Last evening was our Cruise Specialists Cocktail Party, which was very well attended - 80 out of 110 Guests enjoyed an open bar with hot and cold hors d’oeuvres. It was quite a congenial group, staying well beyond the scheduled time.
Rugged Beauty of Kodiak
We had a great day in Kodiak. The short tender ride carried us right downtown. Heavy fog followed us to shore, with a fine mist making us feel almost wet, although it never quite rained.
The Kodiak Marketplace is a large comfortable, modern indoor shopping center where you will find local artisans amid the regular stores and services such as a bakery, salon, toy store, and post office. Wandering around downtown, we also visited the beautiful and historic Russian Orthodox Church and the National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center before heading off to Near Island.
A pleasant walk across the Fred Zharoff Bridge on to the island brought us to the entrance to Northend Park. Like a scene out of Jurassic Park, the trees are old and completely covered in moss. The loop trail had many ups and downs, with great views of the surrounding waterways and some of the unexpectedly large and lavish homes lining the shore across the harbor.
Continuing down the road from the park, we found ourselves in Dog Bay at the awesome St Herman Boat Harbor. This is the home of big commercial fishing boats. We were able to walk freely among the dozens of 500' long floating docks, with fishing boats on both sides of each, all the while watching for the wonderful wildlife that is visible there. We saw five eagles, two harbor seals, and two sea otters that put on a show for us.
Returning to town, we were ready to meet our tour bus that would take us to Fort Abercrombie State Historic Park for a self-guided nature hike. We rode in a big yellow school bus to the park and then had almost three hours to wander around on our own. It is full of remnants from the time the Fort played a role in defending the Aleutians during World War II. Storage buildings, pump houses, a mess hall, automatic weapons magazines, a water tower, and 8-inch guns are among the sites that are identified. The trails are well marked, with many of them wide and paved. Once again, the foliage here is covered in hanging moss and so beautiful to look at.
Kodiak turned out to be a surprisingly fun visit. We loved its rugged beauty, abundant wildlife, and unpretentious attitude.
Bustling Anchorage
In contrast to Kodiak with a population of about 5,000 people, stands Anchorage with a population 280,000. We remember staying here years ago at the Hilton Hotel, which looks very much the same.
The city is lovely. There are flowers everywhere - in parks, hanging baskets on almost every light pole, and planters on nearly every corner of the downtown.
A comfortable shuttle bus brought us to the Egan Convention Center right in the middle of the city, making it easy to explore in any direction. There are murals everywhere, featuring scenes of nature and history. Creative sculptures of bears, totems, and historical figures, along with numerous information signs, tell a story of what now seems to be a prosperous place.
We walked everywhere on our first day. The sun came out and it was perfect for wandering. The numerous gift shops seemed to be doing a brisk business, and the many cafes, breweries, and upscale eateries were all popular with visitors.
We wandered the trail at Ship Creek, the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, the bustling Visitors Center, town hall, and several small parks.
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Day Two in Anchorage, we went in separate directions. Wendy took a group of our Cruise Specialists Guests on a fun outing out of town. We had an extensive visit at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which promotes the history, language, culture, and traditions of the diverse tribes that were the original inhabitants of Alaska. There are reproductions of their homes, videos depicting various aspects of their way of life, performances of their songs and dances, lectures, and a museum of native artifacts and art. A highlight was the beautiful totems that are placed throughout the 26-acre property. We also visited a unique cemetery, featuring spirit houses and enjoyed a nature walk at the peaceful Reflection Lake.
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Steve spent his day further roaming around Anchorage. Especially enjoying the 11-block long Delany Park, with a beautiful Rose Garden; tribute stops for Pope John Paul II, World War II, and Martin Luther King; and an old steam engine. He then walked out along a half-mile jetty to what used to be an active fish trap and now is a small boat harbor. Anchorage has over 1,500 active geocaches to be found. We barely scratched the surface but had fun trying. Between the two days of exploring, we gathered over 60 caches.
A visit to Homer Alaska is on schedule for tomorrow.
Fondly,
Wendy and Steve
See all blog posts:
Pre-Cruise, Alaska Awaits! | Our Adventure Begins! | Discovering Alaska | Seward, Dutch Harbor & Nome | Glacier Bay | Juneau & Misty Fjords | Summary
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