July 13, 2012                       Day 35/60                            Seward to Anchorage, AK

On today’s drive we retraced our route along the Seward Highway around Turnagain Arm and back to Anchorage. The mountains in Seward were “peaking” out from behind the clouds giving us gorgeous dramatic glimpses. Though it didn’t rain, the clouds were obscuring the views for most of the drive. We did stop at a beautiful meadow of purple lupines with a braided river and scraggly peaks in the background. Rick and I just had to stop for a few pictures of the mountains reflecting in Kenai Lake.

When we got to Turnagain Arm, the tide was out making for a very different scene than when we drove it previously. First of all, the clouds hid most of the mountain vistas. The tides here can change by 30 feet. Most of the Arm looked like tidal mud flats and the guide books warn about dangerous quicksand in the Arm. Imagine the surprise of the first people to navigate this by boat. Maybe they headed in on a nice full tide thinking they would find a river or beach at the other end. Then the tides change and their boat is stuck in the mud. So they jump out thinking they will give it a tug to the deeper water. Now they are in quicksand. Yikes. So glad we are driving safely around it.

I did see about 6 Dall sheep on the side of the highway in a little valley next to the road but we were traveling too fast to see them well or get a picture. Just another moment to remember. Dominic also saw a cow moose on the side of the freeway as we entered Anchorage.

We arrived in Anchorage at our previous campground at lunch time but we want to get to the Native hospital before the gift shop closes at 2. This gift shop carries items made by local indigenous people and the gift shop only keep s 20% of the purchase price. I found a couple of gifts and Dominic picked up a trinket for himself. Mom and Mike bought a mask from a Native lady who was sitting in the shop with her items. Currently, the shop allows them to sell their own items from this table and keep 100% of the purchase. She said her 88 year old mother made the mask from caribou hide and assorted furs.

Off to a late lunch at the Falafel King. As I mentioned earlier, this is a Middle Eastern restaurant run by a couple from Mike’s home town. Ok, restaurant is too big a term. It is a kitchen with a counter and maybe seating for 8 inside. There were already 4 people when we got there. Immediately, Mike and Aviva start speaking Hebrew so I miss some of what is happening. It turns out that the other customers are also from Haifa. The cook/owner is all by herself and she handles the kitchen with authority. She is going to make it her way and fresh and you can just wait. We ordered falafel plate for Rick and the boys and I split a grilled chicken plate (diced breast of chicken with cabbage, onions, and tomatoes all grilled with turmeric and other secrets) and schnitzel (pounded and breaded chicken breast boiled in oil) and a side of home cut fresh fries. It was all delicious and the boys were both good about trying new items. The pita bread was freshly made and fluffy too. The portions were huge.  It is an awesome place to eat and I highly recommend it. Tell her Mike from Haifa sent you.

After lunch we headed over to the Base Exchange and commissary. The boys and I found great shoe/boot bargains. Rick and Mike got haircuts. We got some groceries. It was mostly mundane stuff. Once we were back at the trailer, no one was hungry. I put off dinner until 8 PM and we just ate leftovers and pasta. We all stayed up too late. It was after 11 when we got the lights out.

July 14, 2012                       Day 36/60                            Anchorage, AK

Our plan today was to go to an outdoor market that is somewhat like our own Art and Wine Festival. The Milepost says it has over 300 booths and 30 of them are food stalls. I am still searching for native Alaskan gifts for loved ones so I was really looking forward to this market.

First, we took care of some phone calls lining up our next cat sitter. Cousin Karen from Cleveland and her husband Dave (no alliteration) must head back for Karen’s son’s birthday. While calling Karen to check that she had indeed heard from our next sitter, we got some bad news about Rick’s car. They had our permission to use it while in Millbrae and had taken it to the Winchester House in San Jose. On their return, someone ran a light and hit them. . I should start by telling you that everyone is ok and that really is the important thing. There is a police report but no one was given a summons/ticket as there were no independent witnesses. We are waiting for an email from Karen and Dave so that we can contact our insurance company before we leave Anchorage. I am so glad everyone is ok but this is really a negative intrusion into our vacation. Don’t you hate how life does that to you sometimes?

