Adventures in the Anchorage Area:

The drive to the Bird Ridge Motel in Bird Creek (south of Anchorage) was fairly quick and uneventful. There's only one highway out of Anchorage that leads to the Kenai Peninsula, and it's a very scenic drive. After the experience Dee had in SLC, and the long flight to Anchorage, as well as the long drive I had from Fairbanks, we both agreed that we needed to spend the evening resting up. The plan was to watch some TV, have a few drinks (I made sure to pack a few bottles of wine), and catch up with each other.

The scenery as you drive the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm is absolutely breathtaking. That stretch of highway is awe-inspiring no matter what the weather. Huge mountains seem to melt right into the water - a solid wall of rock in some places, and snow-capped granite in others. You have to keep alert though. It's only one lane each way, and traffic moves quickly. There are several turn-outs for slower moving traffic to utilize, so that they don't hold up anyone else. There are also several scenic pull outs where you can stop and watch the tide come in, or enjoy the antics of kite-surfers. And, if you're lucky, you might even see some Beluga whales from one of the vantage points. (I've never had that luck)

We found the motel without any problems, and I was glad I warned Dee that it wasn't going to be anything special. Since I had to alter our plans at the last minute, I found that the hotels in Anchorage were either booked solid, or totally out of our price range. We're both 'simple gals'. All we need is a safe, clean, roof over our head with a private bathroom. (Yes, you have to make sure you ask about this when you book a room in some parts of AK) The activities I had planned for us meant that our hotel room was only going to be for sleeping. You can't see luxury with your eyes closed. *grin*

Dee and me after a long day of travel.

The motel was definitely 'older'. And it wasn't a place where you'd find the newspaper outside your door in the morning. Forget the coffee pot too. But it did have a microwave (although no refrigerator). There was a TV. But no cable (which meant no signal). But there was a VCR. And I know that most of you travel with VHS tapes in your luggage. I'm writing this with a smile on my face, because honestly - if it wasn't for these motel 'shortcomings', we would have stuck to our plan to chill out that evening and missed out on some awesome sights.

With nothing to keep us entertained in the room, we decided to take a drive down to Girdwood to check out the Alyeska Prince Resort. In the wintertime, this is a premier ski resort, but there's a lot to do in the summertime in this area too. Dee and I decided to take the Alyeska Tram up to the the observation deck at the 2,300 foot level of Mt. Alyeska. The views from the tram were absolutely stunning. Riding on the tram with us were a couple of men wearing huge backpacks. We later learned that these backpacks were in fact Paraglides (or Parasails), and these men planned to jump off the mountain and into the wind circulating above Turnagain Arm.

Ready for take off	Floating over Girdwood	Just after getting airborne
View of Turnagain Arm from Mt Alyeska	View from Mt Alyeska - Alyeska Prince Resort at left (small!)

We watched the parasailers for about an hour before deciding to have a drink in the Seven Glaciers Restaurant - also at the top of the mountain. The views were fantastic and we found ourselves relaxing after our long day, and talked about the plans I made for the rest of our trip. On our way down in the tram, we spied a black bear cub under the chair lift. Later, a second black bear crossed the road in front of my car. It was a first for both of us, and we were thrilled to be starting our adventure with such an awesome wildlife sighting.

We made our way back to the hotel, and busied ourselves playing Gin Rummy for about an hour before growing tired enough to sleep. I thought that Dee might have a problem sleeping with the long hours of daylight, but I think we were both fast asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

The next morning, we were both awake before 5am. While this isn't too abnormal for me, I was surprised that Dee was up so early. We both assumed that her body clock was still on Central Time. I had made plans a few days earlier, for us to meet up with some of my Anchorage friends for breakfast. We planned to meet at Sourdough Mining Company at 11am, so that left us a few hours to fill.

We left the motel around 7am and made our way to Girdwood again, in search of coffee. The motel cafe didn't open until 10am, and I really needed a caffeine boost. Fortunately, we found an open coffee stand on a corner and I was able to get a large mocha latte which really hit the spot. Nothing else was open in Girdwood, so I decided to go a little further down the Seward Highway to Portage Glacier. On the way you pass what is left of the community of Portage.

The lively little community of Portage was destroyed by the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, which was centered around 50 miles from Portage Valley. The quake lasted 2 minutes and 56 seconds, and was immediately followed by 10 massive aftershocks and 53 other earthquakes. (The towns of Whittier, Valdez, and Chenega, as well as Hope and Anchorage, were also devastated by the quake.) Portage's 71 local residents endured 100-foot high mud and water spouts, and watched as the land slumped down 8 feet. A month after the quake, Turnagain Arm's incoming tides dealt the final blow by rushing into the now-lowlands, burying buildings with silt, and what was left of Portage was completely abandoned.

Portage Lake	What a place to pitch a tent!
Old cabin where Portage used to be Honeymooning in style. :-) Me and Dee at Bird Point
Bird Point	Me and Dee with my Anchorage friends

After a hearty 'all you can eat' breakfast buffet, we said goodbye to my friends and made our way to Seward, and the next leg of our journey. The sun was shining brightly, we were well rested (and fed), and the scenery was awesome.

Onward to Seward ==>