State Number 25 – Anchorage Mayor’s
Marathon,
Anchorage, AK
18 June 2016
In 1960, rockabilly singer Johnny Horton sang about
miners rushing “North to Alaska” in hopes of striking it rich after the discovery
of gold. However; my wife and I rushed
north to Alaska for another purpose, the 43rd running of the Mayor’s
Marathon in Anchorage.
Four things are certain about belonging to the 50-States
Marathon Club – death, taxes and completing marathons in the 49th and
50th states. Although Alaska
may exhibit some of the most beautiful scenery in North America with its dense
sub-arctic rain forests, expansive tundra, glaciers and wildlife, visiting the “Last
Frontier” during the summer months can undeniably have a financial impact on
one’s pocket book – chiefly rental cars and hotels.
What exactly was the motive behind completing Alaska so
soon in our 50-state quest? Ironically, in October 2015, as my wife and I were
about to catch a flight from LAX to Baltimore (BWI) to run Monster Mash
(Delaware) and Atlantic City (New Jersey) Marathons, a major thunderstorm swept
across the Tehachapi Mountains closing Interstate 5 requiring us to use State
Highway 58 as a detour. Unbeknownst to
us, that same storm swept across Highway 58 causing substantial runoff and
debris flows out of the steep canyon walls, trapping us and many other
motorists as we descended into the Mojave Desert. The lahar type flows left everyone stranded
for several hours causing us to miss our flight. So, there we sat, with nothing to do but
cancel our reservations and wait for Caltrans to be dispatched to the area for
the massive clean-up. Alaska Airlines
graciously credited that airfare to another destination within the next twelve
months only paying the differential fare to a new destination, if any.
Despite the fact Alaska wasn’t on our marathon radar
anytime soon, we decided to apply our credit for our flight to Anchorage.
Our northern expedition to Alaska began on 15 June around
1830 hours with a drive to LAX to catch a non-stop red-eye Alaska Airlines
flight to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC).
Getting to LAX’s Lot C and to Terminal 6 took longer than
usual. The entrance off Westchester
Parkway was barricaded so we had to find alternate entrance. We found our usual shuttle stop, only from a
different angle. The shuttle bus arrived
about ten minutes later, but in the meantime, I enjoyed watching the landing
aircraft fly a couple hundred feet directly over us.
After we boarded the shuttle bus and made the rounds
through the lot, we were finally on our way to the terminal. Traveling was really slow and Terminal 6 was on
the opposite side of the airport. The
trip from Lot C to the terminal area typically takes ten to fifteen minutes,
but this time it took over an hour. We
were sure glad we left home a bit early, or else we would have likely been late
or even missed our flight.
As I printed our boarding passes earlier in the morning,
I noticed we were given TSA Pre-check. Considering
our off-airport tribulations, it was a treat to breeze through security in just
a few minutes.
Flight AS175 departed LAX around 2355 hours and after
2,355 miles, 4 h 55 m later, we landed at ANC’s Runway 7R approaching over
Turnagain Arm with a right turn base leg over Fire Island in the Cook Inlet.
Sleeping on an aircraft is difficult enough for me due to
noise, the upright posture and the major lack of comfort. Even though we were assigned an exit row seat
by happenstance through the gate agent at LAX, the added leg room was not
enough for me to stretch out and doze.
The early summer sun had already risen over the
northeastern horizon by the time we debarked from the 737-900 aircraft around 0430
AKDT. The airport’s Avis rental car
counter opened at 0530, so, in order to kill some time, we took a much deserved
nap on an airport bench seat. Each of
the bench seats in the terminal area lacked arm rests, so it was easy to spread
out in relative comfort and our traveling neck pillow served as a make-shift throw
cushion. We weren’t the only ones catching
a few Zs, I noticed many passengers sleeping away on the bench seats likely
those who decided not to spend the night in a hotel room before catching their
early morning flight.
We, at least I, napped on and off for over an hour and
before we knew it, it was after 0530 (every half hour, an announcement came
over the PA system informing us of the time of day). We gathered up our luggage and scampered
through the airport passing by numerous displays of Alaska’s indigenous animals
on our way to the Avis counter. To our
surprise, the pricey rental car was a petite little Chevy Spark. Oh well, what can one do? The summer solstice was only a few days away and
with tourists infiltrating the area, the laws of supply and demand take
precedence.
The Spark’s small hatchback trunk had enough room for only
one carry-on bag and a backpack with room for a few odds and ends. Our other carry-on had to be stowed in the
back seat.
It seems to me this mini-car is fitting for the younger
generation due to its compactness, gas mileage, and maneuverability in urban
settings. The car was equipped with a
Bluetooth connection, OnStar, Sirius XM Radio and Apple CarPlay – which I discovered
when I went to charge my iPhone using the on-board USB port. The large dashboard screen mirrored my phone
screen and I did find it rather challenging to load the radio’s home screen so
I could change radio stations. I’m an
old-school baby boomer and I find all these urbane electronic gadgets and
gizmos unproductive.
After we were “comfortably” seated in our mini-car, we
exited the airport grounds and drove to the nearest Super Walmart off Benson
Boulevard to pick up a few supplies we weren’t able to bring with us on the
plane – Coke Zero, water, bananas, and an aerosol spray can containing N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide
to aid in mosquito abatement, a necessary staple for Alaska’s outdoors.
The time may have been around 0620, but, to me, it felt
like it was late morning/early afternoon due in part to the sun being at such a
high angle at that hour of day messing with our internal clocks and being awake
practically throughout the night – and we still had a full day ahead of us.
The weather for Thursday and Friday was forecast to be
sunny and clear, no wind with temperatures in the upper 70s to the low 80s
(near record temperatures) in the Anchorage metro area. The forecast for Saturday (marathon day)
called for advancing clouds ahead of a cold front coming off the Bearing Sea with
temperatures in the low 60s – perfect running weather for me. However, the prognosis for Sunday and Monday
were not so pleasant and called for cloudy skies and cooler temperatures with periods
of rain showers.
To take full advantage of the beautiful weather, we moved
Friday’s excursion to Thursday and vice versa.
Saturday was marathon day, so not much activity took place post-marathon. Sunday and Monday took us down the Kenai Peninsula
to the City of Seward, the Exit Glacier and a bay cruise.