Nothing to be done until we get the email so off we go to the market. There are many stalls but a lot of the stuff is just like you would find at the Art and Wine Festival and not specific to Alaska. However, there were some stalls with nice Alaska items. I was glad to see that I got a better price and quality on the items I bought at the hospital. Rick found some knives for himself and the boys. My mom found a beautiful glass plate. All I got was some shelf-stable smoked salmon for my dad and his wife. Nothing spoke to me. Nothing was just right. Sure there were things my loved ones might like, but they didn’t say ALASKA. Not literally because there were plenty of things that said, “ALASKA.” There were mugs, t-shirts, and souvenirs of all types. But they weren’t what I wanted for my loved ones. You can all thank me later for not getting your child the carved wooden frog that croaks realistically when a wooden stick is rubbed on its back. Sure it is cool the first 50 times. After that, kind of annoying.

Time for lunch: The boys had cinnamon buns (not world famous, not as big as their heads, but pretty good). Rick had a buffalo brat and I had a reindeer dog with grilled onions. For dessert, I had Alaskan fry bread. In case you aren’t aware, my mom’s second husband was a professor of Native American Studies at Cal State Fullerton. I spent part of my childhood going to various Native American gatherings. I developed a fondness for Navajo Fry Bread. Who wouldn’t love dough flattened like an individual pizza and fried in hot oil before being covered in powdered sugar? Of course, you can have savory fry bread too. It makes good tacos. As I mentioned earlier, the Navajo people are related to native Alaskans and the fry bread was just like I remembered it. I let the boys have generous bites too.

The market was close to the Ship Creek Salmon Viewing area so we gave it a try. Someone forgot to tell the salmon as it was devoid of fish again. Nothing new at the Ulu factory either. Mike and Rick found a tangle of fish line and hooks which they cut the hooks out of, so it was not for nothing.

Back at the trailer, Rick found a few fishing spots to try so he and Mike took the boys for another try. I stayed behind to do laundry and make beds, which is not easy in the trailer. I also got to read, relax, and even nap a little.

The guys didn’t catch any fish. They all ate more salmon for dinner.  And it rained. I am trying to remember the last time we had a day without at least a little rain. Can’t.

July 15, 2012                       Day 37                   Anchorage, AK

Today it rained….again. The area outside the trailer was starting to look like a small lake. The water sandals I had put outside safely tucked under the trailer to dry were nearly underwater. It was a good day for indoor activities.

We went back to the Anchorage Museum to see the floors we didn’t get to last week. Again, it was nice to get in free using the reciprocal agreement program with Coyote Point. On the second floor, there were wonderful native artifacts including clothing, weapons, tools, etc. There were video panels showing the oral histories of the various native groups. I could have sat there all day listening to the people tell the stories told to them by their elders, their memories, their hopes for the future….

The third floor had some very strange art that none of us are sophisticated enough to understand. There was a video loop of snow falling on a palm tree and corner of a building in Rome. There was a video loop of someone obscured by darkness of winter opening and closing the lid of a dumpster. It made an eerie creaky sound. There were examples of modern and print media too. We didn’t see anything that made us say, “Now that is art.”

On the fourth floor, we saw gorgeous black and white photos of the Alaskan mountains taken over the years by _________Washburn. He was a pioneer in the exploration of Alaska and worked in many mountainous areas of the United States to preserve the wonders of our country. His wife Barbara was the first woman to summit Mt. McKinley with his support.  He used to take his photos while hanging out of a small airplane. His images were dramatic and balanced.

We had to spend a little time back in the Imaginarium area but this time there were a lot more families with small children and it was hard to get time at the various stations. I enjoyed watching Rick teach the other parents and kids a technique for making big bubbles. The kids oohed and aahed. We heard later from Mike that they had a python out in the other room but we missed it.

