downtown

our official last day.
you do know what i'm talking about, right?
i know.
you thought my last post was my last post.
*giggle*

it was saturday.
we weren't allowed to check in at the airport till 9:30 p.m.
what to do... what to do.
we hadn't had an opportunity to really explore anchorage during our stay in alaska,
so this was the perfect time.

unfortunately, it started on a foul note.
as we drove around downtown, looking for a good parking place, we noticed several roads blocked off.  what was going on?

due to the blocked roads and one way streets, we were forced to pull into jcpenny's parking garage.  this was as good a spot as any in our book.

we were told in the elevator that there had been a bad accident outside.  in my mind, i was thinking a lil' fender bender, at best.  keeping in mind that i've just experienced one of my dream vacations.  my head is kinda in the clouds.

as we walked out of jcpennys, and onto the sidewalk, we noticed several police officers scurrying people along.  and then... and then... 

we saw it. 

a body lying in the street.  mostly covered in a white sheet.  we quickly scurried with the others, trying to get past the yellow tape an officer was tying.  needless to say, my heart was heavy for several hours.  for peace of mind, i had to know what in the world happened... and only moments before we walked outside.

turns out... there was a gay pride parade.  really?  who knew?!  the lady driving the car carrying the grand marshal accidentally hit a man walking in front of her car. {read here}  needless to say, the parade was canceled.

we watch csi..
but in person?
it definitely feels different.

times like this, you just have to move on and make the best of it.
*thinking happy thoughts*



from there {trying not to focus on the above mentioned tragedy} we walked down to the annual-summer-saturday-market.  their 19th year.
"outdoors" is what alaskans do during the summer.
there's food, clothing, jewelry, and unique hand-made items by local alaskans.



we were tickled by the guy selling t-shirts
kinda making fun of texas.
he wanted people to know that alaska is bigger.
i get it.
even your mosquitoes are bigger.
i only believe that because i've seen them.



i had to sneak a picture of this big-hand-fed-diapered-puppy.  funny, huh?

it's not unusual to see many people riding bikes, walking dogs, carrying backpacks...
even within downtown.

you won't see that in our downtown.
the heat, alone, would do you in.

you should see alaska's produce.
and various flowers, as well.
huge, i tell you.
huge.
apparently, it's due to the longer daylight hours they get this time of year.
i might even be able to grow something.
*giggle*
i said maybe.



how about a lil' concert via the army?
yes, thank you.
they did quite well, actually.
the guy down front was cuttin' a rug.
or grass.



even though i was trying to blend in like a local...
well, minus the nikon.
we figured we'd better take the city tour via trolley.
it's  a tourist "to-do."
as well as, buying an ulu.

it's always neat to hear narration from a lifetime local.
especially the events of their 1964 earthquake.
it's amazing to see how the impact of this event reshaped the land.



as you can imagine, seeing aircraft is quite common.
during the tour, 
you realize you're not in kansas anymore when you witness parking like this.
car and aircraft together.

after the tour, we...
shopped for souvenirs.
ate at the glacier brewhouse one last time {*wiping tear*}.
cleaned our friends car.
did you know that automatic car washes shut down during the winter?
i mean, what's the point, right?
it would freeze.
then, we turned in the car at million air, waiting to go to the airport.



while waiting for our ride to the airport,
we watched some of batman begins in the theater room at million air.

of which we certainly are not.
hubs simply knows the ins and outs of travel...
that's all i have to say about that.
we almost fell asleep.

looking back, we should have.
sunday was full of flying to seattle, houston, then new orleans.
driving to granny's house to gather the girls and hand out souvenirs.
and driving back to texas.
yes, all on sunday.
we're overachievers.

here's just a lil' peek of our adventure.
when i managed to remember to video anything, that is. 



i admit it.  
there's not a lot of glamor to this fairy tale called life.
hollywood lies.
shocker.  i know.
but our week in alaska was pretty special.
one i will remember...
for the rest of my life.

i'll have to reflect on the memories after cleaning toilets.

i'm curious...
say if your hubs travels a lot and has built up air miles and asks you where you want to go...
which destination would you pick?

our last day of exploring in the mountains

after a full week, we were tired, y'all.  so we slept in.  past the hotel's breakfast time.  hubs told me about a place that sold pancakes bigger than your plate, so i had to see it for myself.  crazy, right?  hubs and i split one.  they were pretty yummy.



next we took another short road trip along the scenic seward highway from anchorage to the wildlife conservation center.  a center caring for orphaned and/or injured animals. 
 
