I went on an Alaskan cruise with my mom's family the summer after my first year of college. We flew into Fairbanks, experienced the long-lasting midnight sunshine, and from there went to Denali National Park. Enter shot of gorgeous stream running through the mountains. I got scolded for hiking 30 minutes on my own for this image as we were in "bear country". We traveled southward through Anchorage and Chugach National Forest to board the large ship awaiting in Seward. From there, the cruise took us to Hubbard Glacier (not pictured), Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan before its final destination in Vancouver. All of these images were taken with me traveling each new city by foot.

My most thrilling moment was in Juneau. I snuck off into the allegedly haunted Alaskan Hotel and took the staircase to the top floor, which opened up to an exterior patio. The door quickly shut and locked behind me after I stepped out onto the concrete. From there, I climbed a short few stairs and I was atop most of the city center on a different street. I had my camera in hand and began taking shots. Quickly, I gained the attention of residents and began receiving pointed glares which gave me a clear message, "You are a tourist and you do not belong here." I knew I needed to find an exit. I said a word to no one, understanding this was not my place, and began briskly walking to find an escape down the overgrown terrain to the main part of town. I finally found my golden ticket, a multi landing wooden staircase, which I quickly descended.

In another one of the stops, I had a missed opportunity. I had been walking around one of the streets in Skagway, admiring a few of the old cars and motorcycles. I found a particularly stunning, bright red MG convertible that caught my eye and took some pictures. All of a sudden, someone emerged from the garage and informed me that "I bet [insert generic male name] would give you a ride in that car there if you asked him nicely." I almost regret not asking for that ride, daydreaming of seeing the utter disbelief on my family's face as I cruised around with a stranger in that beautiful car.

I was learning, at the time, to understand what values were important to me as a young person. I wanted to keep a lot that my family had taught me over the years, but felt so many of my values also differed. A lot of these photos were taken as I was reflecting upon this internal conflict, while admiring and appreciating the beauty of Alaska with my family.