Fun in Anchorage

So today we did Anchorage – Earthquake Park, Lake Hood where all the float planes are kept, the Alaskan Aviation Museum, Ulu factory which was fascinating – they are making a knife that has been used since the times of the early indians, JC Penny – we went there since we've never been to one before and I won't be going to another either, then last but by no means least the Native Alaskan Heritage Center.

Now we don't usually buy ready made food, however since we were on a flying trip, backpackers and all plus I didn't have the cooker with me, this time we did. We stopped in at Carr's also known as Safeway (a big supermarket) and they had all sorts of stuff in their deli section. We all chose either a salad and then something hot since the weather was cool. There was mexican, chinese, american …. you name it, it was there. Reagan chose sesame chicken. Oh she said, it's good. We should go back and get a big container to share.

Outside the Alaskan Aviation Museum, right on Lake Hood

The Aviation Museum had a flight simulation machine which is always popular with my family. There was a sign that junior pilots required adult supervision. I am happy for them to have a good go. So waited patiently while the both took a turn. Then said it's time to move on, which we did. When I turned around our girl had disappeared, so I went back and here she was on the simulator again. Insert a big voice here - I'm alright, I'm an adult! When we were outside checking out the Alaskan Airlines plane they had open for inspection, she touched and opened everything. Now on a good day she would have touched and opened, however this day you would swear her hands were shaking she just had to, and I mean had to touch everything at such a great speed, even stuff that was sign posted “do not use”. I couldn't believe the transformation. Honestly she needed a straight jacket, she was like an energizer battery that wouldn't stop. Looking back, I'm thinking the sesame chicken might have had some colour or additive that set her off. Needless to say we didn't go back for more.

Anchorage here we come!

Next stop Anchorage.

Why do we have to go? That was how our trip to Anchorage started. Surprisingly it went quite quickly. First stop the tourism information center. Now, accommodation is very pricey in Alaska, and also in short supply when one hasn't booked in advance. So it was the Alaska backpackers for us. The first backpackers the children had stayed in. It was all that we needed with 4 bunk beds in a room all to ourselves.

We arrived at mid day, so decided the best plan of attack would be to drive half way to Seward and about 10 miles south of Girdwood to the Alaska conservation center. The road is mountains one side and sea the other. Bradley caught sight of a beluga whale, which apparently roam in groups of 20 to 30 in this area during the summer. Unfortunately I had to keep my eyes on the road, much to my disgust and had to wait for some distance to pull off the road.

At the Conservation Centre, I got some fantastic photos of grizzly bears, the rare musk ox, caribou which are also called reindeer – by golly they are tiny things with great racks where the antlers are about the same height as the reindeer. Two abandoned moose babies were huge despite their young age – about the size of a horse and two herds of bush bison of which one herd will be released in 2013, that was exciting to read about.



An official had just thrown some apples to the bears while we were there and they had a little cabin the bears went into to try and find it, got some great shots of that. We also saw a bald eagle which had been shot at and had to have its wing amputated, plus two owls whose home had been invaded by a silly magpie, how it got in who knows. The magpie sent the owls into a spin when someone tried to shoo it out without much luck. They were also preparing an enclosure for two female lynx cubs who were in a forest fire with paws that were badly burned. The glaciers in the background looked eerie with blue ice shining through.

Brown Bear painting, by Desray