It was still too early to check into our hotel, so we left
Anchorage on southbound Highway 1 (Seward Highway) along the scenic Turnagain
Arm of the Cook Inlet. The winter snowcaps
of the Chugach Range from the Seward Highway were still visible and plentiful enough
to provide a picturesque setting. The clear
dark blue hues of the sky and breathable air, by the way, enhanced the beauty
of the mountains along the Turnagain Arm as if we were looking at a high
definition photograph. Numerous
waterfalls cascaded off the sheer cliffs throughout the area.
While driving along the highway, I noticed the receding
tide causing very turbulent water with numerous vortices and eddies. I was hoping when we returned back to
Anchorage, I would witness one of the Alaska’s famous bore tide phenomenon in
Turnagain Arm, but it didn’t seem like enough time would elapse on this
excursion to see the return of the tide.
What exactly is a bore tide and what’s so special about
the Turnagain Arm bore tide? A bore tide,
essentially a hydraulic jump, is a rush of seawater that returns to a shallow
narrowing inlet from a broad bay and comes in after extreme minus low tides
created by the full or new moon. These
tides occur all over the world, but only a few are large enough to attract an
audience such as Alaska’s – one of the biggest in the world and it takes about
a 27-foot tidal differential for a bore tide to form.
Over the course of thousands of years, glacial flour from
all the glacial fed tributaries pouring into Turnagain Arm created the extensive
mudflats and shallow water depths. The
mudflats create perilous hazards for anyone venturing out during times of lower
tides. The soft viscous material makes
it very difficult to traverse and escape if needed. Signs are visible along the Seward Highway
warning people to stay out.
After driving 60 miles on the Seward Highway, we arrived
at the junction to Portage Glacier Road and Whittier around 0730. It was a rare day near the Kenai Peninsula
with crystal clear skies, no wind and temperatures hovering around 70°.
The community of Portage once prospered in this
area. The Good Friday Earthquake of 27
March 1964 was powerful enough to cause the land to “sink” below sea level causing
the water of Turnagain Arm to rush in to fill the resultant void, thus wiping
out the community. I couldn’t help
notice a ghost forest of dead spruce trees dispersed in the flats that died as
a result of salt water intrusion. The
community never returned and the ghost forest is an everlasting reminder of
what once was.
It was too early to secure our vouchers for the Portage
Glacier Tour. The tour’s ticket office is
located in the Portage Glacier Café which opened at 1000. This left us enough time to visit Whittier
and pass through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the longest combined
vehicle-railroad tunnel in North America.
The tunnel is a one-lane roadway shared with the Alaska
Railroad trains. To enhance vehicle and
tunnel safety, vehicles wait at staging areas outside the portals in order of
vehicle class and size. Two-axle vehicles
are required to pay a $13 toll (round trip) before entering the staging area. Computer controlled releases were every half
hour or so in alternate directions. The
next release of vehicles was scheduled at 0830, which allowed enough time to
appreciate the scenery and snap a few pictures.
As soon as we stepped out of the car, it seemed like the mosquitos were
waiting to attack. They were a constant
nuisance, even though we sprayed ourselves with DEET.
The maximum speed through the 2.5-mile long tunnel is set
at 25 mph and it took about six minutes to drive through it. I was captivated by the tunnel construction which
was built in the early 1940s by the U.S. Army since Whittier was home to a
strategic Army military harbor and logistics base during WWII. The railroad tracks were set in the middle of
the one-way traffic lane. Driving on the
railroad tracks was strongly discouraged as they may cause a vehicle to lose
traction. Motorcyclists must heed extra
caution when riding through the tunnel for obvious reasons.
Remnants of the base are still in existence, such as the
14-story Begich Towers Condominium building which currently houses most of the
permanent residents of Whittier.
Whittier, aka the “city under one roof”, is a small municipality
of around 215 residents. Besides the
small boat harbor and the cruise line ship in port, Whittier doesn’t have much
to offer. The city is home to some nasty
weather and is usually windy, rainy, cloudy or bone-chilling cold in the winter. So a calm, warm sunny day was definitely a
treat. We took a few pictures of the
marina and surroundings then drove back to the tunnel’s staging area for the
return trip back to Portage at 0900.
After exiting the tunnel, it was still too early to purchase
glacier tour tickets. In the meantime,
we decided to hike the Byron Glacier Trail.
The trailhead begins at a well-marked vehicle pullout
area just before the gate to the Portage Glacier Tour dock. The 1.5-mile trail, more or less, leads
hikers to a close-up view of a glacier in the Chugach Mountains paralleling the
cold snow fed Byron Creek. The alder
forest was interspersed with cottonwood trees lush with ferns and other shrubs
in the understory for a serene beginning to the hike. The coniferous trees had not shown their
presence in the ecological scheme of forest succession, a sign the forest was
still maturing following the glacier’s recession.
The winding trail is mostly flat through a rocky, fertile
alluvial plain scattered with tall alders (Alnus
sp.) and a smattering of cottonwood and aspen trees (Populus sp.) with a few willow trees (Salix sp.) along the creek’s edge.
As one approaches the glacier,
the forest thins out to display views of the rugged cliffs and glacier. From the trail terminus, Portage Lake and
Valley was just a 180° turn away. Bouldering
opportunities abound throughout the area for the thrill seeking adventurous
visitors.
There wasn’t much left of the Byron Glacier except for
some cirque glaciers perched in the mountains above the glacier carved
valley. Whether or not ice caves were
present in the remaining ice, I wasn’t about to find out. Only a crazy individual would venture into
one of those caves. The walk back turned
into a run back for a little warm-up to the marathon.
We arrived back at the car a few minutes before 1000 and
drove to the office. Once the doors
opened, we lined up to secure our spot on the boat for the 1030 cruise.
With tickets in hand, we drove back up Byron Glacier Road
to the dock and boarded the mv Ptarmigan
for the one hour outing.
The Ptarmigan
is the only boat operating on Portage Lake and offers a one-hour cruise around
the glacial lake. The cruise, or a hike
over Portage Pass Trail from Whittier, are the only ways to see Portage Glacier
today. Due to decades of recession, the
glacier can no longer be viewed from the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center as it once
was ten years ago.
A narrator from the U.S. Forest Service provided
enlightening and educational information on what is happening in and around the
lake. The first thing visitors see is
the murky turquoise/azure colored lake water.
