starts at Denali’s southwest slope at 10,320 feet and runs for 44 miles. We landed 6 miles from Denali’s peak! The pilot said it was rare to see it without a cloud!

Another Alaska intention was to see birds, especially Puffins. Thursday, we walked into the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. I saw Puffins in captivity – actually several. We saw the Tufted and Horned (looks like great eye liner).

I also touched Sunflower Star Fish, Red Sea Urchins, and Crimson anemone in special “petting” area with ice cold water pumped in from Resurrection Bay. The staff were very knowledgeable and animals were comfortable.

The large star fish were at least 12 inches across and can grow to over 3 feet in diameter.

The next day we cruised Resurrection Bay and saw more Puffins and a huge colony (hundreds) of Kittywink birds. We also saw seals and a first glimpse of a whale.

Yes, another Alaska intention was to see whales. We saw them in Hoonah (Icy Straits Point), 30 miles west of Juneau.

Boats must stay at least 100 yards away from a whale. If the whale comes to the boat, the boat must stop and wait for the whale to move. When it was time to leave, we had to wait because we were surrounded by humpback whales.

Did you know, humpback whales:

• Are 39 to 52 feet long.
• Weigh 28-33 tons (1 ton = 2,000 pounds)
• Tails have unique markings. In Alaska if you record a unique whale tail, you can name the whale.
• Need to remember to breathe!
• Go to Hawaii to breed and give birth. In Hawaii, they fast (don’t eat) and live off their fat reserves. The moms lose a layer of blubber nursing their calves. Then they travel to Alaska to eat! It’s buffet time to them.
• After a whale “blows,” it can take up to 45 minutes to resurface.

Experience whale watching with our video!

Another Alaska intention was a helicopter landing on a glacier. The helicopter leaves you and others as it goes to get more people.  We landed around the huge bend.

Approaching GlacierGuides showed us the glacier and how it was melting and creating huge crevasses. Yes, we sipped glacier melt. This glacier was changing and melting as we watched.

Our final Alaska intention was a sea plane to Misty Fjords National Monument. Misty Fjord is part of Tongass National Forest – the largest US National Forest. The forest is 2,294K acres with all but 151,832 acres are wilderness. A photo or video just can’t explain the size and beauty.

Then we headed through the Inside Passage to Vancouver. We packed a lot into two weeks and it was well worth the trip. I hope you get to experience it too.

Daily you can use intention with your pet. So often we tell our dogs what we don’t want: stop pulling, no barking, etc. Now ask them what you want and be surprised with the results! It may not be an Alaska intention, and it really works! (Hint: compliment on the split second of silence with “good quiet!”)

Don’t think intentions will help you or your pet?  Concerned about your pet?  Schedule your free 15-minute consultation and learn how I can help you and your pet.