We discovered my new favorite place in Alaska: Valdez (see this link for more info on where/what it's all about: http://www.valdezalaska.org/) It is about a 6-7 hour drive from Anchorage and one of the prettiest drives we've taken anywhere up here. On the way in and out you can stop to see a glacier (see first two pictures below) as well as amazing waterfalls (also, see waterfall pictures below). We camped for a few nights in the beginning of July and probably the highlight was the day cruise we took on a boat called the LuLu Belle. Totally recommend this particular cruise to anyone who comes to visit us or comes to visit AK in general. It was the first cruise where we saw whales in the "wild"! We also saw puffins, sea lions, sea otters, and glacial ice. Here are the pictures:

This waterfall is called Horsetail waterfall and is just off the highway before you drive into Valdez:

This is called Bridal Veil Falls...kind of interesting since there is a Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon that I grew up going to.

We saw several whales, including a mom and her baby, and followed them around for a bit. Unfortunately it was so rainy this was the best picture I could get without ruining the camera:

So here's another plug for coming to visit us in Alaska! We will take you to Valdez and all your dreams will come true.