The narrator explained that the extremely fine sediment load of the
glacial rock flour suspended in the water column creates very high turbidity
levels. Fish and other aquatic life do
not exist in the lake due to the very low dissolved oxygen levels. Photosynthesis is nonexistent and is the
reason plants do not grow in the water.
Essentially, it is a dead 900-foot deep lake, but very picturesque.
The narrator also revealed that the steep mountain cliffs
with numerous waterfalls cascading down into the lake were composed of the
mineral greywacke, a hard sandstone rock with veins of quartz, feldspar set in
a fine-clay matrix. The quartz veins are
an indication of gold deposits, so miners flocked to the region in the
mid-1800s in hopes of striking it rich, but to no avail. Gold just wasn’t plentiful enough to be worth
their time or effort. The striations etched
in the greywacke cliffs from ancient glacial activity were unmistakable.
The lake was created by a dam from the glacier’s terminal
moraine hundreds of years ago. The
glacier is characterized as a tidewater glacier and large chunks of ice
regularly break off the glacier called calving.
Also visible is the “blue ice” along the outer edges which comes from
the shorter wavelengths of light reflecting back to the viewer’s eye.
The craziest thing about the cruise was seeing a paddle
boarder standing on his board only a couple hundred feet from the glacier. It may be he was a researcher or some old
chap watching and enjoying the calving.
For whatever the reason, he had a wonderful ride over the large waves
produced by the ice falling into the water.
At least he was smart enough to give enough distance between himself and
the ice shelf.
We were fortunate enough to witness some calving as we
approached within a few hundred feet of the glacier. A by-product of the calving glaciers are the numerous
mini ice bergs floating in the lake.
Ptarmigan staff make it
a point to collect samples of ice for passengers to hold and touch. They even put a chunk of ice in an aquarium
container so one can see how much ice lies below the water surface and how much
shows above. It was explained that
approximately eighty five to ninety percent lies below the free surface
depending on the water and/or ice’s density.
I was dumbfounded how many people took pictures of a chunk of ice. Have they never seen ice? Sure the ice may be a little denser than
average or the crystalline structure may be somewhat different, but it isn’t
any colder or dissimilar from a block of ice available at a grocery store. They probably took a piece to bring back
home.
After the conclusion of the cruise, we again stopped by
the Portage Glacier Café, this time for a sandwich and something cold to
drink. The roast beef sandwich was good,
but nothing special. It satiated my
appetite to some degree, but I was still a bit hungry. On our way out of the Portage area, we made a
pit stop at the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center.
The most interesting features were the giant relief map of the Chugach
National Forest located in the lobby and a display of the various salmon
species inhabiting the state’s waterways.
For five dollars, a visit to the “visitor center” was in the offing. I said to forget that, “why pay five dollars
to see a visitor center?” We spent
enough time using the restroom, seeing the map and fish displays before driving
north up Highway 1.
A few miles north was the community of Girdwood and the Alyeska
Resort. Originally, we had budgeted some
time to hike the Winner Creek Trail and experience the famous hand tram. However, the temperature was getting rather
warm at this point and that it may take a couple of hours to hike the trail, so
we decided to rent a bike for an hour to see the resort area and enjoy the
great weather.
We rented a simple cruiser bike with multiple gears for use
in the area’s hilly terrain. After being
“fitted”, we were on our way down a bike/pedestrian path paralleling the
Alyeska Highway to Girdwood. The route
was mostly downhill, so that meant uphill on the return trip. The last thing I wanted was a strenuous
workout a couple days before a marathon.
Oh, well.
The bike path was riddled with tree root intrusions,
misaligned pavement and numerous alligator cracking. Besides the utility work being performed and various
pieces of construction equipment, it was a pleasant ride to Girdwood.
The distance to Girdwood was about three miles from the
bike shop. We stopped at the very busy commercial
strip at the intersection of the Alyeska Highway and Highway 1 for some ice
cream; however, we instead hydrated ourselves with a water bottle I had carried
with me.
On our way back to the resort village, the uphill wasn’t
as tough as it looked. As we crossed the
bridge spanning Glacier Creek, I noticed several youths having fun with a
boogie board riding the creek’s Class I rapids while simultaneously holding on
to a rope attached to the bridge deck to maximize their enjoyment. It looked like a lot of fun, but I wouldn’t
last too long in the cold snow fed water.
How great it would be to be young again!
The six or so miles we rode took little less than an hour
– enough time to turn in our bikes. For
me, it was enjoyable getting out with the spectacular scenery all around and
enjoying the fresh clean air to breathe – a far cry from the air I breathe at
home.
Our time was up in the resort town and it was time to
head back to Anchorage to check in to our hotel and pick up our race packets at
the marathon’s expo held at the University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA).
The marathon expo began at 1500 hours at the Alaska
Airlines Center on the UAA campus, but first we checked into our hotel, The
Creekwood Inn off the Old Seward Highway.
The blue-colored inn is an old rustic stopping place from
the 1950s complete with an RV park. The
only modern amenity were flat screen TVs with a remote that wasn’t very
functional. Old-style keys with the room
number engraved on them were used to open a deadbolt lock. If you lost a key, someone would find you.
The rooms were definitely from the past. The enclosed hallway was something that was
added after the hotel was built. The
stairwell steps were not to current codes as one had to be careful using them. With the absence of an elevator, the hotel
did not meet accessibility standards. Our
non-air conditioned room contained hardwood floors, a clichéd Alaska-themed bed
spread, a small shower and bathroom. Baseboard
heaters were used to provide heat.
Air conditioning was a must during our visit. The rooms were quite stuffy, however, hotel
staff provided a box fan for air circulation.
Having a window open provided no relief as there was no cross
ventilation. I guess this is their way
of saying, “stay outdoors and do something.”
Besides lacking comfort, the place wasn’t all too bad
considering Anchorage’s hotel rates
Our room was on the second floor overlooking the many RVs
parked in their assigned place. Just
beyond the RVs was the Chester Creek Bike Trail (which happened to be part of
the marathon route). Opposite the trail
was a Worthington Ford dealership. The
dealership’s name brings back memories of my youth and for those who remember
Cal and his dog “Spot” commercials.
Incidentally, "Spot" was never a dog. Often, Spot was a tiger, a seal, an elephant,
a chimpanzee, a bear, and at one time, a hippopotamus. Spot was even a vehicle or (as I distinctly
remember) an airplane which Cal stood atop the wings while airborne.
