Part III - Anchorage - June 6

  This morning we are awake at 3:00 AM, just in time to catch the World Cup game between France and Uruguay. After the game we walk around the comer and up the street to Blondie's for breakfast. This apparently local joint is right at the starting point for the famous Iditarod dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome.  The walls are decorated with pictures and posters of dogs, mushers, and sleds.  There is a dog sled in a prominent position.  We have a nice, simple breakfast.  Mom has eggs, toast, and homefries, Irene pancakes with eggs and bcon, and I have scrambled eggs, reindeer sausage, and toast.  The bill, with tip, comes to over $30.00, and we’ve cut the price in half by not eating in the hotel.  At 7:00 AM none of the shops are open, but we wander the streets for a while before returning to our room for morning ablutions.

Afterwards we head out for the day's excursion. We go to several gift shops looking for cards and a fleece for Mom. I buy a telephoto lens for my digital camera. Then we head for the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. This delightful  museum, only a few blocks from the hotel district contains wonderful collections of Alaskan paintings on the first floor.  A number of artists have taken on the majesty of Mt. McKinley and some have succeeded. There are paintings of native people paddling, harpooning, and some interesting  pictures from the days of salmon canneries. A few fine lithographs of native people from the eighteen hundred are hung.

Upstairs we take a tour of the historical section led by docent Peg Stout, a lively and interesting woman who appears to be in her seventies. This collection contains archeological artifacts from the native cultures as well as dioramas illustrating the lives of Alaskan peoples through the ages. A very interesting photo display honors Alaska pioneers, people who arrived in Alaska before 1920. The history of non-native people in Alaska is short, but interesting. We leam some about Athabaskan, Tlinkit, Inuit, and Aleut cultures. There are a number of kayaks in various stages of completion. Displays of both work and ceremonial clothing are impressive. There are wonderful, elaborate woven baskets. We spend a good couple of hours at this very fine museum.  The museum prepares us to understand better what we will see in the next ten days.

As we emerge, we discover more rain. We stop at J.C. Penney looking for a fleece and Irene buys some socks. I return to the camera shop and buy a bigger memory chip for my Nikon digital camera. We take the afternoon to repack and rest up for our big day on the train tomorrow.