Anchorage Springs Spring

We thought it would never come, but it is the beautiful season in Alaska. Trees are budding out, and sun is warm and moods are good. Just remember to not look down, because the puddles this year are bigger than usual, what with the record amount of snow.

Surely we have to accept some sadness along the way, such as some house fires, roofs falling in with the weight of the snow, and the recent find of a missing barista who disappeared two months ago.

But spring is also the season for birthing of new pups for future Iditarod Races, and also the moose calves will be appearing out of nowhere with their offspring, as well as the 'city' bears.

The new baseball season will be upon us shortly, and the Anchorage Bucs are moving their offices to the former gym on the park strip. (City-owned) That will make them lots closer to the Ball Park, and it's a new ball game without the founder/manager with us . . . he passed away over the winter.

One blunder I feel the city made was their choice of a 'statue' outside the newly expanded museum.

Note this picture, oops, it's upside down, too . . .which I scanned from a magazine, so it lacks quality, however, you can see that it is a bunch of blocks sitting on the grass (no foundation), on the far corner of the museum property. You might think it was created by a nursery school in their tinker toy class, but no . .. the half million dollar structure was designed by a Brit, who supposedly had great credentials. Oh, well, it's still a beautiful city and it's MY city. I'll try to update my posts a little more often, really!

Alaska! Why not . . . .

The Grand Princess pays a visit!

It seems like I posted just yesterday, but here it is mid-June. Anchorage has been buzzing with summer excitement. Take today, for example. While I biked over to the Spenard Farmer's Market, and enjoyed all the booths, neighborhood friends, fresh produce and plants . . . at the same time, in midtown, 7200 women were running in the annual cancer benefit. Also, we had my club's annual picnic, and there's another big one this weekend in Wasilla at Snyder Park, a 40 acre parcel right downtown which was donated to the Pioneers of Alaska.

The other regular markets were open, of course, and the downtown streets are flooded with tourists. The two local baseball teams had games at Mulcahy Park, which really crowded the parking lot, which doubled as the take-off point for the women's run. Whew!

We have been blessed with sunny weather and this summer promises to be one of the memorable ones. One bummer for the locals is the installation of new parking meters - one per block where you simply insert your credit card. It's hard to swallow that one, expecially when downtown parking on the streets was free, and ample, just a few years ago. Putting in two-bits wasn't too bad for 60 minutes, than 30 minutes, then 12 minutes. Did you ever think you'd see the day when you used a credit card to park, and to pay for a fast food meal. Well, it's happened!

Another recent change is the docking of cruise ships. Whereas both Holland America Lines and Princess Cruises used to dock in Seward, well, that's over. Seward is a delight small town where you could spend a few hours looking around or visiting the Sea Life Center, and many art and craft shops. It's a pleasure to visit there anytime. However, now the cruise lines have built a new dock in Whittier, which is many miles closer to Anchorage, but it takes the same amount of time to reach Anchorage by boach or train.

This is because there is a huge mountain interrupting the only path to the Seward Highway. Several years ago, they built a one land railroad track thru the mountain, and if you were driving, you needed to put your car and/or boat on the train to get to Whittier. About 4 yrs. ago, they decided to pave this one lane, 3 mile tunnel, and you now take turns on direction to and from. I don't know what the price is for cars, but the coach I was on this week, where I visited the Island Princess, paid $125. I think it's free the other direction. But you wait inline not unlike the ferries out of Seattle, and you may or may not get to drive thru on your half hour, as there's way too much traffic.

These are just some of the changes of late, but we are definitely making a buck on 'travel'. Now, that's the editorial 'we'.

You know my baseball team is the Anchorage Bucs (dot-com) but they have yet to show their strength as the short season is just started. So give 'em a rah, rah, and see you later.

Summertime in Anchorage

The days are flying by, and there is a heap of activity in Anchorage. The Alaska Baseball League continues it's short season, with the Anchorage Bucs and Anchorage Glacier Pilots meeting each other regularly, and now they are each on road trips to the Kenai, Matanuska Valley (Matsu) and Fairbanks.