The classic commercial jingles were set to the tune of,
"If You're Happy and You Know It" with the lyrics re-written to the
refrain of "If you want a car or truck, go see Cal, if you want to save a
buck, go see Cal" or "Give a new car to your wife, she will love you
all your life", with "Go see Cal" repeated numerous times. The jingles often created permanent cerebral
redundancies.
We made the short drive to UAA for the expo held in the
newly built basketball arena. The
outside temperature was rising and getting very uncomfortable. Once inside the arena and in the air
conditioned comfort, we felt much better.
The expo was bigger than I thought with many product, apparel and food
vendors with free samples being given out to passers-by.
We spent less than a half hour at the expo. So back out into the heat we went snapping
some pictures under the finish line kite set up near the entrance. We were commenting on how hot it felt and a
nearby race volunteer immediately agreed.
The combination of humidity and sun felt like ones skin was baking. I was delighted the forecast was for cooler
temperatures for Saturday, although Friday was still on the warm side.
It was a little past 1600 and we were getting tired from
the long day traveling, biking and hiking and the many hours of being awake. So, back to the hotel we went to get a little
rest before dinner. It is evident that
hotel and home swimming pools are a non-existent sight in Alaska, but I wished
our hotel had a pool. Lounging at a pool
with an ice cold beer would top off my day.
The stuffiness of the room was stifling. Even though the window was open, I couldn’t
feel any breezes, so I jerry-rigged the box fan into the open window held in
place by the venetian blinds. It wasn’t
much, but it was better than before.
For dinner, we had planned to eat some, what else, pizza
at Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria.
According to the restaurant, the pizzeria and brewery is currently
ranked as the third best pizzeria in the United States, behind New York City
and St. Augustine, FL.
With their famous reputation for pies and craft beers, we
made it a point to give this place a visit.
This place does not serve domestic or foreign beers, but only markets
their own craft beer ranging from 3.2% to over 18% alcohol by volume. I’m not much in to craft beers, but we each
ordered one of the milder beers anyway, with my wife also trying one of their
berry-flavored beers.
The place was pretty packed with patrons on a waiting
list waiting to be seated. As we
arrived, I noticed two spots opened up at the bar next to the pub pick-up. We immediately snatched up those seats and
ordered a beer and a large pizza. Our
order consisted of a large half cheese and half blackened chicken (for me) pizza. We were quite hungry from the days’
activities, it wasn’t very difficult polishing off half of an 18-inch pizza. I must say, the pizza was very delicious and the place does
live up to its reputation.
After our extraordinary
pizza, it was time for us to turn in for the evening. It wasn’t much past 1900 hours and the sun
was still shining brightly. Sunset was
2350 hours, so trying to get sleep during daylight hours may be a
challenge. The room did have some drapes
and blinds, so some sort of darkness was possible.
I live in a
climate where it can be super-hot in the summer and sleeping in warm conditions
isn’t much of a problem for us. Since
we’re used to warm evenings, we didn’t have a problem with getting a good rest
for Friday’s activity schedule. We shut
the blinds, closed the drapes, moved the fan to the desk and turned it to low
which provided some comfort throughout the night.
We were
awakened early by some noises outside as Friday morning dawned over
Anchorage. The schedule was to visit the
areas north of Anchorage, again taking full advantage of the perfect weather. For breakfast, we munched on some trail mix
we prepared at home and a banana. That
would tie us over until lunch and provide some needed energy for hiking or
whatever comes upon us.
Our first
activity for the day was a casual bike ride along the Tony Knowles Bike Trail
that skirts along the Knik Arm, through Earthquake Park, around the airport and
Point Woronzof and through Kincaid Park.
We each rented
a mountain bicycle at Pablo’s Bicycle Rentals on W. 5th Street as
the kiosk opened at 0900. The two-hour
rental rate was quite reasonable and the leisurely ride provided us an
opportunity to see the coastline around Anchorage from a different perspective.
The entrance
to the trail began at Elderberry Park with a steep descent down 5th
Street.
On such a
beautiful day, the paved trail was being used by many runners, walkers and
other cyclists. Some runners were out
for a warm-up run before the marathon or half marathon. I proceeded to ask a runner if he was running
on Saturday, and he said he was, but only the half. After some idle chit-chat, we wished each
other good luck and were on our way.
The
highlight, at least for me, was the jaunt through Earthquake Park, a memorial
to the 1964 earthquake and the damage done to the area.
I enjoyed seeing
the remnants of earthquake induced ground slumping in the area known as
Turnagain Heights, still visible to this day.
Of course, I had to stop and read the exhibits before I could
leave. I met a geologist who was reading
the information signs as well. I guess
we were the only two in the area that had a keen interest of the earthquake’s
destruction that occurred 52 years ago.
Beyond the
airport, the coastline scenery pretty much vanished as we entered Kincaid
Park. After one hour, we reached the 6.2
mile mark. At this point, we turned
around and headed back to Pablo’s.
Unaware in the beginning, I noticed mile markers painted on the trail
with the letters MM, standing for Mayor’s Marathon. The trail serves as the route for the half
marathon.
We made a
brief stop at the Downtown Anchorage Viewpoint just off Northern Lights
Boulevard. This stop provided a great
vantage point of downtown, the Talkeetna Mountains and of Mt. McKinley showing
very prominently in the distance. A sign
said the mountain was 135 miles away as the crow flies. I was amazed we could see that far away.
We arrived
back at Pablo’s with about ten minutes to spare. The steep ascent out of Elderberry Park back
to Pablo’s was quite a challenge. My
wife instead walked her bike up the hill.
We made our
way through downtown and through the area that sustained substantial damage
from earthquake induced liquefaction during the 1964 earthquake. All is well now, but monuments abound
reminding everyone of the area’s history.
We found our
way onto the Glenn Highway towards the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley to visit
the Cities of Palmer and Wasilla.
One of the eccentricities
of human nature is our ability to climb things.
The ability to climb a tree, a rock wall or the urge to seek out high
summits lies deep within the depths of many; but for me, the urge to climb high
summits just doesn’t exist.
Rationalizations
for such endeavors include the challenge of a difficult ascent, the view from
the top of the world or to challenge oneself in the memory of a friend or loved
one.
It is
possible I could summit Yosemite’s Half Dome or Sequoia National Park’s Mt.
Whitney in my lifetime, which I have thought about for many years, but the prospect
of ascending Mt. McKinley, Kilimanjaro, or Everest is slim to none. It's not in my soul and is not on my life’s bucket
list.
