Fox Island sits like a plug in the skinny neck of Resurrection Bay. The wildlife boats that shepherd amazed tourists along waters and cliffs filled with puffins, eagles, and whales regularly stop at Fox for the obligatory salmon bake. But after the last boat leaves, a few visitors each night pay to stay, to walk the deserted beach, kayak around the hidden coves, and relax in fire-heated log cabanas. The meal humbles our own camper cooking, and it is an extra delight to leave the dishes on the table for a change.

But it is even more fun - after a chilly day on the boat - to get back to our cozy RV, to an evening drive north on the road to Anchorage made pleasant by hot chocolate and cheese under the kitchen light. The others fall asleep as I drive through the endless twilight toward the close of my first visit to Alaska. To be sure, it wasn't the one I'd fantasized over so often, the one with tents and cookstoves and deserted backcountry. That will be my second Alaskan adventure.

No, this one was different. This one, I suddenly realize, looking in the rearview mirror at the sleeping faces of my happily exhausted family, this one was better. AW


lynda richardson is a richmond, virginia-based wildlife and environmental photographer whose work can be seen in magazines such as smithsonian, international wildlife, and the nature conservancy.
getting rv ready
planning your getaway: weatherwise, the best time to drive through alaska is from late spring through early fall. with daytime temperatures ranging from 55 degrees to 75 degrees in the summer, dropping to 45 degrees or lower at night, it's best to bring along cold-weather wear and rain gear wherever you go. and if you do visit alaska during the summer months, you may want to bring an eye mask to sleep in - they don't call it the "land of the midnight sun" for nothing.