August 2 - 10, 2010

Tour Highlights:

• Alaska Railroad—dome car
• Denali Park
• Wildlife Tundra Tour
• Prince William Sound Cruise
• Riverboat Discovery
• Musk Ox Farm
• Gold Dredge No. 8
• SeaLife Center—  behind the scenes tour & more!

Tour Includes:

Roundtrip airfare from Minneapolis to Anchorage, airport shuttle from Central WI, 8 nights lodging, 15 meals, all attractions as highlighted in the itinerary, all taxes and gratuities on included items and a Progressive Travel tour director.

Note—Air can be arranged from any city. Call for pricing.

Cost per person: $3599/double; $3399/triple; $3299/quad; $4799/single.

Deposit & payment: A $300 deposit is required to confirm. Final is due 75 days prior to departure.

Cancellation Policy:
60 days or more prior to departure, there will be a loss of $300 deposit, 30 – 59 days prior to departure, 50% of tour cost; 14 – 29 days prior to departure, 75% of tour cost and less than 13 days prior to departure, no refund.

Optional Travel Insurance: $245 per person for double, triple or quad occupancy. $290 for single.  Insurance is through Travel Guard. Premium should be paid at the time of deposit.

Day to Day Itinerary:

Day 1
Today our tour begins with your flight arrival into Anchorage, the largest city of Alaska.  Enroute from the airport to your first night’s hotel, you will have a brief motorcoach tour of downtown  Anchorage.  And with maps in hand, you are free to explore charming downtown Anchorage, all within an easy walk of your hotel.  Overnight in Anchorage at the downtown Quality Suites.

Day 2
This morning we start our day off heading north through the Chugach Mountains and the Matanuska Valley.  As we travel through the rich fertile farm land of Matanuska Valley, we will have our first glimpses of massive Mt. McKinley.  This morning we will stop at the Musk Ox Farm.  You’ll learn about the history of the musk ox, a prehistoric remanant of the last great Ice Age, and how it has been domesticated on the farm.   In Wasilla, we will visit the Iditarod Headquarters and learn about the incredible sled dogs and the annual Iditarod race. We arrive in Talkeetna just in time for lunch.   After our delicious included lunch, you will have free time to explore.  Visit the local museum where a topographical map will show you the route of mountain climbers and what they have to do to make it to the top of Mt. McKinley.  Weather permitting, you’ll get some great photo- ops of the magnificent snow covered mountains.  We continue our journey north along Denali State Park to Denali National Park   Watch for animals which are prevalent in this area.

We’ll arrive in Denali later this afternoon and check into our lodging at the McKinley Village. This evening we will enjoy dinner and entertainment at the Alaska Cabin Nite dinner theater.     (DCB,L,D)

Day 3
An early morning gets us on our way for the Tundra Wildlife Tour in Denali National Park.  Denali National Park is considered to be the last intact ecosystem left in the world.  You will have an opportunity to observe the natural behavior of the grizzly, caribou, dahl sheep, the illusive wolves, and red fox as they wander freely over the vast Tundra.  Bring your binoculars and cameras today.  You will be provided with a snack box lunch for the Tundra Wildlife Tour.

Relax onboard the Alaska Railroad as we make our way north to Fairbanks.  Dinner will be served enroute onboard the train.  Enjoy this incredible scenery from the comfort of your reserved dome car seat.   Our motorcoach will be waiting for us in Fairbanks where we’ll take a short ride to our hotel, the Alpine Lodge.     (Snack,D)

Day 4
This morning we will strike it rich as we visit the entertaining El Dorado Gold Mine where you’ll get a chance to pan for gold and then have an authentic all-you-can-eat miners’ lunch at Gold Dredge No. 8 – Alaska’s premier gold mining attraction.

This afternoon we take a relaxing ride down the Chena and Tanana Rivers onboard the Riverboat Discovery.  While onboard this 3 ½ hour cruise, listen to the wonderful narration about the river and its’ people.  We’ll stop at an Athabascan village, watch dog sledding demonstrations and much more.  Dinner is on your own this evening as you explore Fairbanks.      (DCB, L)

Day 5
Fairbanks grew largely due to gold prospects and discoveries in the area in 1903 and then played a key role during the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline in the 1970s.  We will be visiting this historic structure where you can actually touch and take photos.

We depart Fairbanks and follow the Richardson Highway south.  See incredible scenery as we follow Alaska’s first road, known to gold seekers in 1889 as the Valdez to Eagle Trail.  The highway follows along several streams that host the fine king salmon and follows the Trans-Alaska pipeline.  We’ll take a photo stop at the Big Delta Bridge and continue on to Rika’s Roadhouse where we will make our lunch stop.

This afternoon we continue south on the Richardson Highway to Glennallen.  Dinner is included this evening at the Caribou Restaurant.  Overnight at the Caribou Hotel.           (DCB,D)

Day 6
This morning we depart Glennallen and continue our journey south on the Richardson Highway stopping at the new Wrangell/St. Elias Visitor Center.  We’ll have magnificent photo stops at the     Worthington Glacier, Bridal Veil and Horse Tail Falls before arriving in Valdez for lunch.  After our included lunch we have an interesting stop at the Valdez Museum where they have the new film about the 1964 earthquake plus exhibits of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.  Your evening is free for you to explore and shop in the port of Valdez and have dinner on your own at one of several excellent restaurants.  Overnight at the Mountain Sky Hotel, Valdez.       (L)

Day 7
This morning, we board the Stan Stephens Wildlife Cruise of Prince William Sound.  This 6 to 7 hour cruise is a great chance for viewing wildlife such as puffins, bald eagles, sea otters, sea lions, humpback and killer whales and getting very close to tons of azure blue icebergs freshly caved from the Columbia Glacier.  Be sure to have your camera and binoculars along today and dress for the cooler temperatures.  A light lunch will be served on the cruise.  We arrive in the port of Whittier later this afternoon where our motorcoach will be waiting for us.

We’ll take the ½ mile tunnel between Whittier and Portage that is shared with the Alaska Railroad.  Then continue south along the Seward Highway to the Kenai Peninsula.  Arrive early evening in Seward where you can enjoy the quaint fishing village of Seward.  Situated at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula, Seward is one of Alaska’s oldest and most scenic communities.  Enjoy shopping Seward’s unique stores and artist galleries.  Overnight at the Edgewater Hotel, Seward.          (DCB,L)

Day 8
This morning we have a wonderful behind-the-scenes tour at SeaLife Center where you can see puffins, seals, beautiful fish and sea lions up close.  After our tour we head north along the Seward Highway, making our lunch stop at the Resurrection Roadhouse.  Lunch is on your own and they have many choices.

We continue north with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. This center is home to many orphaned or injured animals from Grizzly to Caribou and Moose, or even a Musk Ox.  Set on the shores of Turnagain Arm, surrounded by mountains and hanging glaciers, the center is the perfect setting to learn about Alaskan wildlife.

In Anchorage, we will have our Farewell Dinner at the Sourdough Mining Company. (DCB,D)

Day 9
With many incredible memories, we depart Anchorage on our return flights home.     (DCB)