A visit to
the Mat-Su Valley isn't complete without a hike to the summit of Bodenburg
Butte near the City of Palmer. This
880-foot butte is an igneous intrusive “mound” complete with spectacular
glacial grooves, or striations, carved into the bedrock by the retreat of the
Knik Glacier thousands of years ago. The
fine loess glacial flour supplied by the Knik covers the butte which made our
hike to the summit a filthy undertaking.
To me, I felt like I was on top of the world.
There are
two trails to the summit, one on the north side (the easiest route) and one of
the south side (the steepest and most challenging) but without a clearly
defined trail. Of course, we had chosen
the steepest trail off Bodenburg Loop Road not far from the Reindeer Farm.
The 1.5-mile
ascent tested our fitness and agility by climbing the multitudes of boulders
and bedrock outcroppings. The reward at
the summit was well worth the sweat of the climb. The stunning 360° view of the fertile valley
was dominated by the “in-your-face” mountains of the Talkeetna and Chugach
Ranges, with the Knik Glacier visible in the east-southeast background.
A number of
other people were gathered at the summit, as well as little kids and toddlers,
enjoying the view and the revitalizing breeze.
They must have taken the easier trail on the north side, as I would find
it hard to believe small children could have made it up the trail we did.
Getting down
turned out to be less of a challenge than I thought. Sure, the rocky crags posed some challenges
with hand holds and footwork, but overall the loose soil didn't give way under
foot and provided remarkably good traction.
We could
have taken the easy trail back down, however, we would’ve had to walk a couple
miles around the butte back to our car.
As we drove up to the parking area, we did see a couple of women walking
alongside the road to their car in the same parking area as us. We concluded they took the difficult trail
up, but decided to use the easy trail back down.
My biggest
concern was all the energy I expended a day before a marathon. It wasn't too smart on my part, but I was
there for a good time and as long as I finished, I was happy.
After we got back to our car, we left for Wasilla. The route through Palmer led us to Taco Bell
for some lunch and to clean our dirty legs, arms and faces.
We drove into Wasilla, the home of Sarah Palin, to visit
the headquarters of the Iditarod Trail Race.
No, we couldn’t see Russia. The
complex houses a museum with exhibits of trophies, awards, photos and
historical items from the famous sled dog trail race.
Sled rides were also available for a minimal cost where
sled dogs would pull a wheeled sled around the museum grounds. The harnessed dogs were always excited and
ready to go at a moment’s notice. Other
dogs were tied up at their houses sprawled out enjoying the warmth of the sun. One dog in particular, Ernie was his name,
was available for visitors to pet. I
don’t know if the other dogs were as docile, but I didn’t want to find out with
a bite wound.
Three husky
puppies about eight weeks of age were sleeping in their kennel. As a group of children arrived on the grounds
as part of a field trip, a worker picked up one of the puppies for the children
to coddle. They all sat round in a
circle and let the puppy walk around so he could be loved. The kids looked as if they were having a
great time playing with the puppy.
The same worker even offered us to hold and pet one of
the puppies if we were interested. Of
course we couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
After a brief visit to the museum and a few pictures with
statues of Balto and the “Father of the Iditarod”, Joe Redington, Sr. displayed
outside the museum’s entrance, it was time to move onward and upward.
We bade farewell to the Mat-Su Valley and proceeded to
our next destination – Thunder Bird Falls.
The one mile hike, with maybe a 100-foot elevation gain, on an
accessible trail leads hikers to a 200-foot waterfall that drops spectacularly
into a deep canyon. A viewing platform at
the trails’ terminus provided a great few of the waterfall. The roar of the water echoing through the
canyon and the constant mist from the atomizing water crashing over the rocks
was impressive. The mosquitos flourished
in the cool damp environment of the vegetated area of the park so we had to
keep moving in order from being bitten.
Not far from the viewing platform, another trail leads
hikers down the canyon to Thunder Bird Creek, one of the main tributaries of the
Eklutna River. The elevation gain was a
little more substantial than the main trail.
Observers were able to walk upstream for an up close and personal view
from the base of the falls if they were daring enough to navigate the slick
creek banks and rocks. I ventured out a
little ways until I slipped on the wet sloped creek bank, but managed to regain
my footing before falling into the creek.
Needless to say, that gave me a little fright.
About twenty minutes later, we arrived back to the
car. We were planning to visit Eklutna
Lake some nine miles up a road off the Old Glenn Highway, not far from Thunder
Bird Falls. We were getting a little
tired, so we decided to skip that outing and return to Anchorage.
We returned to the hotel to clean up and find a place for
dinner. Deciding on a place was a task
in itself. We opened the iPad to
evaluate some pizza places. I made an
executive decision and picked the Great Alaska Pizza Co. off Northern Lights
Boulevard. However, when we arrived
there, it was a take and bake place and didn’t offer dine-in. We didn’t have a Plan B, so we drove around
the corner to Arctic Boulevard and decided to try the Arctic Roadrunner and had
ourselves a burger.
The establishment has been in business since 1964. It is a simple burger joint – nothing
special. I decided on a salmon burger
with all the fixings. Along with my
wife’s burger, she ordered a blackberry shake.
Inside the diner, abundant photos hang on the walls
documenting the establishment’s humble beginnings to what it has become today. As we began eating, a weather front suddenly
came through Anchorage, as was predicted by weather forecasts. The skies began to cloud over and the wind hastily
began to blow. The outside table
umbrellas and flags were whipping in the wind.
I thought that the wind would pick up the umbrellas and toss them into
the street. I guess they were anchored
down enough to prevent that from happening.
Just as the wind started, the lawn sprinklers came on and water was
spraying all over completely avoiding the grassy areas they were designed to
irrigate.
After our great dinner, we headed back to the hotel to
ready ourselves for Saturday’s marathon and to get plenty of rest. When we pulled into the hotel property, it
looked as if it was snowing with drifts of fuzzy-like material swirling around
in the parking lot. For a few weeks in
June, it snows, courtesy of cottonwood trees, a familiar sight in June. The wind was blowing around those fuzzy
cottonwood seeds that it looked as if a snow storm was approaching. They gathered in corners, doorways or any impediment
to the wind.
We opened the door with our old-style lock and key to our
small hot and humid room. The window has
been opened all day, but it sure didn’t feel like it. We moved the fan to the desk, shut the window
and closed up the blinds and drapes and hit the sack.
