It was raining when I got up at
7:30 and stumbled over to the Lodge for a shower...and the Lodge was still
closed! I watched with binoculars from our cabin and dashed over as soon as the
"Open" sign appeared. Bob and I shared another veggie omelet and then
checked out from this unique, but very pleasant, lodging. As we drove out we
passed some biking event as bikers were bravely pedaling up the 2500' to the
pass in the cold rain. Those Alaskans!!
We returned to Palmer and took
the old Glenn Highway through some lovely countryside before rejoining the main
freeway into Anchorage. We drove around the downtown: several blocks of 5-10 story glass and steel
buildings, hanging baskets of flowers on every lamp post, and bright flower
beds in the park. We had a little time, so we drove to the Alaska Botanic
Garden that sits within the huge wilderness park just on the edge of town. We
got in free with our Santa Barbara Botanic Garden memberships and were told
that a moose had just been seen nearby and to be aware of bears! Something the SBBG does not have to do!!
We walked through beautiful
gardens scattered though the woods and saw more evidence of the effect of the
very long summer days (and rain) on flowers, veggies and herbs. Everything was
very lush and large!
We returned to the airport, left
our car, checked in, and went to Alaska Airlines "Board Room" to
relax with delicious curry chicken soup and our last Alaskan Amber Ales! At
3:15 we walked downstairs and boarded our jet in our mileage-earned First Class
seats. The flight to Seattle took three hours and we had a really terrific meal
of roast chicken, polenta and sauteed chard - Alaska has the best airline food!
Also the most liberal drink policy. Our stew kept refilling my G'n'T and Bob's
wine glass until we told her to please, stop!!
The sky cleared over British
Columbia and Bob got great views of snow-capped mountains and hundreds of
islands, inlets and bays that make up that area. We landed, visited the Seattle
Board Room, got on our next flight to LAX and landed at midnight. We picked up
a car from Alamo, got home, and to bed at 3 AM.
We've retrieved Miss Maddie, who
came howling over to me at the Cat House Hotel, and who has been howling ever
since!
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| Miss Maddie inspects her Bear Bell |
Our two-week vacation was a great
introduction to an amazing place - a scenic, wild country that seems like a
foreign land to the lower 48. We'll have to go back in June when it's full of
singing birds, or else in the long night of winter to see what that's like!!
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