It was so good in 2015, I went back in 2016.

There was plenty more to see in Alaska, so for the second trip to the land of the midnight sun, I reversed the loop, added a few destinations, and revisited a few of my favorites.

The result is a 10 day, 10 night vacation, beginning and ending in Anchorage, with experiences on the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, Denali National Park, and an amazing drive on 100+ miles of dirt road, straight through the center of the state.

I spent this day recovering from the long flight across the continent, and getting my bearings. After stocking up on supplies, I took a scenic drive south on the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm to Girdwood and Portage, then ended the day in Anchorage for my second night there.

I devoted the first half of this day to a hike with a great viewpoint of Anchorage and the Mat-Su valley. In the afternoon, I headed south towards Seward, with a detour out to Hope, Alaska on the way.

I decided to ignore the cloudy weather, the warnings of high seas, and my own history with motion sickness, and take a voyage out of Seward into Kenai Fjords National Park. I finished the day with a short hike, and a bear sighting.

I started with a look at Exit Glacier near Seward, then drove north, and through the long single-lane rail/auto tunnel into Whittier, Alaska. Once there, I explored the town and enjoyed a great hike over a pass to a glacier.

The day consisted mostly of driving east on the Glenn Highway, then south on the Richardson Highway, to the remote fishing village of Valdez. Along the way, I detoured to Chitina, and saw more bald eagles than I could imagine.

Valdez is essentially a tropical rainforest in the subarctic. On this day, I explored the lush valley surrounding Mineral Creek, and then several other hiking trails close to town.

On my first trip to Alaska, I experienced just the first few miles of the Denali Highway. I was determined to drive the whole thing, and this time, despite downpours of rain in places, I did it. The day ended with a sunset north of Denali National Park.

The weather wasn't great, but I still decided to take a bus ride into Denali National Park. And because of the bad weather, the views were not great, either. But, I did have an excellent wildlife sighting that made up for it all.

The undesirable weather continued, as I closed the loop and returned to Anchorage. Along the way, I detoured out to Talkeetna. I ended the day with a very soggy hike near Eagle River.

My flight didn't leave until early evening, so I had most of the day to spend around Anchorage before leaving. I made the most of it - hiking a 12-mile trail that I had wanted to hike since the previous year.