Von: Thanks for your link to igougo.com. That is a cool site, and your posts were great to read!

Here is an update - the bird guide in Homer can take us the 22nd, so now we can take that 2nd day in Denali after all..... We'll stay around Denali 8/17 and 8/18, drive halfway on 8/19, and then to Homer on 8/20. Our boat tour there (these tours are supposed to be great: http://www.xyz.net/~bay/Birding%20Trips.html)
will be on 8/21, with 8/22 as a backup. The Mariah Kenai Fjord boat tour in Seward would be 8/23. Hopefully we won't need a backup as 8/24 is the drive back to ANC to go home.

Fairbanks: The reason we're going is to see bird banding at the Alaska Bird Observatory at Creamer's Field (this looks like a cool place to visit also). It is kind of risky cause this is a ways out of the way, and if the weather is wrong it will be a dud. Maybe at that point we could cancel and head south, I hope not though, cause we're hoping to see that!

Denali: Glad we are spending the two days now. I was picturing more regular buses where we could get on and off easily on a regular basis ,like Zion NP in Utah. There are some nice tundra areas a ways into the park that are good for birding (Gyrfalcon is our target!). We'll do the bus that Von suggested I gues and then spend time there also the second day. We also got a tip that the road into Petersville (sp?) south of the park can offer even better views of Mt. McKinley - if it is clear, of course, if we have time on our way to ANC. Looking for lodging for the two days, around Healy now.

I have to be careful about wanting to drive long distances, I am an "extra miler" and have visited every county in the 48 states of the US (some of us geographers are crazy that way). Never been to AK or HI so these will be new counties (boroughs) for me. (http://www.extramilerclub.org/). luckily this time my wife and in-laws are with me to prevent me from being even more crazy and driving over the Yukon border to get that province under my belt!