<p>I asked my wife what she wanted for her 50th birthday. She replied that she wanted most of all to get as far away from civilization as we could and spend it there. So…</p>
<p>We just got back from probably THE most spectacular place I’ve ever stayed, away from other people, away from electricity, plumbing, running water, cell phones, and even emergency help. We hired a floatplane in Alaska to take us to one of the remote Forest Service cabins in the Misty Fjords National Monument. The only way into our cabin was by plane - no hiking trail to it, no road to it, no way to get a boat to it. The cabin was about a hundred yards above a beautiful lake, 6 miles long and about a half-mile wide, surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides. The cabin was next to a cascading stream that was so loud we had to close the windows on the stream side. The “facilities” consisted of a 3-sided outhouse (no door) further up the hill with an incredible view. The cabin came with a canoe for exploring the lake. We saw lots of bear scat around the cabin, but unfortunately no bears. No other people for who knows how many miles around us and - if anything happened, injury-wise or whatever, we’d just have to wait a few days until the pilot returned.</p>
<p>Here are a few photos of Misty Fjords (Island Wings was the float plane charter):</p>
<p>Our son’s college is sending him to Stanford this week to take a late summer course and we just got back from dropping him off at the airport. He’ll get back from there just in time to head back to Ohio. Yikes, time is moving quickly.</p>
<p>Anyway, for those who REALLY want to get away (and hope the pilot remembers to pick you up again), THIS is the place for you!</p>
<p>Digi, what a great gift for your wife. It looks absolutely breathtaking. I have been to Alaska twice. My brother and his family live there. It truly is spectacular. </p>
<p>It so happens that my 19 (about to turn 20) year old is traveling alone right now and is in the French Alps and has been “reporting in” to me, including today. Her stories of the adventures on the mountains and what she is doing and seeing sound amazing as well, and I can’t wait to see her photos. Today she skied there. Yesterday she rode a mountain bike down the mountain after taking trams to the top. So much other stuff too. The scenery sounds similar to your photos, glaciers and lakes off a very high cable car in Chamonix, and so on. Unlike you, there are other people though! Then again, she is on her own. </p>
<p>Glad you had a great time and thanks for sharing.
Susan</p>
<p>Bad news on the other end of the Stanford trip today. When my son got to the San Jose airport, there was no shuttle, even though we had not only made a reservation but also paid in advance. We had even paid the TIP in advance!! He called the shuttle service and was told that they were too busy, had no vans in the area, and he was on his own. Grrr… </p>
<p>Moral: Don’t rely on the SuperShuttle service from the San Jose or San Francisco airports.</p>
<p>dig!! You should have had him call <em>me</em>! I’ll be happy to provide shuttle service from SJC if available… and if I’m not, I have a very reliable car service to recommend. “Next time”…</p>
<p>So sorry it started out so wrong for him… If he needs someone in the area, let me know.</p>
<p>mootmom - thanks for the offers of help. The upshot was that SuperShuttle refunded both fares (to and from the airport) and will give him a complementary ride (including tip) back to the airport after the class is over.</p>
<p>btw, this is not a really big deal - just annoying. I was kind of proud of the way my son handled the whole thing, telling us after he had the problem solved and he got an alternate ride. These things happen.</p>
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