Portage Valley
Not all Alaskan adventures take place in the wild. One of our most memorable moments happened in the lobby restrooms of the Hilton in Anchorage. On the trip north to Trapper Creek, Tom realizes his sport coat is back at the hotel (not that he needed one in Alaska, but it made the journey anyway). Luckily, getting to Portage Valley from Trapper Creek and Talkeetna means passing back through Anchorage. We would run to the restroom before asking for the jacket at the front desk. I pushed open the door to the ladies room and there on the counter were two huge diamond rings, the largest I'd ever seen outside the jewelry store. Genuine, you can just tell, and worth many tens of thousands each. I scooped them up and rushed back out into the hall; surely one of the ladies in the large group directly across the hall would faint at how close she came to loosing them. No one came forward.

Suddenly, Tom exits the men's room. "Look what I found." He holds out a Zippo lighter, initials engraved on one side and a cross on the other.
"Ha, look at this!" I gloated that my find totally eclipsed his.

I'd like to know if a frantic lady ever asked for the rings at the front desk. Dutifully, we traded them along with a gentleman's Zippo for a old sport coat.
On the way to Portage Valley, J.E. tries out the new knife he bought at Wal-Mike's.
Living in Alaska
We stopped for the night at Portage Valley Cabins & RV Park and Jeanette cooked burgers for dinner.
An evening campfire attracted overnight guests from Oregon, Florida and many point inbetween to the community cookhouse.
Kenny English, a professional entertainer from Jacksonville, FL, graciously sang and played the harmonica for us.
Filling up the water tank before hitting the road again. That's the bath house.
We visited Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which is privately owned.
We saw elk, moose, bears, bison, and an eagle.
In the 1964 earthquake, salt water from the ocean rushed in when the floor of beautiful Portage Valley dropped six to 12 feet, killing all vegetation.
Ghost trees still litter the landscape.
We took the tram at Alyeska Resort to the top of the mountain, where it was winter.
Checking the helmet cam before taking the parasailing plunge.