After a quick lunch, the DiMaios headed off to the water park once again. Again no waivers. Rick and I joined the boys in the water this time. After a float around the lazy river, Rick and I lined up for the orange slide. While waiting we watched people’s techniques so as to plan our approach for maximum speed and enjoyment. The girl in front of Rick sat up and that seemed to slow her to a crawl at times. It was certainly better to lie down. It seemed better to fully launch yourself from the start. Rick went first and while he slowed at some of the sections, he had a good ride. I was up next. With my bad wrist, I was not able to launch myself down the slide. As a result, I slowed to a near stop at some sections of the slide. I was forced to sit up so I could use my hand to push myself to the next section. Oh the embarrassment.

The boys were certain they didn’t want to go down the Master Blaster (MB) slide this time. Rick really wanted to go and two people are required for the slide. Although I was worried about hurting my wrist, I, too, wanted to try the slide at least once. We stood on-line to get a two-person tube and climbed up the stairs. A few words about the 50 stairs – they are tall steps, each rise was much higher than the average step in any home; they are steep, far steeper than any steps, anywhere; and there are 50 of them. I had just gone up them in order to “enjoy” the orange slide. I was a little out of breath and my knee was clicking when I reached the top, very glad indeed that Rick had carried the tube.

There was no line for the MB. Rick placed our tube in the water behind the guardrail. The boys had warned us to keep our butts up in the tube to avoid slamming them into the slide when we landed after the jumps. Easier said than done when I realized that I would be in front with Rick’s muscular legs thrown over my shoulders pushing me down into the tube. My plan to hold on mostly with my good left hand also went out the window on the first downhill section. In order to keep my butt up in the tube and not fly off the tube, I was forced to hold on with both hands. After the first steep downhill, a blast of water propelled us over another rise and we flew down another hill into darkness and curves in an enclosed section. There may have been one more jump and then the final jump out the bottom of the tube. It was exhilarating! We loved it. Sadly, I couldn’t risk hurting my wrist, so I had to be satisfied with the one trip on the slide.  Too bad for Rick as it is a two-person slide and neither boy seemed to want to go. It is not like he could go with a stranger, not with the whole “legs over the shoulders” thing. At least at ski resorts, there is a system for handling “singles.” Here, no such luck.

I spent the rest of the time floating around the lazy river with only one side trip to the wave pool (so-so) and the hot tub (HOT). Along the lazy river, there are a few waterfalls that blast water directly down on those floating by. These are not gentle waterfalls. They pound you with water. They were fun a few times, but you want to know they are coming and prepare for the onslaught of water. Except for these waterfalls and the numerous kids enjoying the water park, I could have floated head first on my back around the lazy river all day. I liked the quiet swishing sound of the water and the patterns of the roof as I floated by underneath (except for the extra-large fan, that made me dizzy). I had to settle for using a large inner tube. I sat on top for a while but that got too cold. I got in the middle of the tube and threw my upper body over the tube. This worked for a bit until my shoulders ached from the angle. The key was to change it up from time to time.

As with last time, Luca seemed happy to go down the orange slide and around the lazy river. When we told Dominic that we would be getting in the water this time, he said, “No offense, but I can’t be seen hanging around with my parents.” I get it. He’s a teen. Therefore, I was very happy he decided to try the Master Blaster with Rick. He liked it enough to go many more times with Rick. Everyone was happy.

We didn’t last 4 hours this time, only 3. It was still worth it. We ate dinner at the Falafel King again. Mike had phoned in the order and got there a few minutes ahead of us to reserve the tables. It is not a big place. Aviva and Mike chatted with the lady in Hebrew. Her son came in to help cook. His wife had a baby last night so I was amazed he was there. Such is the way in family businesses. The owner told personal stories in Hebrew which Mike and Aviva later translated. I was glad to get the abridged version. They were very personal, too much information stories.

From here, we said good-bye to Aviva. She was headed to the airport for her flight to Dallas and on to Miami. She would not arrive until 11:30 AM or something.

We got groceries. We had to go to two stores just to find nonfat milk. The local Safeway didn’t have any nonfat milk. I expect this in little towns with little stores far from the main hubs of commerce. This was a big store in Anchorage. We also picked up a chocolate birthday cake for Luca who will be 11 tomorrow.