Some of the Princess Cruise Lines are docking right downtown now. It's less than a mile to Fourth Avenue, which is the main street of town. Some would argue that Fifth Avenue is 'more main' but all the tee shirt shops line Fourth, and that would be an indicator, wouldn't it? The number of tourists is down this year, according to those that know, but it seems the streets are crowded with people from all over the world. There is a certain number that head directly for Denali (Mt. McKinley) or fishing lodges, and some just want to drive down to the Kenai Peninsula, thereby avoiding the crowds of Anchorage. There are festivals galore, like the Bear Paw Festival in Eagle River, the Forest Fair in Girdwood (this is Alyeska Resort), the Seward Derby, and Homer Fishing Derby, too. One attraction you might overlook is the Botanical Gardens, which has trails for an outstanding stroll, with a large variety of plants, shrubs, trees, art works.

The Alaska Golf Association is running the State Golf Tournament now, with many groups having private tournaments, including the big Petroleum Club tournament, which has over 400 entries.

Then there is an assortment bike races and foot races ... biathalons
and Special Olympics competitions. Of course, you can just visit and do none of these. Relax and have a cool drink on one of the great outdoor patios at the downtown restaurants that provide a wonderful view of Mt. Susitna to the West, McKinley to the North, and the Chugach Range to the East.

Come and check us out, and you'll see why we love living here.

Summer Solstice in Anchorage

These are the beautiful days of summer, with daylight until almost midnight, and our 'crops' growing pretty swiftly. Personally, we have about 6 tomato plants with blossoms on them, so you'll see a happy gal here when we get to pick some tasty red babies.

Tourists abound, and Fourth Avenue is tee-shirt row once again. The bars and restaurants are doing a great business, and this summer, for the first time in several years, we have cruise ships arriving at the Port of Anchorage, within a mile of town.

Altho' I still don't go sleeveless, many locals do, and even jump in Goose Lake for a swim, but let's say the golf courses satisfy my appetite for outdoor activity. (I bike to an indoor pool at a high school nearby.) Our short baseball season is in full swing, and the Anchorage Bucs have two losses already in the Alaska Baseball League. Things will get better, as the players are still arriving from the lower states. We're hosting a relief pitcher, who is a Brett Favre look-alike.

Fishing season had a dubious start, because catch-and-release was the rule until today. Now anglers can keep king salmon less than 46 inches or more than 55 inches.

The Women's Run for Breast Cancer over the weekend drew over 7,000 runners and raised a health amount for the cause. I think it was over $100,000, if I remember what I read. Nope, I didn't run, or walk either. Slacker! Sorry I'm not posting a picture on this quickie blog, but I have a new program on my computer and I can't seem to save images to a file . .. just print them. Guess I should take some time on my learning curve.

June is Busting Out All Over Anchorage

With the beautiful weather we've been having in Anchorage, it's easy to see why we will never leave our home state. This is the time of year when moose are birthing on our front lawns, and munching on the beautiful flowers and fauna. Also, baseball starts it's short season on the 6th. This year we have a quality field to compare with the major leagues. The American Legion sponsored this construction, which you can read about here. You can also read about the players and see the schedule for the Anchorage Bucs here.

Other outdoor activities include marathons and bike races, 5 and 10k charity walks, and farmer's markets on several locations. Recently, our famous Chilkoot Charlie's owners has donated his big parking lot for the Spenard Farmers Market, and it's been growing over the last few weeks.

Indoor activities are not left behind, and while the movies are not attracting their winter crowds, the restaurants are full up. This is mostly with the large tourist influx. We also had our first cruise ship arrive right downtown (1 mile north) for the first time in 25 yrs., with more sailings to come. Anchorage is large enough to absorb a few thousand extra bodies on the street. Fourth Avenue has become a Tee-Shirt and Sandals Row, hardly leaving room for the vagrants who have moved further east. This is my own observation, of course.

So it's time to cut my blog short, and hasten for a bike ride . . . check back.