Anchorage Update

I know I've been really quiet recently. Nothing is wrong. In fact, we're doing great, but have just been really busy. We've been settling into life here and doing well. As I mentioned last week, Marshall was at a board review course in Columbus. On his way back, I met him in Anchorage for a few days. We finally left the airport! It's very pretty from the airport and even prettier driving around. It's a small city, but surrounded by mountains. We decided to spend one day sightseeing and the other shopping. 

Anchorage isn't very big and is laid out on a grid, so that made it simple to get around. Unfortunately, there isn't a ton to do this time of year. We missed the summer activities and the snow hadn't arrived yet for winter sports. So we rented a car and decided to drive down the Kenai Peninsula a bit, taking in the sights. Without much of a plan, we ended up driving to Seward and back. First we stopped in Whitter and played around with the camera. We finally saw some snow and pine trees.

in Whitter

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel aka Whitter Tunnel

Whitter is a very small port town, but surrounding area is gorgeous. We stopped for coffee and saw a coyote run in front of our car. It's a good place for whale watching cruises, but we were too late in the season. The only way there by car is through the longest tunnel in the U.S. It was kind of freaky, to be honest. It looks like someone just decided to blow up a tunnel in the mountain; it's quite rustic. And it's a one-lane road that allows cars and trains. So there are specific times that the tunnel is open each way and for each vehicle.

We kept seeing frozen lakes and people skating on them. What was strange is that most of the lakes weren't frozen all the way through. The sunny spots were still watery and the shady spots were solid enough to skate on. Kind of odd to see people skating right next to large puddles of water. But we stopped at a shady lake and walked around. The ice was at least a foot thick so there was no fear of falling through.

Now, I wasn't super prepared for our outdoor outing. I foolishly wore sneakers and have a t-shirt on under my coat. I am a bit cold in the picture to the right! (We ended up shopping for winter clothes the next day and I now have a large array of long sleeved shirts and wool socks.)

Marshall was determined to walk on a glacier that day. We did our absolute best looking for a glacier, and found a beautiful one at Kenai Fjords National Park. But . . . the road into the park was closed. Rats! So we were limited to just taking a picture. We definitely plan to go back on a later visit. Plus, we need our stamp for our passport book. :)

glacier at Kenai Fjords National Park

Seward was a really small town and didn't offer anything overly special as far as activities. But again, I think we were between seasons. We did see a sea lion swimming around though (or at least, we think it was a sea lion. We never got a great look at it.) Like Bethel, the only places to eat were Chinese or odd multi-ethnic places. So we had dinner at a Greek-Seafood-Italian place. I ordered fish and chips and it was the best fish I've had in awhile.

Day two in Anchorage was a shop-til-we-drop day. And boy, did we shop! Due to the high prices in Bethel and cost of shipping, no one travels without shopping at some point. Most people plan a short layover in Anchorage on any return trip in order to fill a few suitcases or plastic bins (called totes). Alaskans can check three bags for free when traveling within the state of Alaska, so Marshall and I had 6 free bags between us. And we filled them; with the handy luggage scale we borrowed, we got each tote very close to 50 pounds.

Being our first massive shopping trip, we were overwhelmed and exhausted by the end. We also did a ton of running around, comparing prices and checking store inventory. Next time will be easier now that we know what we're doing. We bought a ton of winter clothes, tools for our garage, baking supplies and some random odds and ends like batteries and wiper blades for the car. And we shipped one item directly from the store. Anchorage stores know how to deal with bush shoppers, which was so nice. We bought a table saw that was just too big to check on the plane. The store drove it over to the Alaska Airline Cargo office for us and we paid for the shipping once it arrived. Easy peasy.

Getting it all packed and then checked in at the airport was a pain, but was so worth it. We have so much now that we wouldn't be able to buy in Bethel or would cost us three times as much. It was a successful trip. However, even though there was fast food for Marshall and Starbucks for me, we were both really happy to get back home. The traffic, stop lights, crowds, and strip malls were all a bit too much for us. I felt much more relaxed arriving home and only have one stop sign between the airport and our place.

Anchorage is pretty though! :)