We woke up early Saturday morning due to the early
morning sunlight. We had ample time to
get ready for our 26.2-mile run in and around the city.
Instead attempting to find a parking spot near the finish
line at Delaney Park Strip and catching the shuttle bus to the start at
Bartlett High School on Muldoon Road, we drove ourselves. Parking was plentiful and easy and not far
from the start. A shuttle bus
transported us back to our car at the high school after the marathon.
There was plenty of great music playing to entertain the
runners with water available for pre-race hydration and plenty of porta potties
for those who drank too much water or from pre-race nerves and excitement. The weather was perfect with cool
temperatures and broken overcast skies.
While waiting in the porta potty line, we talked with a
local runner who decided to run this year’s race one more time before moving to
the Lower 48. He suggested a few attractions
to see and do, but we already did them or couldn’t do them since we were
traveling south down the Kenai Peninsula on Sunday.
Around 0715, the Marathon Maniacs assembled under the
starting line kite for a group picture.
After the picture, I rushed over to the gear drop area and deposited our
jackets and other odds and ends to be picked up at the finish.
At 0730, the horn sounded and approximately 680 runners
were off as the 43rd annual marathon was underway. Immediately, my legs felt heavy as I struggled
along – likely from all the hiking, biking and climbing I did in the days
leading up to the race. I presumed this
was going to be a challenge for the entire 26 miles, but after a mile, running
wasn’t so hard.
I managed a pace of around 8:40 per mile for the first
2.5 miles or so along the bike trail fronting the Glenn Highway and Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson. At Marathon Mile
2.7, a “LOW BATTERY” message popped up on my Garmin. “Damn”, I thought. Within a couple of minutes, the Garmin shut off. At that point, I was irritated, but accepted
it and moved on. I was going to rely on
the race clocks at the intermediate split points or by asking other
runners. It turned out that there were
no clocks at the split points, which coincided with the marathon relay
transition points.
The course had a steady incline for the first few
miles. After the Moose Run Country Club
at Marathon Mile 7, the course made a sharp right turn on to a gravel roadway. I don’t particularly care to run on a gravel
surfaces, but I had no choice. The area
wasn’t too scenic, largely restricted land used by Elmendorf. Posted signs near the road warned of
unexploded ordinances in the area and to keep out. The seven miles of gravel roadway was
somewhat boring until the road tapered to a single file trail over some
make-shift bridges and stream crossings.
The trail “day-lighted” at the second relay transition point at Marathon
Mile 15±. From that point on, the route
was back on city streets. Now that the
course reached its highest elevation, it was downhill to the finish.
I was feeling pretty good all the way up to Marathon Mile
18, more or less, where my wife managed to catch up to me. I wasn’t able to keep the pace and was
adamant on keeping my own pace and running my own race. After a brief refreshment stop and some
hydration, we crossed the Tudor Road pedestrian bridge and onto the University
Lake Trail that meanders through UAA and various parks and forested canopies
with ample shade and was a serene area that I enjoyed. Striking up conversations with fellow runners
about running, listening to classic rock and other superfluous dialogue, made
the time go by much faster.
At the end of the day, we eventually merged onto the
Chester Creek Bike Trail. Approaching
the soccer fields at Woodside Park, the distinctive blue building of our hotel
was in view just prior to Marathon Mile 23.
I asked a nearby runner of the time who promptly informed me that it was
just past four hours. I thought, “Great,
I should finish around 4:35.”
The bike trail looped around Worthington Ford, some play
grounds, parks and Westchester Lagoon, with the numerous ducks and geese
enjoying themselves on the water, in to the homestretch. My wife texted me as I approached the lagoon
to inform me of the killer hills in the last mile. Earlier, I overheard other runners talking about
the hills to those running the course for the first time so they won’t be caught
off guard.
As we left the Chester Creek Trail and onto U Street
merging in with the half marathon runners, I saw the first hill at the end of U
Street wrapping around Bootlegger Cove Drive.
I walked up that hill conserving as much energy as I could for the final
push. When the road leveled out, I began
running again until the nastiest hill came into view as we turned off Stolt
Lane and onto West 9th Avenue.
The 9th Avenue hill was ridiculous, I wanted to walk, but I
continued running (it hurt less to run).
An overhead banner greeted runners at the top of the hill on the Delaney
Park Strip and the finish line kite was prominently in view about 100 yards
away. I picked up pace in the grassy
finishing chute, passing several runners on the way, and looked strong for the
camera. I finished with a respectable
time of 4:34:57 with a 10:29 pace.
Age graded score: 51.35%
Age graded time: 4:06:59
Since I didn’t have a working Garmin, I’ll never know if
the course was long or short.
I proceeded to retrieve my finisher’s medal and my much
earned tech shirt and texted my wife I had finished and to meet me at the Fred
Meyer tent.
I picked up some oranges; which were quite sweet, refreshing
and delicious by the way, a banana, cookies, grilled cheese sandwich and some
wonderful freshly baked artisan bread for a post-marathon recovery snack. We walked over to the beer garden for some
libations, but everyone had to pay $5 per cup of craft beer or $2 for a bottle
of chocolate milk. I believe those who
put out a lot of energy and work should have been reward with such a refreshment. We weren’t interested and looked forward to a
cold domestic beer and burger at Red Robin not far from the high school.
We boarded a shuttle (school) bus at the park strip back
to the high school starting line area, retrieved our car and made our way
across the street to Red Robin for a delicious burger, bottomless fries and a
tall Coors Light, sitting at the bar of course.
After our great lunch, we drove back to the hotel to
clean up and rest a little. We were
thinking about doing some climbing up Flattop Mountain just outside of Anchorage. I was kind of achy and worn out and such a
strenuous climb would be counterproductive, so we decided to use Saturday as a
rest day and postpone any activities for Sunday.
In Alaska, a state that's cold and dark for much of the
year, celebrating the sun is of the utmost importance to Alaskans, or those in
the upper latitudes for the most part.
This is why the solstice is a much awaited affair. With 22 hours of daylight, why not celebrate?
The annual Downtown Summer Solstice Festival (midsummer
as I call it) was held Saturday afternoon in downtown. There were plenty of things to do for all
ages ranging from arts and crafts, beer gardens, games and concerts. We were under the impression the festival
started at 1800, but instead, it ended at 1800.
So, we missed out joining the locals sharing their partying spirit.
