We took a cruise to Alaska in the summer of 2015, docking in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. I was immediately taken aback by how different it was from anywhere I had previously been. There was so much untouched beauty — endless evergreens, gray clouds hanging over the still water, bald eagles soaring overheard, and tails of humpback whales peeking out from the depths of the Pacific. Being away from everything in Alaska made me appreciate the value of true natural beauty.