Explore the journey — one trail, museum, meal, and memory at a time.
Tour of Heritage Museum
I spent most of the day exploring Helena’s new Montana Heritage Center, which opened in December 2025. The Charles M. Russell Gallery was the highlight, but the Poindexter modern art collection and beautifully designed Montana Homeland Gallery made this one of the best museums I visited in Montana.
Four Museums in Fort Benton
A full museum day in Fort Benton took me through the Missouri Breaks, Upper Missouri history, the reconstructed Old Fort and the Museum of the Northern Great Plains. I also stopped at the town’s war memorials, including tributes to Vietnam War service dogs and U.S. Navy ships, before ending the day along the Missouri River.
Nose Hill Hike
Rain changed my plans in Calgary, but the afternoon opened up for a 3.2-mile hike across Nose Hill Park, with glacial erratics, a Blackfoot medicine wheel, quaking aspens and changing views of the Calgary skyline. That evening I visited Contemporary Calgary before finishing the day with a burger, beer and an unexpected fantasy football gathering at National.
Military Museums & Peace Bridge
A day in Calgary moves from military history to a relaxing afternoon along the Bow River. I explore The Military Museums, learn the real story behind the Great Escape, photograph Santiago Calatrava’s Peace Bridge and wander the riverfront as people head home from work. The evening ends in Westhills, where a long line at Village Ice Cream turns out to be worth the wait.
Studio Bell & Central Library
I went to Studio Bell to see the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and learn more about Canada's musical history, particularly Oscar Peterson. I wasn't expecting the architecture to capture nearly as much of my attention. That continued at Calgary Central Library, another extraordinary building where the architecture became as interesting to me as what was inside.
Royal Alberta Museum
Excerpt
I spent the afternoon exploring the Royal Alberta Museum, moving from Alberta’s human history into geology, glaciers, fossils and enormous Ice Age animals. I was surprised by how much there was to learn and realized I’ll need to return to dig deeper into Alberta’s paleontological history. I finished the day relaxing outside the glass pyramids of the Muttart Conservatory.
Chena Hot Springs
I drove from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs expecting a small town and instead found a rustic resort built around the springs. I toured its hydroponic greenhouse and geothermal power plant, spent hours soaking and reading in the hot springs, then finished with a funny tour of the Aurora Ice Museum. It wasn't at all what I expected, but it was interesting, quirky and relaxing.
UofA Museum of the North
I spent most of the day at the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks, wandering through Alaska’s history, art and science. From permafrost and Pleistocene animals to Blue Babe and The Place Where You Go to Listen, this was one of those museums where I kept finding reasons to slow down.
Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum
The Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum wasn’t on my original Fairbanks itinerary, but a recommendation from my Dalton Highway driver changed that. Inside I found an extraordinary collection of antique automobiles, Alaska motoring history and vintage clothing—and some unexpectedly interesting photographic subjects.
Homer, AK
Heavy rain forced me indoors, but the Pratt Museum turned out to be one of the highlights of my time in Homer. Exhibits on Alaska's boreal forest, Indigenous history, volcanoes, earthquakes, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill made for an unexpectedly engaging day. After lunch at Fat Olives, I spent the evening exploring the Homer Spit, talking with a fishing charter captain, enjoying authentic Italian gelato, and ending the day with another reminder that some of the best travel experiences come from unexpected conversations.
Seward: Alaska SeaLife Center
A rainy day in Seward didn't stop the adventure. After taking refuge inside the Alaska SeaLife Center, I explored the town's historic buildings, photographed Resurrection Bay during a brief break in the weather, and finished the evening with a drive to Exit Glacier. Sometimes the best travel days are the ones that refuse to follow the original plan.
Dutch Harbor WWII History Museum
Getting from Dutch Harbor back to Anchorage should have been easy. Instead, the day turned into a series of delays, missed opportunities, and unexpected conversations. Along the way I finally visited the Aleutian World War II Visitor Center, where the story of the Japanese bombing and the Lost Villages gave me a much deeper appreciation for the people who call these remote islands home.
Anchorage Museum
A day in Anchorage turned into five hours at the Anchorage Museum exploring Alaska's history, geology, Native cultures, and art. Afterwards I photographed reflections in downtown buildings before ending the evening at Lake Hood watching floatplanes and a pair of Greater Scaup go about their business.
Valdez Old Town
Rain turned out to be the perfect excuse to explore the Old Town Museum and the site of the original Valdez. Survivor interviews, recreated buildings, and a driving tour of Old Valdez transformed the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake from history into something deeply personal, revealing how an entire community was rebuilt just a few miles away.
Valdez Museum & Oil Terminal
The Valdez Museum covers more history per square foot than most places I've been — the 9.2 earthquake that liquefied the waterfront and forced the whole town to move four miles, the $8 billion pipeline that eliminated Alaska's income tax, and an exhibit on Lee Wulff, the father of modern fly fishing, who grew up fishing these exact waters.
White Pass and Alaska History
The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad delivered spectacular mountain scenery, waterfalls, and a few memorable characters along the way. After returning to Skagway, I spent time exploring the Corrington Museum of Alaskan History, where exhibits on the Japanese occupation of Alaska during World War II, Native carving traditions, mammoth hunters, and the Iditarod offered a deeper look at the people, events, and cultures that helped shape Alaska's history.
Skagway's KlondikeGold Rush Stories
I spent the day exploring Skagway's history, starting at the excellent Skagway Museum and ending with the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park film. Along the way I learned about Soapy Smith, the White Pass railroad, Buffalo Soldiers, and the hardships faced by thousands of stampeders heading for Dawson City. A stop at the historic Mascot Saloon and an evening hike around Lower Dewey Lake rounded out one of the most interesting days I've had in Alaska.
Alaska State Museum
After another rainy morning in Juneau, I set out in search of coffee and ended up spending most of the day at the Alaska State Museum. Exhibits on Alaska Native cultures, Russian settlement, mining, whaling, the Exxon Valdez disaster, and the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands offered a deeper understanding of Alaska's history. An unexpected highlight was a collection of clothing by Haida designer Dorothy Grant, whose work blended Indigenous art with contemporary fashion.
Kluane Lake
After waking to snow and an empty Alaska Highway north of Haines Junction, I headed toward Kluane Lake, visited the surprisingly good Kluane Museum of History in Burwash Landing, discovered a touching memorial to Douglas Richard Twiss II, and spent the afternoon photographing mountains, ice, and changing weather along one of Yukon’s most dramatic landscapes.
Whitehorse May 27–28
A planned stop in Whitehorse turned into two days of unexpected discoveries. Between a glassblowing event, Yukon history at the MacBride Museum, a potentially dangerous wheel problem, and conversations with surveyors, nurses, travelers, and locals, the city revealed itself through the people who call it home. Sometimes the most memorable travel days aren't planned at all.