Anchorage/McKinley Princess, August 5, 2019

Anchorage didn’t really start growing until after WWII. The Cold War really helped this city expand. There are an Air force and an Army base here. The city appears to be really spread out with mixed commercial and residential areas. 

“...Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, is in the south-central part of the state on the Cook Inlet. It's known for its cultural sites, including the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which displays traditional crafts, stages dances, and presents replicas of dwellings from the area’s indigenous groups. The city is also a gateway to nearby wilderness areas and mountains including the Chugach, Kenai and Talkeetna.”

It’s population is almost 300,000 today. The ceremonial start of the Iditarod is here, right down Fourth Street. 

Thanks again for all the BIRTHDAY WISHES!!! The day has dawned with more Alaskan sunshine, so I’m praying it stays!!!

We are on the bus today in route to our next hotel. We will have lunch in Anchorage. (You can bet I’ll be thinking about our friends, Janelle and Hans who lived up here...we loved to listen to their stories of living up here. I had never heard of plug in electric heater blankets for your car engines? They used them during the winter. Janelle talked about it being a must in Alaska and others points North, so many parking lots include the electric charging posts.) Interestingly, they still allow studded car tires and snow chains here since salt can't be used for a variety of reasons...only a gravel like substance.

Such an unusual design for a Catholic Church

We had an enjoyable lunch at the Glacier Brewhouse

I even tried their Blood Orange IPA. Very good!

We keep seeing these massive skulls everywhere

Saw these signs around town. Pretty cool!

Not too much was left standing here after the 1964,  9.2 magnitude earthquake. Any buildings taller than two stories must adhere to all the latest earthquake codes. There is only one highway traveling north out of Anchorage and it goes by the Army base. You don’t travel too far out of town before hitting wilderness again. Even the Army base there is a forest of trees on its outside border. 

We lost our sunshine by the time we arrived

Cute idea: Outdoor bar with popcorn and s'more fixings...they had these fire pits going later

These adorable wildflowers can be found growing between rocky crevices as well. Their happy faces make me smile even when it’s overcast. 

 We went by Beluga Point, a huge body of water where boats aren’t permitted because of the dangerous Board Tide. It’s a tide that comes in swiftly over the top of another outgoing tide. Belugas whales come in when the salmon are running, but they don’t breach so you can’t see them. 

(Passed through Sarah Palin’s Hometown of Wassilla ...basically a suburban area outside of Anchorage..Not much to write home about from what we can see from their main highway. It’s cheaper to live here than in Anchorage, but most work in Anchorage.)

Cool inside space

The photo is showing you which mountains are which when you can see them at all...we forgot to reshoot this image when the sun came out & we could see some of the mountains...

The further north we travel the less paved side roads do we see. This area is where the homesteaders come to that want to live off the grid, so to speak.