Fairbanks, Alaska: Day 1 of our 12-day journey in the 49th state

Linda and I cruised Alaska in 2015. This time. with Princess Cruise Lines, we put together a tour that starts with five nights in the interior. Day 4 and it is an amazing experience. Come along with us and feel the magic of our 49th state!

That's Denali in the photo at the top. At more than 20,000 feet above sea level, it's the highest peak in North America. Denali had been the traditional name for generations but in the Alaska Gold Rush days in 1896, a prospector is said to have named it Mount McKinley, to show his support for William McKinley, then a candidate for president. McKinley won and the name stuck, at least until 1975, when a state board tasked with naming places decided the old name, Denali, was better, and made it official.

The Federal government kept on calling it Mount McKinley right on up until 2015, when the name was changed to match what Alaskans had been calling it all along. We're told some folks in Ohio weren't too happy about that name change since McKinley was from Ohio.

This friendly friendly fellow greeted us at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge in Fairbanks. Good thing he was just a statue. As you can see from the photo below,  it's widely advised not to get too near a real moose. They could be dangerous.

Alaska is a great place to get away from the summer heat. The thermometer at the lodge reads about 50 degrees F, kind of brisk for Floridians. (Watch out, Linda! There's a bear behind you!) Actually, the temperature got up to 69 today.