For dinner, we attempted to try Moose’s Tooth pizza
again. As we drove up to the restaurant,
a party must have been going on. There
were tons of cars, people, music and a large tent set up in the parking lot. Instead of waiting in line for who knows how
long and trying to find parking, we ended up at Village Inn for a slice of pie
– home to the “Best Pie in America.”
We wanted to test that claim. As we entered the waiting area, I walked over
to the large cooler with several pies looking at me. I wanted some of each, but I knew that wasn’t
about to happen.
First, we split a French dip sandwich to satiate our
appetite and then ordered a warmed up a slice of their popular triple berry pie
with vanilla ice cream for a dessert treat.
The pie was delectable and I wanted more. The mix of the sweet ice cream with the
tartness of the berries hit the spot.
Monday morning greeted us with overcast skies and light
rain showers. We checked out of the
hotel and headed south down the Kenai Peninsula to the City of Seward. Before leaving Anchorage, a strenuous hike to
the summit of Flattop Mountain was in order.
Located in Chugach State Park in the southeast flank of urban Anchorage,
Flattop is the most climbed mountain in the state.
This very popular hiking mecca is reached by the Glen
Alps trailhead at the park’s parking lot.
It was cloudy with light intermittent rain showers, gusty winds and rather
chilly, so we put on multiple layers for comfort for the 1300-foot elevation
gain we were going to experience.
The trail was well-maintained for the first mile or so
with a rapid elevation gain around Blueberry Loop. From that point, the trail became rugged,
rocky with steep staircases made from railroad ties and hikers must exercise
due caution. “The best darn bench in the
world” is located at the top of the first set of stairs offering panoramic
views of Anchorage and Turnagain Arm.
Once past the bench, the trail becomes more difficult and
eventually the trail fades away into the rocky terrain. At this point, hikers crawl up the rocks and
boulders testing their physical dexterity and bouldering skills. We terminated our hike on a rocky ledge a
hundred or so feet from the summit due to the wind and inclement weather. However, the view was just as spectacular as if
we were at the summit.
After spending a few minutes admiring the scenery, the
hard part was about to begin – getting down.
I found out going up was much easier.
Trying to gain a foothold was tough and the loose gravel/soil easily
gave way underfoot and falling would be a painful experience.
Once down off the difficult terrain, the loop trail led
us back to the parking lot. On a steep
little pitch just short of the parking lot, I managed to slip on the loose
gravel and fell onto my hip and hands and the small pieces of gravel shoved into
the road-rash on the palm of my hand. At
least it was there and not at the top.
Hunger began to set in after our exhausting hike and we
planned to have a sandwich at Subway in Girdwood. My legs held up pretty well considering
running a marathon the previous day. Attached
to our running bibs were coupons for a free sandwich at participating Subway’s in
Anchorage and Girdwood. So, on our way
to Seward, we stopped at Girdwood’s Subway for a complimentary six-inch sandwich. Soon after wolfing down our sandwich, we were
on our way to Seward, but first to check in at Sunday night’s stay at Trail
Lake Lodge in the hamlet of Moose Pass, thirty miles north of Seward.
The drive down the Kenai Peninsula was very scenic, even
with the rain showers and the clouds resting on the snow covered mountain tops. As we pulled into Moose Pass, a farmer’s
market and charity auction was taking place across from the lodge. As visitors enter town, a sign displays the
slogan, “Moose Pass is a friendly town. If you have an axe to grind, do
it here.”
The lodge is an old-fashioned rustic place surrounded by
awe-inspiring panoramas of the Kenai Mountains alongside the shoreline of Upper
Trail Lake. The only watering hole for
some food and drink was in the main lodge, so we ventured south to Seward to
partake in such indulgences.
For the region of the
Kenai Peninsula’s coast on which it perches, Seward may not be a bustling
metropolis, but rather serves as an active fishing hub and port, July’s highly popular
Mt. Marathon Race, the starting point of the historic Iditarod trail, and a
destination that draws tourists who have meandered south from Anchorage.
We walked around the marina area and visited some nearby
shops. A Norwegian Cruise Line ship was
moored near the marina which stole the scene of the marina area. Finding a place to eat was a challenging task
with so many sea food restaurants in the area.
We first went to a pizzeria for a slice of pizza, however, it would take
about an hour for a new slices to become available. So, we decided on some sea food at Terry’s
Fish and Chowder House for a halibut sandwich.
After dinner, we walked over to Bakery at the Harbor for
a drink and something sweet to eat – a large freshly baked cookie. Since it was Father’s Day, I called my dad to
wish him a happy day form the comfort of a booth seat. Later we drove down the highway to the
southerly part of Seward to Post Mile 0.0, the beginning of the Iditarod Trail.
It was getting late, so we drove back to Moose Pass to
our humble place of abode for the evening.
Before turning in, we walked into the bar area and had a beer or
two. There was a lively bunch of people
bellied up to the bar having their fix of adult beverages. The highlight of the evening, though, was
getting a hug from a Lower 48 transplant who worked for the Department of
Corrections. He was a friendly man who
welcomed us to his community and hoped we enjoyed our stay.
We later sat on the porch of the lodge, kicked up our feet
on the banister and marveled at the unparalleled splendor of the Moose Pass
mountain landscape. The time was 2300,
the rain had already stopped and it was so quiet and peaceful with blue sky
showing through breaks in the clouds.
Our last day in Alaska was another day of exciting things
to see and do. We left Moose Pass early
Monday morning to visit the Exit Glacier before our four-hour Resurrection Bay
cruise provided by Kenai Fjords Tours.
The Exit Glacier is a popular destination in the Seward
area and is situated in the lower elevations of the Harding Ice Sheet that
blankets the Kenai Peninsula.
Upon reaching the visitor center in the Kenai Fjords
National Park, a paved accessible trail takes hikers to a viewing area of the
glacier. As we approached the visitor
center, various signs displaying year numbers inform visitors of where the
glacier once was. These signs were also
on the trail leading up to the glacier.
Visitors can also continue past the paved trail to get up close and
personal views of the glacier. Several
years ago, one could walk right up to the glacier wall, but now because of
glacier recession, we could no longer touch the ice.
We joined in with a guided tour and listened to the
leader explain what is happening to the glacier and the landscape. It was quite fascinating and we learned a lot
in the Glaciology 101 class such as forest succession, which we could all see
from the high vantage point, and ancient moraine deposits.
