Anchorage Celebrates the Fourth of July

Pictured here is my friend who caught this halibut last week. . . he needed help landing it, as it overwhelmed him and the boat. It cut the day of fishing short, as there was no room for anything else in the boat. . . taking it back to shore, no scales to weigh it, but it was estimated to be 400 lbs. Kenai Peninsula is about a 4 hour drive from Anchorage, and most charters guarantee you a fish or two, like in the background, but not like this!!!

Our weather has not been cooperating in the morning, but by mid-day, the sun seems to find it's way, and baseball prevails in our six week season. I am speaking of the Alaska Baseball League, but August follows with the American Legion games.

Every weekend bring another bike rally or fun run, and the turnout is pretty heavy for all of them. It's become a great fund raiser for npo's and the Anchorge Bucs joined this method with success just last week, with the start of the 6k run from Mulcahy Field (our ball park).

Fourth Avenue is the main street of Anchorage, and tourists are filling up the too-narrow sidewalks daily. Most highlights are within walking distance of the Visitor Center, but there are free shuttles to the further venus, ie. Sourdough Mining Company (that's a restaurant) and the Heritage Center. This latter site has a very complete setup for the visitor to view all the Native tribes, as they've built a pond where you can walk around the circle and view huts and Eskimos doing crafts, wearing native dress, etc. Drumming is performed in the main hall, with different groups. My way to remember the names of the main tribes is the name of a former downtown store called Taheta, which is an acronym for Tlinket, Athabascan, Eskimo, Tenana, and Aleut.

As you journey out of Anchorage, you have a limited choice, as there are two main highways . . . one to exit on the Glenn Highway, and the second to head south on the Seward Highway. The Glenn Highway takes you to Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park and on to Fairbanks, or you can continue to Tok, and then to and thru Canada to the other part of USA. The Seward Highway takes you to Seward, obviously, or to Homer, which is the "End of the Road". The Alaska Railroad goes to both Fairbanks, and Seward, but the latter is perhaps my preference, as it doesn't follow the road, but takes you into the back country to see Spencer Glacier and other beautiful sights. So anyhow, I surely hope I haven't bored you with all this, but I can only assume the reader is not familiar with "My Alaska." Signing off for now.

Swine Flu Has Not Reached Alaska!

I hear from some of my faithful followers that they're tired of reading about our volcano, Mt. Redoubt. I don't blame them. Now the big scare is this swine flu starting from Mexico City, but it's not here. Don't forget to get travel insurance, especially if you leave country! We have only beautiful springtime days and it's so great to go outdoors coatless. I'd post some pictures of flowers, but it's a little early, so you'll have to visualize some of Georgia O'Keefe's great art. We have our fair share of artists here, too, and one of the best (watercolor and sumi-e) is my magic partner. The Anchorage Museum of History and Art is being renovated, and a multi-million dollar extension promises to make it a visitor's destination when it reopens late May. Until then, the first Friday Art Walk continues to draw art lovers, and wine sippers, too.

The bike trails continue to grow, and as the bears come out of their hibernation, we read daily about encounters with bikers and runners. Another of our year-round attractions is Kinkaid Park, which is a huge 40 (?) acres park with cross-country ski trails, a popular chalet, etc. It's just south of the Anchorage International Airport as the crow flies, but a longer drive to reach it. The bike trail goes from Kinkaid Park all the way to downtown, and it skirts the inlet, Earthquake Park, Turnagain Subdivision, and Westchester Lagoon. Pull out your GPS or Mapquest, and you can enjoy viewing from above.
As April fades away, I'm trying to post my Midi version of "I'll Remember April" but I have to figure out how to get my piano hooked up again. Lots of visualizing needed on this blog, eh? Well, after you picture the flowers, picture the music. Til then . .. cheers.