fanrgs, it is interesting that you mention Yosemite. We have hiked over almost all of the park, and literally five minutes ago I finished "Geology Underfoot in Yosemite," by Glazner & Stock. Very enjoyable, especially for folks who know the area well. I wonder if there is a similar book for the Canadian Rockies?
Alaska is on our bucket list -- the ability to get up close and personal with a living glacier is pretty tempting. There are places in the Canadian Rockies where we have done so (like the Plain of the Six Glaciers above Lake Louise), but most of the glaciers are hard to get to, even for reasonably fit day hikers.