Sat. June 27
P.S. - Did I mention what an AWESOME tour guide our nephew Chuck is . . . AWESOME!
Temp: 62 degrees
Wildlife Sightings: Moose, Raven
Wow, what a gorgeous morning here in Alaska! The sun is shining really bright and the sky is brilliant blue. We’ve been so fortunate with great weather everyday since we arrived. This morning Chuck takes us out to Chugiak to visit some good family friends, Rick & Jane, while the Orr girls head to the salon for some pre-wedding pampering. Rick will be performing Vic & Joy’s wedding ceremony on Sunday. They have a neat little place out in the mountains that they share with several beautiful dogs. Casper is their Siberian Husky and then there is Jazzy, Snapper & Gemini their Australian Shepherds. Alaskans love their dogs and there are several to every household.
On the way out to Chugiak we stopped at St. Innocent Russian Orthodox Church and St. John Orthodox Church. There are not many historic buildings left from the time when Russia reigned in Alaska. Russian Orthodox Churches are a visible sign of Alaska's Russian past and they are everywhere.
Chuck was giving us a full sightseeing tour today, so after Rick & Jane’s we head up to Hilltop Ski area. Everything is so lush and green and there are Spruce trees and colorful wildflowers everywhere. The panoramic views of Anchorage from this elevation are awesome. Next we go into Chugach State Park where Flattop Mountain is located. We couldn’t believe all the people – it was a perfect day to come here. This is Alaska’s most visited peak. There is a 1.5 mile, 1,350 vertical foot trail to the summit. We didn’t do the climb, but did walk to several lookout points. The scenery left me speechless. I just couldn’t even believe it was real. They tell us that the scenery gets even more spectacular as you head south down the Turnagain Arm to Seward. We’ll find out for ourselves on Monday.
Santos and I wanted to bike the Tony Knowles Coastal trail in the late afternoon, so Chuck drove us downtown to the Bicycle shop to pick up our bikes and map. The weather was looking a bit iffy, but its always like that here in Alaska. One minute its warm and the sun is shining, then the wind picks up and it gets real cold. I’m constantly putting clothes on and then taking them off! This is why you wear lots of layers in Alaska. So, even though there were dark clouds looming in the distance, we decide to go ahead and start biking to Earthquake Park, about 5 miles from the trailhead. The ride out is gorgeous as the paved trail hugs the coast and goes thru tunnels and woods. I can see the dark clouds catching up with us from behind and sure enough, as soon as we get to Earthquake Park it starts pouring rain . . . this is not good. We try to hide under a canopy of trees in the woods, but the mosquitoes are fierce and Santos is getting bit like crazy. So, we decide to do what everyone else on the trail is doing . . . ride in the rain! By the time we get back to the bike shop we are both soaking wet. Chuck arrives to pick us up with big warm bath towels.
Now onto the most exciting part of the day . . . As we’re heading to dinner at Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant (a Anchorage Institution), Chuck spots a moose coming down an embankment on the side of the road. He quickly pulls over the car and we roll down the windows to watch. I’m so excited that I can barely get my camera turned on! It was an awesome sight and I couldn’t believe how close we were to it. The moose moved very slowly eating on some grass and then on some trees. She looked me right in the eyes and then gracefully went upon her business. We respectfully pulled away to let her finish dinner. This was absolutely surreal and just what we hoped to encounter here in the wildness of Alaska.
On the way out to Chugiak we stopped at St. Innocent Russian Orthodox Church and St. John Orthodox Church. There are not many historic buildings left from the time when Russia reigned in Alaska. Russian Orthodox Churches are a visible sign of Alaska's Russian past and they are everywhere.
Chuck was giving us a full sightseeing tour today, so after Rick & Jane’s we head up to Hilltop Ski area. Everything is so lush and green and there are Spruce trees and colorful wildflowers everywhere. The panoramic views of Anchorage from this elevation are awesome. Next we go into Chugach State Park where Flattop Mountain is located. We couldn’t believe all the people – it was a perfect day to come here. This is Alaska’s most visited peak. There is a 1.5 mile, 1,350 vertical foot trail to the summit. We didn’t do the climb, but did walk to several lookout points. The scenery left me speechless. I just couldn’t even believe it was real. They tell us that the scenery gets even more spectacular as you head south down the Turnagain Arm to Seward. We’ll find out for ourselves on Monday.
Santos and I wanted to bike the Tony Knowles Coastal trail in the late afternoon, so Chuck drove us downtown to the Bicycle shop to pick up our bikes and map. The weather was looking a bit iffy, but its always like that here in Alaska. One minute its warm and the sun is shining, then the wind picks up and it gets real cold. I’m constantly putting clothes on and then taking them off! This is why you wear lots of layers in Alaska. So, even though there were dark clouds looming in the distance, we decide to go ahead and start biking to Earthquake Park, about 5 miles from the trailhead. The ride out is gorgeous as the paved trail hugs the coast and goes thru tunnels and woods. I can see the dark clouds catching up with us from behind and sure enough, as soon as we get to Earthquake Park it starts pouring rain . . . this is not good. We try to hide under a canopy of trees in the woods, but the mosquitoes are fierce and Santos is getting bit like crazy. So, we decide to do what everyone else on the trail is doing . . . ride in the rain! By the time we get back to the bike shop we are both soaking wet. Chuck arrives to pick us up with big warm bath towels.
Now onto the most exciting part of the day . . . As we’re heading to dinner at Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant (a Anchorage Institution), Chuck spots a moose coming down an embankment on the side of the road. He quickly pulls over the car and we roll down the windows to watch. I’m so excited that I can barely get my camera turned on! It was an awesome sight and I couldn’t believe how close we were to it. The moose moved very slowly eating on some grass and then on some trees. She looked me right in the eyes and then gracefully went upon her business. We respectfully pulled away to let her finish dinner. This was absolutely surreal and just what we hoped to encounter here in the wildness of Alaska.
Tomorrow is Wedding Day . . .
P.S. - Did I mention what an AWESOME tour guide our nephew Chuck is . . . AWESOME!
Temp: 62 degrees
Wildlife Sightings: Moose, Raven
Hey there, sounds like your having a god time....G says hi and she misses you guys...
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to you let you know that I look forward to reading your days journey.. keep 'em coming. Sounds wonderful.. enjoying the pictures too!
ReplyDeleteCheri