Whenever I visit a city for the first time, I like to check with the Visitor's Center, to pick up free information and get some advice on what to see, what to do, and what events may be happening during my visit.
The Visitor's Center in downtown Anchorage reminded me a lot of the Visitor's Center in Fairbanks. Both are log cabin structures, with sod roofs that are in need of being mowed. At Fairbanks, I read where they mow the roof and visitors get an excellent photo opportunity. I missed such an event there and here in Anchorage. The Anchorage center is in dire need of a mow, by the way.
The Anchorage Visitor's Center is right downtown at 4th and F Street, which in a sense is the 'main drag'. I noticed while at the Iditarod Headquarters yesterday, the the dog sled race has started at this very location, and I recognized landmarks from photos.
The downtown area is very clean and there are hanging pots of gorgeous flowers along the main streets. The only 'negative' about the downtown area is that it is crammed with T-Shirt shops and souvenir stores. They all seem to be selling the same merchandise.
I began my downtown walking tour by visiting the bronze statue of a 'musher' (sled dog), which commemorates the Iditarod race starting point. When I was in Fairbanks, I saw Susan Butcher, four time winner of the Iditarod.
I didn't visit all the suggested walking tour points identified in the visitor's guide, but I did enjoy the ones I chose. At the Alaska Railroad depot, there is an old engine on display which was first used to help build the Panama Canal, and then was brought up to help with building the Alaskan Railroad. Tank took my picture, boarding one of the big diesel engines.
Anchorage is located at the northern end of what today is called the Cook Inlet. Captain James Cook anchored here in 1778 and his statue was erected at 2nd and L Street to commemorate his exploration. His name certainly shows up in a lot of history books.
I tried to stop at a place called the Alaskan Bowl Company, which I noted would be along the downtown walking tour. The place was closed. So much for taking home a set of their bowls or bowl sets. It would have been better than a T-Shirt. I have been checking out prices for Alaskan Ulu knives and they vary all over the place, mostly having to do with what kind of handle it has.
The only other attraction in the downtown area that I thought would interest me was the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. It was a long walk so I decided to drive there. After circling the block several times, I reconsidered that maybe I should have walked. There are parking meters all over this town, even on residential streets close to the downtown area. The museum does not have a parking lot, so it took me a while to get parked.
But, I would say, it was well worth it. The museum is excellent. On the first floor are display galleries for "Art of the North" and "Contemporary Art of the North". I didn't care for the contemporary section, but the more traditional paintings were excellent. Oil paintings of Mount McKinley, Eskimos, bears, and much, much more.
The thing I enjoyed most about the museum was the Alaska Gallery on the second floor. Fabulous! I'm not sure where the finances come from for this museum. Bus loads of tourists come by, and I paid my $4.50 senior admission, but from the looks of the Alaska gallery, a lot of money went into producing this section of the museum. Tours get a narrator/interpreter, which I followed along for a while, but the general walk-in public gets a tour at certain hours too.
These activities filled my morning. I had a good, inexpensive breakfast by the way (food prices are great here), and for lunch I had a big seafood meal. I'll go light on this evening's meal (...maybe).
In the afternoon, I spent my time over at the Anchorage International Airport. No, I wasn't planning to take a 747 somewhere, although several took off and landed while I was in the area. My reason for going there was to visit the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. Like the comment I made earlier about the railroads, people connected with planes and flying would say that the airplane is the most significant mode of transportation throughout the state. Notice, I said throughout the state. Sure, there are roads and railroads in the major southern areas of the state, but the next time you look at a map of Alaska, just look at how large this state is, and how few roads there are in the north.
The people connected with aviation in the early days of Alaska had to be driven by some motivation, or....simply nuts. At the museum, you can look at photographs that go back to the 1920s and 1930s and later, and the 'things' that people flew hardly resemble the aircraft of today. To think that people entrusted their lives to those flying machines.
And for what? To fly people and goods throughout the state. I saw one 1920 photo where an ugly plane was delivering a cow somewhere in the north. I just can't believe the courage (or stupidity) it must have taken to embark on such a venture.
On the museum property are a number of planes, a few in good condition, but a number were the "remains" of some flying machine. There was restoration of planes going on, one inside a big hangar and another outside. But some of the wreckage on the property is beyond restoration. Flying in this country, with its weather, and the early flying machines, was a risky business.
But, planes and the technology of flying has improved over the years. Alaska has a very high, if not the highest per capita number of people with pilot's licenses and their own plances. There are multiple airports here in Anchorage and they are crowded with small planes.
Near the airport, I spent some time at Lake Hood, which is 'landing strip' for float planes (I still call them seaplanes). Around the lake are a number of hotels and apartment/condo buildings. What the heck, if cars car drive up to a motel, why can't a plane pull into a 'float-tel'? I took pictures and some sweeping video footage, trying to 'show the folks back home' a major life style up here in Alaska.
The restaurant where I had lunch at was giving away free bowling coupons, so before I called it an afternoon, I stopped in at the alley across the street from my hotel. I hiked on my first day at Denali but Sunday was the wildlife tour and yesterday I really didn't have much physical exercise, so bowling a few games seemed like a good thing to do. It was.
Tomorrow, my plan is to go south to Kenai. I hope to see some glacier fields near Portage and maybe some further south on Cook's Inlet. I'll let you know how it goes.