Alaska

Come to Alaska — to Bask in the Sun!

Published June 20, 2018 | By Clark Norton

Fairbanks’ Midnight Sun Festival draws big crowds at the Summer Solstice.

As a big fan of Alaska travel and someone who’s written about the state a fair amount, I realize I’ve been amiss in not previously mentioning one of the 49th state’s premier events: Summer Solstice in Fairbanks.

Just 140 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the city of Fairbanks is the top spot in Alaska to celebrate the Solstice on June 21. The Solstice is the apex of the Midnight Sun season, which runs there from April 22 through August 20.

During the Solstice, the sun never dips below the horizon and the sky never gets dark. So on June 21 or thereabouts, Fairbanks residents and visitors can either pull down the blackout shades when it’s time to go to bed or give into reality and just decide to stay up half the night.

Three Sun-Illuminated Events

Thanks… Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Baby boomer travel, Festivals, Holidays, Seasonal travel | Tagged Alaska, Fairbanks Alaska, Fairbanks travel, Midnight Sun Baseball Game, Midnight Sun Festival, Midnight Sun Run, Summer Solstice | 4 Comments

The Agony of Old Guidebook Disposal

Published April 21, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Guidebooks that have served me well.

I’m in the process of cleaning out the rest of our possessions from our house in upstate New York to complete our move to Tucson, Arizona.

Our house in Tucson is maybe half the size of our house in New York, and therein lies a problem: what to do about the hundreds of books that we no longer have room for and can’t afford to move anyway?

The problem is particularly acute with one genre of books that dominate my old office: travel guidebooks.

To say that I have a sizable collection of them would be a bit of an understatement. They date back to my earliest trips abroad in the 1970’s and continued proliferating in the decades since, reaching a crescendo in the early 1990’s just before the Internet began turning print guidebooks into dinosaurs.

Still, being a baby boomer… Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Arizona, Baby boomer travel, California, Guidebooks | Tagged Alaska, California, Dominican Republic, Eyewitness Guides, Fodor's, Frommer's, Insight Guides, Lonely Planet, Michelin, Rough Guides, travel guidebooks | 5 Comments

The Tip of the Iceberg

Published March 16, 2016 | By Clark Norton

An iceberg off Antarctica. Photo by Catharine Norton.

An iceberg is born as a roar, as a huge chunk of ice splits from a glacier and plunges into the sea.

But the iceberg’s story is far from over — these drifting islands of ice have much to tell us about our planet. An iceberg — which takes its name from the Dutch ijsberg — or mountain of ice — may lead a surprisingly long and rich life.

Depending on conditions like their size, water and air temperatures, icebergs may survive for days or even years. Eventually they break up and melt — often far from where they originated. Icebergs, in fact, can drift six miles a day or more.

Icebergs are found where glaciers — rivers of ice that flow slowly from mountaintop to sea — predominate: most commonly off the coasts of Antarctica, Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. When… Continue reading →

Posted in Boat travel, Cruises, Europe, Islands | Tagged Alaska, Antarctica, Canada, expedition-style cruise, Greenland, Hanseatic, Hapag-Lloyd, Icebergs | Leave a comment

It’s Time to Start Planning an Alaska Cruise

Published January 5, 2016 | By Clark Norton

An iceberg in Tracy Arm, Alaska — great for summetime viewing. Photo by Catharine Norton

Yes, I know it’s getting cold and snowy in many parts of the country, and Alaska may seem an odd choice when contemplating future travels during the post-holiday doldrums, especially when it’s sleeting outside.

But it’s not too early to begin planning your summertime Alaska vacation, which for most people involves a cruise and perhaps a land tour before or after the shipboard experience.

Generally speaking, to be assured of securing space on the ship you want and the type of cabin you prefer, it’s wise to book an Alaska cruise in January or February (especially if you require family-sized cabins in mid-summer, popular with multi-generational groups).

Last-minute discounts that are often available for other cruise destinations are harder to come by in Alaska. The reason is that high demand, combined with a short season… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Cruises, Family travel, National Parks, Wildlife | Tagged Alaska, Alaska cruises, cruising Alaska, Glacier Bay, Gulf of Alaska, Haines, Inside Passage, Juneau, Ketchikan, Misty Fjords, Royal Caribbean, Sitka, Skagway, White Pass and Yukon Railroad | Leave a comment

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.