Aviation Overload...

We made it to Anchorage, after an overnight in a rest area, our first in Alaska. Not too bad. We'll do more on the way home, for sure.



After our extra stops, the rest of the group is ahead of us. We found out they stayed in the Cabella's parking lot, so we decided to do the same. It was fairly level and amazingly quiet at night. Well, until this guy showed up. It's 10:00 PM in this picture. Not only is the generator on, but it's a little smokey. Luckily it did not last long and the wind was in our favor. 

Craig could have stayed for hours.

It's only for one night, since we just wanted to hit some of the highlights in Anchorage. Of course, those always have to do with aviation. So we were off to The Lake Hood Seaplane Base. We had the best of two worlds, lake views and airplanes. We drove around the lake and it was literally ringed with airplanes. They have about 200 operations (take offs and landings) per day. That is a lot for any small airport. 

We stopped into their Alaska Air Museum to see what was special about Alaska aviation. They had extensive histories for the airlines, from the first plane to fly in Anchorage to deregulation, and now. Alaska Airlines has a long history of firsts, like being the first to use a B-727 on a gravel strip. I bet that was interesting. They have been opening doors for decades.




This is for my flight attendant daughter-in-law. I love the stuff about the planes, but reading about the others involved is so interesting. There was a display about the flight attendants or "Stewardesses" of Wein Air Alaska. If she worked for Wein, she would have one of these beauties to help deal with the cold. It's a coat made of possum and individually tailored for each flight attendant. The placard also reads "Possums are not native to Alaska, go figure." 

She also might have had a copy of the book on the left, what you need to know to have a career as an airline stewardess. Riveting, I'm sure.

Next were off to Point Woronzof Park near the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The park is at the end of a runway used by the heavy aircraft for takeoff over the water. You can stand on a hill and watch the rush take off. It's loud, a little smelly and awesome. We stayed to watch them all take off. Craig had been there before and remembers when it was legal for aircraft to take off over weight. When they left the runway and passed over the hill, the aircraft actually sank toward the ocean for a short time before they pulled up. We didn't see anything like that. Dang it!

The next day we had an amazing breakfast on the recommendation of two men from our neighborhood. The Snow City Cafe is one of those places that's loved by tourists and locals alike. And luckily we made reservations. That's right, reservations for a cafe at 8:00 in the morning. So worth it. 

Alaskan High Kick

With full tummies, we headed over to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. It represents the 11 major cultural groups in Alaska. They have exhibits, presentations and 6 authentic Native dwellings grouped around a small lake. There are interns from local high schools that are on hand to answer questions. They also participate in demonstrations of Native games and dances. We both really enjoyed it, and I got involved. I think it looks less like I am dancing and more like I have a bad back.











That was a full 24 hours, and we need to head to Valdez for a three day vacation and to see our Alaska 2016 cohorts.

On the road again...