Anchorage

When the weekend came, I wanted to take hold of the opportunities and go explore this place everyone knows as the beautiful Anchorage. A couple who taught their last year in Alakanuk this past school year, picked up a few of us to go for a late evening drive. We rode in their van past Cook Inlet and old houses abandoned after the tantalizing earthquake in 1964. On our way back, we stopped at a beautiful wood lodge in Girdwood. Music spilled out of the building into the peaceful surrounding of scientifically labeled gardens and fountains. A tram led people down from the restaurant at the top of a hill, thousands of feet in the air. We wanted to ride it, but tickets were sold for the night and the clock was ticking close to midnight.
Just before returning to Anchorage, we went to the base of Flat Top mountain to take in the sparkling lights of the cityscape. The waning moon led our way as we walked along these log fences back to our car.
This display is in the main entry for the Girdwood lodge. Although Polar bears aren't too common all over Alaska, we did hear that two ended up near our village. I never got to see the picture, but two polars bears floated on a piece of ice down the Yukon all the way down to a little place by Emmonak and Alakanuk.

The next day, my friend, Amy and I, took a bus/boat tour to see Portage Glacier. We got to ride down the Seward Highway again in daylight. We spent the day with seven other older people on an over-sized tour bus. I learned that glaciers are blue because they're made of snowflakes that are undergo extreme pressure for at least 10 years. Then, they are able to absorb all wavelengths of light except blue. I was also intrigued how the Glacier silt blocks out ALL light, meaning there is sometimes no life in the lakes Glaciers feed into. Our driver let us stop wherever we wanted-- even to take a picture of mountain goats and a video of a mama moose eating Alder leaves! Our eyes were heavy by the time that seven hour tour pulled back into the Hilton.






Wind tried to keep us from climbing the hill to get a good look at these goats, but we didn't back down from being so close!