mama, did you get a bear trip booked?
 

Hello~ I'm wondering if you found an alternative since Emerald Air was booked during your visit. J.

Gee, so much activity around Bird Creek and Cooper Landing now, you may just save money by driving up the peninsula..

No, I did not. Thank you for asking. I really, really like your suggestion and it is a cheaper one. Can you tell me how to get to these two places? Please and thanks

Mama~ easy cheesy.. either head south from Anchorage on the Sterling Highway,(Bird Creek is just fifteen minutes south of Anchorage, depending on traffic), or if flying in to Homer, north on the Sterling to Cooper Landing, about 2.5 hours and good trails and stops along the way:)
The Anchorage Daily News has had front page pictures of fishermen with the bears right next to them practically- one guy had a baby in a front pack and the bear was across the river..
they are warning fishers not to give up fish for young bears.. to keep it close by.
((*)) Good luck with your trip. If you pass through Soldotna and will stop at the river, let me know.. J.(the tall bald baker at the Moose is Loose seems to like me, and maybe will give me a discount,lol)...

Thank you for your offer
Can you help me decide what to do with 2 extra days we have in the end?
This is our itinerary
Homer 4 nights
Seward 2 nights
Valdez 2 nights
Anchorage 2 nights
We like walks, easy hikes, photo spots, scenery, fishing, wildlife
We already visited Fairbanks and Denali. We don't want to return to Farbanks. Maybe we need to return to Denali to see bears and other wildlife. Many posters say you need more than two nights. We want to go to less touristy place, away from crowds and relax before we go back home.

Mama, have you been to Independence Mine? That's a great stop, plus you can overnight there, too.

Also, how about a remote cabin that "might" be available in the Thompson Pass area outside of Valdez?

Yes, we visited Hatcher Pass. Did you stay there overnight? Maybe we should consider going back. It rained for two days when we went there from Palmer. We had a miserable visit. Cold, windy, wet and foggy. We saw nothing, we did nothing. We have to pass on Thompson Pass. We have two days in the end of our trip. Where to go for two nights after two nights in Anchorage? Should we consider going to Denali with only 2 nights available? Posters here say you need at least 3 nights.

Two nights at Denali would work but you only have time for 1 shuttle trip, and if are willing to make the drive, which I would be, but that's me.

Driving from Anchorage you could also stop at Talkeetna on the way to Denali. Go to the new visitors center when you arrive the first day and get familiar with the area, go see the dogs, maybe drive a little ways on the Denali Hwy, etc. Then overnight in the area, I can highly recommend Denali Lakeview Inn in Healy. Take the shuttle the next day, and get in a hike or two. Overnight again, and head back to Anchorage the next day for your flight home. The only real problem with this is that if it's rainy, you may not see much on the shuttle trip. Good luck finishing up your plans!

There's always Kodiak by ferry, or you could opt for a boat ride across Kachemak Bay and stay a night in Seldovia, Halibut Cove.. pick some enormous blueberries and relax.

Blue berrie appeal to me. Going to Kodiak or Seldovia means going back to homer and flying from there?
Denali starts look better and better. Can we pick enormous blueberries in Denali or on the way?

hmm, don't know, my guess is that you might see the bears a bit too up close and personaland the pterodactyls we called mosquitos.
Girdwood may be the solution, lots of condos, b&b's, trails, berries(right up the ski trails at Alyeska)..
can't speak as to the size of the berries, but the area offers enough and is close to other attractions such as the Wildlife Park and Whittier as daytime excursions.. let us know what you decide, J.:)

So many things to see and do, so little time. Where to go for 2 nights, what to chose?