although... i did wonder how they accumilated so many deer skins to sell in their gift shop.
were these animals they couldn't rehibilitate??
inquiring minds want to know.
or maybe we don't?
*gulp*



we watched this orphaned kodiac cub play in the water
like any clumsy house pet we've ever owned.
so stinkin' cute.
but no worries.
you won't find me feeding the bears.



there is a tiny wire fence separating us from most of the animals.
we watched this moose eat for quite some time.
he didn't let us disturb his lunch.

when getting eye level with one of the big caribou,
i was reminded just how tiny the fence was.
he must not have liked that.
when he stood up, inches from my face, i suddenly realized this lil' wire fence wouldn't hold his massive frame back... if he really wanted to come after me, that is.

he didn't seem to mind me reaching in to touch his huge antler, though.
i couldn't resist the temptation.
it felt soft and fuzzy.  kinda like kiwi.
good thing they shed those occasionally.
the weight of it would have me dragging my big head around.
for sure.



so after reading this sign...
do you notice anything funny about this picture below?



i was kinda hopin' the fence was left open on purpose.
yeah.
that makes me feel better.

wood bison.
they're pretty important to alaskan history.
between the fur, to keep you warm
and the fact that they are great grazers. 

after visiting and reading about the animals that reside here,
we headed over to girdwood to visit the alyeska resort
and ride the tram up the mountain.



it was the warmest day, yet we found ourselves standing in snow.

 

crazy, right?

so much fun.

but you had to be careful up here.

there were drop offs and hiking trails.

not to mention the bears.

we saw a black bear from the tram on the way back down.
apparently, it's not uncommon to find one roaming the resort.
ummm... i'll pass.

hubs made me move for fear that i would fall down the mountainside,
trying to capture the perfect shot.
*giggle*
we headed inside for a bite to eat with these crazy beautiful views.
apparently many are great for skiing.
that's something i've never tried.
maybe one day.

we headed back down to anchorage to meet up with friends
at the glacier brewhouse.
yummy.

friends that loaned us their car for the week.
again, so thoughtful.
and generous.
one of the many blessings that made this trip affordable.

{day 1}
{day 2}
{day 3}
{day 3 part 2}
{day 4}

the day in which we wore every jacket in our suitcase

the 127 mile stretch from anchorage to seward is quite breathtaking.  unlike many places in america, you will often find large 'nooks' off the side of the road for parking.  picture taking is expected.  and a must, at times. 

it also serves those adventurous souls who enjoy the numerous hiking trails or rock climbing within mere feet of the road.  we didn't stop.  the purpose of our adventure was to explore kenai fjords. 



so we loaded in a small boat with a handful of other adventurous souls.  some of them booked this expedition through a travel agent.  so, i guess we got lucky... because i simply found them online.  it's a family owned business, but they have two ladies manning this lil' ship.

all in all, it was a great experience.  i'll let the pictures do most of the talking...

flying in a boat + glaciers = glacier water = freezing one's fanny off.

this is a 95 foot boat.  this is a big glacier.

 

when it calves, it sounds like thunder.
everyone is quiet...

taking it all in.
amazing.

we saw humpback, fin, and {of course} shamu. ;)  unfortunately, they were all a bit shy... so they didn't breach the water.  we forgave them.





this lil' guy was checkin' us out.  i think he regretted leaving his camera at home.

after an entire day at sea, we were all looking like these little guys...



apparently, we were lucky.  they say that the weather isn't always so clear, and the glacier so active.  we saw eagles, whales, puffins, otters, sea lions, dall sheep, lava rock... and lets not forget the glacier.

before leaving, we witnessed the weighing of several halibut that had been caught.  the winner was a young lady.  her fish was 50 lbs.



it's a different world there, y'all. 
simply amazing.

a couple more of these posts and i'll be done.  promise.
i mean, my everyday life is much more entertaining anyway, right?
you don't have to answer that. ;)

{day 1}
{day 2}
{day 3}
{day 3 part 2}

behold, the cuteness...

still on day 3 {this series will end at some point. promise.}, we ventured through wasilla, ak.  it is a seemingly self-proclaimed redneck capital.  this might explain something about a certain former vice presidential candidate's grand-baby daddy. *ehem*

while i agree it didn't leave a posh impression, it didn't really strike me as more redneck than other places i've ventured into in the lower 48.

lower 48.  alaskan talk.  *giggle*

i was only disappointed that there were seemingly only chain restaurants.  mainly only chili's.  and fast-food.  chili's it is then.  it's all about the food in the end, right?

mainly....



i wanted to visit this place.
the iditarod headquarters.

if there's one thing you're sure to see this time of year in alaska,
it's people walking their dogs.
i imagine this doesn't happen much throughout the winter months.

so, if one is going to get a true taste of alaska,
one must see what this dog-driven sport is all about.

we were greeted by the father of the iditarod, joe redington sr.
well, his statue, anyway.

he was truly passionate about dogs.
and how they could perform.
something that he must have passed on to his son.

his son, joe redington jr., took us on a lil' ride.

