Jul 13, 2012 - Day 53 Seward to Anchorage

Day 53: We left the campground and headed into Seward to go to the SeaLife Center. It was really neat! They had natural habitat for all the fish and mammals. The 1700# sea lion can move faster than a human on land for 40 yards! The puffins and many other sea birds were in an aviary and you could view below the water and watch them dive and look for food. The distance and time they stayed under water was amazing! We got to touch many sea creatures, star fish and sea urchins. I didn't touch the sea urchins! We learned a lot about the...

Jul 12, 2012 - culture

Since Alaska is such a huge state, its climate varies greatly between the mild panhandle and the frigid Arctic. It is believed that the original residents all walked over from Asia, but where they ended their walk made a huge difference in their lives. We went to the Cultural Center today to learn more about the original inhabitants of Alaska. In a way their remoteness has helped them to retain their culture and traditions, although when the Russians began working their way east into the country, they brought the same diseases, arrogance,...

Jul 12, 2012 - Anchorage, AK

We left tiny Trapper Creek and set sail for Anchorage on July 12th. I keep getting the days and dates mixed up - gee I wonder why. On the way we drove through two towns, Willow and Wasilla. The latter is where the Iditarod Headquarters is and where Sarah Palin lives. On our last trip to Alaska, we saw where she lived from the train, but since she lives lakefront and her home sits way back on her property, I doubt we will see anything this trip. Once again a day without wildlife, but the scenery was great the closer we got to Anchorage. We...

Jul 12, 2012 - Anchorage, Alaska

One more cold, wet day in Alaska. Temperatures this morning were in the low 50’s with a light mist in the air. I called Verizon and added to 2GB for $20.00 to make my iPhone a hotspot that gives me Internet since I am in the woods. About 12:15PM I dropped the dog off at PetSmart. I then went back on base to the Base Exchange and looked around. Left there and went to the Lucky Wishbone and had the chicken dinner for lunch. The place was packed. Everything I had read about it talked about their great food but mine was a little dry and not...

Jul 11, 2012 - Talkeetna To Anchorage, Iditarod Dogs

7-11 Talkeetna to Anchorage, Iditarod Dogs Temperatures in the 60s Staying at Golden Nugget RV Park We left Talkeetna the morning of the 11th with clear blue skies, and beautiful views of Mt. McKinley to send us on our way. It really is a gorgeous sight! We had to go back to the Roadhouse for a second taste of their cinnamon rolls just to verify our initial impression that they were the best ones we have had in Alaska! We headed farther down the Parks Highway, with a short side trip into Wasilla to see the Iditarod Sled Dog Headquarters....

Jul 11, 2012 - in the big city

We had planned a nice day in Palmer yesterday. We wanted to visit the musk ox farm, the reindeer farm, and hike to the top of butte which offered scenic views of the mountains in the area. But once again, the weather did not cooperate. You can't control the weather and we try to make the best of it, but overall since we left the lower 48 the weather has been abominable. By my unscientific calculations, we've had rain 80% of the time. Without some sunshine the temperatures never make it to 60º and with a drizzle, we're cold and...

Jul 10, 2012 - July 10th Anchorage

Jack and I have both been down with allergies. Jack much worst than me but we are both dragging. We have been able to do some short trips around town and have been enjoying the nice weather. We have managed to see the eagles, moose and calf and been to the farmers market which was nice as well as the botanical gardens. We hope to do the glacier tomorrow as it's going to be 60 and sunny. Anchorage is growing on us. It's not a bad little town. Everything is close it just takes getting use to the weather. They had snow this AM on the glacier...

Jul 10, 2012 - Anchorage

Trolley tour of Anchorage. Railroad depot, Earthquake park, Cook Inlet, Lake Hood float plane base and homes. Anchorage is nice with many flowers. Went to the Sourdough Mining Company for Dinner. Saw the worlds largerst chocolate waterfall. Then the Dusty Sourdough Show. He sang and told tales of the first man to discover gold in Alaska.

Jul 9, 2012 - Anchorage

Traveled to Anchorage. On the way we stopped in Wasilla at the Alaska Transportation Museum. Many Trains, planes, boats and cars. Also many pieces of mining equipment. We got to Anchorage and set up at the Golden Nugget RV Park. Went to WalMart to stock up. Ate at the Glacier Restaurant in downtown. Anchorage is about the size of Beaumont. A very modern nice city. Many flowers.

Jul 9, 2012 - Day 49 Anchorage

Day 49: Spent the day in Anchorage. We dropped Patty off at the airport and went looking for a golf course since the sun was shining and it was actually warm. We decided on Moose Run, the Hill course, which was the easier of the two courses. We had a close match, going back and forth, but in the end, Bal came out on top. If you noticed on the score card, the 17th is a 439 yd. par 4 from the white tees! So, we have accomplished our goal, golfing in all 50 states. At the end of the day, we started thinking back and wondered how many states...

Jul 8, 2012 - Day 48 Ninilchik to Anchorage

Day 48: Today we headed back to Anchorage, Patty leaves for Wisconsin tomorrow morning and Kevin arrives on Tuesday for a whirlwind four day visit. On the way we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Any injured or orphaned wild animal in Alaska is transported here. The center had three moose calves that were orphaned this spring. They also had three brown bear that they have had for eight and twelve years. As you can see from the pictures, one of them is a ham! The wood bison is an endangered species that the AWCC is growing...

Jul 4, 2012 - Anchorage

Happy Fourth of July everyone! We haven’t been having ideal weather in Anchorage. Sunday was beautiful, sunny and warm and we had a good 28 mile trip here. But since then it’s been overcast and damp with the temp around 60. Just like some of our winter days at home. It rained last night and it looks like we’ll be getting a lot of that wet stuff while Judy’s here. We’re at Golden Nugget RV Park and it’s much nicer than I expected from some of the journals I’ve read. The spaces are tight but they keep the place up and it’s very clean with...