Magical Glacier Bay

I can’t imagine any part of Alaska being more majestic than Glacier Bay National Park. There are numerous overnight options outside the park, but only one for us – Glacier Bay Lodge. It’s a magical place and I’ve always been inspired there. I used to sit and paint, but I was a little busier this trip... The cabin-style rooms are separated by long boardwalks and laid out between the forest and Bartlett Cove.

The view of Bartlett Cove is especially lovely from the restaurant deck and the big lobby with its warm fire is a gathering place for all types of travelers – campers, locals, people like us. You get to hear the most amazing stories here – especially the ones involving wildlife encounters! This park is teeming with wildlife on land and in the water.

Another great thing about staying here is that it’s practically run by kids – they come here for summer work, usually on break from their respective universities in the lower 48. You can make buckets of money. In fact, most local people in Alaska work 80-90 hours a week during the long daylight hours of summer. Then they chill out (literally) during the long winter months.

Peanut got to play with a little girl from Sitka that was here for the day, sailing with her family on their boat. Little Man made friends with Nicolas, a boy from Bologna, Italy. One morning he walked in and goes, “Good morning, Little Man!” The next morning, Little Man greeted him with “Buon giorno, Nicolas!” The rest of the time neither of them could shut up, both jabbering in their own languages. We also met a really nice couple from Rhode Island (they were amazing with our kids) and it made me remember all the trips we used to take without kids and how different it is to travel with little ones in tow. Nothing compares to seeing a place through a child’s eyes, but ah…such bliss when they finally go to sleep!