 

you can see mr. redington's dark hat floating above hubby's shoulder.
it was attached to mr. redington.  i promise.
we saw him, but he didn't talk much.  he smiles.
maybe you befriend quiet on those long rides.
his wife was kind enough to take this great photo with my camera.

these beautiful dogs seem to enjoy their line of work.

chomping at the bits to run.

the dog on the back row, {your left in the picture below} helped mr. redington jr. win 7th place last year.

we were moving fast in no time at all on the well-worn path.
they knew just what to do.
and what the seemingly foreign commands were being called out from behind us.

 

ummm... our dog knows the sound of whipped cream from a can.

and the jingle of the car keys.

and when i ask her these questions:

do you wanna go for a ride?

do you wanna go for a walk?

are you starvin'?

are you hungry?

are you ready to eat?

she gives me that cute-tilted-puppy-head-expression.

race registration was starting the week we were in alaska.  hubs passed on the opportunity.  personally, i don't think i'd have the heart to work a dog quite like that.  maybe that's just me?

among other things, i always feel sorry for the doggy's feet.
apparently, these help.
lil' booties that velcro around their cute lil' paws.
if you squint real hard, you can see the tree behind us in a picture above decorated with these adorable booties.
so stinkin' cute.



when the dogs are not looking for another customer to pull,
you will find them... resting.
hahhh...

this retired lead dog, anna, came out to say hello to me for a brief moment.
she looked too tired to socialize and quickly went back in her lil' house when she heard the pack of dogs bringing the last customers around the path.
she's purdy, huh?



hubs made a friend, too.
as hubby walked away, this fellow jumped down in hopes of getting even more attention.  he was a friendly chap.

oh...

but the cuteness...
i die.

this lil' bundle whimpered a sweet puppy breath whimper,
until it snuggled its nose into my jacket.
and then it fell fast asleep.

is there anything like holding a 2 week old baby...
then handing it back.
you know, before it poops.

in short,
i'd love to learn more about this sport.
these dogs are amazing.
and seeing the sport in action would be quite exhilarating.

i have puppy love.
the end.

{day 1}
{day 2}
{day 3, part 1}

alaska day 3: helicopter ride and hurricane gulch

these are marathon posts, so i commend you...
even if you've been 'skimming'.
not that you {nor i} ever would.  ;)



wednesday, we stopped by era helicopters to thank them for setting us up with such great adventures the previous day.
unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating,
so for safety's sake, they had to postpone/cancel flights scheduled for the morning.
again, no glacier tour.
*sigh*
while chatting, they offered to let us ride with the pilot to do a 'weather' check.  sweet, right?



hubs hopped in the back seat, while i hopped in right beside the pilot.
behind the controls.
one does not want to accidentally touch the millions of buttons.
i am not a co-pilot.
roger that.



even though the cloud coverage proved that customers would not be landing on their glacier immediately, bill made sure we got a lil' mini tour.
he searched for any signs of wildlife.
they were hiding.
and showed us victory falls.
as well as numerous glacier made rivers.

the pictures don't do this excursion justice.  i was kinda busy looking for bears.

and, again, one is thankful to have an experienced pilot.
thank you, bill.
it was a smooth ride!



this is where we ate most of our quick denali meals.  subway.  we're classy like that.  it's home of the $9 foot long.  denali park also sells $5/gallon gas.  ouch.

but denali makes me feel young.  there are a lot of seniors taking advantage of the land and sea cruises.  sweet, yes?




it was time to say good-bye to our spectacular mckinley chalet views.
three nights in alaska.  three different beds.
but this was, by far, the best view.



seriously.
this was the view upon opening our door.
i loved the sound of the nenana river.
fresh, cool air first thing in the morning.
hahhhhh...

on our road trip, headed back south toward wasilla, we stopped to soak in a little scenery at one of the road-side stops.  it happened to be hurricane gulch.



the view was quite spectacular.

i can't wait to share what our wasilla visit held.
be prepared to oooh and aaaah at the cuteness.