On the walk back to the visitor center, Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Mountain hemlock (Tsuga martensiana), Shore pine (Pinus contorta), Red alder (Alnus rubra), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) – Alaska state tree, White
spruce (Picea glauca), Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), Green alder (Alnus viridis), Thinleaf alder (Alnus tenuifolia), lush grass
understories, and various willows (Salix
sp.) around Resurrection River’s tributary streams dominated the landscape
with the density of conifers being proportional to the glacier’s distance.
We couldn’t spend a lot of time hiking around the Park
area. Our Resurrection Bay tour set sail
at 1200 and we still needed to pick up our boarding passes at the main office
in Seward. We parked at the facility’s
free parking area for a short five minute shuttle ride to their office.
Before we boarded the tour boat, I was offered a Dramamine
tablet since I am susceptible to sea sickness.
The bay look pretty calm, so I wasn’t set on taking one, but I did just in
case. As the boat sailed out of the
harbor, the scenery got even better looking out toward the Kenai Mountains,
with Mt. Marathon presenting itself prominently over the city.
Besides the typical sea birds, the only wildlife we saw
were sea otters, but we were going to see much more as the tour
progresses. The first stop was into the
idyllic waters of Thumb Cove to view Hanging Glacier, a cirque glacier
suspended in the mountains.
I was getting hungry and thankfully, the next stop was
Fox Island for a buffet lunch at Kenai’s wilderness lodge. Everyone had one hour to chow down on prime
rib, salmon, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and lemon aid. For an additional $30, we could have had some
crab legs. I skipped on the prime rib,
but had extra helpings of salmon. It was
very good and filled me up for the rest of the day. During lunch, a park ranger spoke about the
glaciers, wildlife, whales and the area in general. It was rather informative.
On the patio outside the lodge, a wilderness guide offered
a great talk about and proudly showed off a great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) indigenous to the state. The owl had been injured and subsequently rehabilitated
and is used for such talks. I was quite
interested in the Q & A session on the evolution of owls, their hunting and
survival skills and what makes them such a beautiful bird.
After skipping a few rocks across the bay’s water from the
island’s Skipping Stone Beach, we were back on board the boat for the rest of
the cruise tour.
As the tour proceeded, the sights and sounds of thousands
of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)
flying around stole the show. Not long
after, horned puffins (Fratercula
corniculata), common murres (Uria aalge), right whales (Eubalaena
glacialis), and hundreds of sea lions (Eumetopias
jubatus) came into the picture. Watching
the puffins and murres awkward flying and rocky landings were quite
entertaining.
The kittiwakes and other gulls swarmed the areas where
whales were feeding on krill. We just
had to watch for the birds and soon a whale would surface and grab another
breath, while sea lions were sunning themselves on the rocky ledges on the
islands.
The cruise boat
rounded the outer islands and into the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska. The waves increased in size and were really
rocking the boat. I was sure glad I took
that Dramamine table before sailing, or else I would be much sicker than I
was. I was holding my own, but was
hoping to get back into calmer waters soon as I stayed seated in the center of
the boat. The Dramamine caused me to
become a little drowsy and felt like taking a nap, but getting up and walking
outside for some fresh air helped.
The rugged outer islands were home to many old WWII
era bunkers and artillery garrisons used in case of Japanese invasions.
Once back into the calmer and protected waters of
Resurrection Bay I began to feel much better. As we passed by the eastside of Fox Island, a
ghost forest on some ancient terminal moraine left by old glaciers was visible. As with Portage, the ghost forest was a
remnant of the 1964 earthquake and the resulting sea water intrusion.
From that point, the cruise boat made a bee line back to
Seward. I think everyone on board was
tired and had enough of the four-hour tour and was ready to get back to land –
at least I was. I couldn’t imagine
taking the eight-hour tour.
We lucked out with the weather, as boat personnel
described the previous days’ tour as rough and terrible. The large wind driven waves made the
excursion a challenging one.
After we moored and stepped of the boat, I was ready to
head north on the Seward Highway to Anchorage.
A few miles outside Anchorage, we stopped at Beluga Point, a rocky
outpost jutting into the waters of Turnagain Arm at mile post 110.5. It’s named for the white beluga whales often
spotted from this location as they make their way up and down the inlet eating
the multitudes of fish inhabiting the area.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see any whales.
Visitors to the site must remain in the parking area and
not trespass onto the Alaska Railroad property just below the parking
area. Signs warn against crossing the
tracks by order of the railroad’s police, but does that stop people from
venturing beyond the tracks? No. Just because everyone crosses over the tracks
doesn’t mean it is right, but we did cross them to get a better vantage point
near the rocky outcropping, but did not attempt to climb it. We noticed several people climbed up the
rocky prominence for a better look into the waterway hoping to see whales. Climbing up looked easy, but judging from
those coming off, it looked to be quite a challenge. Falling off would not be an option for me, so
I stayed away.
Upon entering Anchorage, we stopped at Moose’s Tooth for
another pizza. Again, the place was
packed with people with a one-hour waiting list. As a way to kill time, we went back to our
original hotel to check in again for our last night. When we got back Moose’s Tooth, our signaling
device buzzed and we were immediately seated.
We ordered a large pizza and ice water.
We were both hungry, but weren’t sure if we could finish it. We did have a microwave and refrigerator in
the room if we needed to take some back with us. That didn’t happen, we couldn’t believe we at
the whole thing.
I guess we weren’t too full, so we decided to have one
last slice of triple berry pie at Village Inn.
It turned out the place was out of the pie, but the waiter told us that
their Spenard Road location had some. We
asked for directions and off we went to that store for another round of
delicious pie and ice cream.
Shortly after we got settled into our hotel room, it
looked as if some drama was about to take place. I peered out the window and noticed a police
car near the RV bath house with people gathered around. Immediately, sirens were heard as two fire
engines – a tender and a ladder truck – pulled into the parking lot, overkill I
thought. It turned out to be a small fire
in some mulch near an RV. With all the
wet green vegetated areas, a brush fire appeared highly unlikely.
Our Alaska Airlines flight back to LAX, via Portland
(PDX), departed ANC around 0630 hours. We
left for the airport around 0430 to allow enough time to drop off the rental car
and to get through security. As when we
arrived, we noticed several people sleeping on the terminal’s bench seats. Perhaps we could have done the same thing and
saved a few bucks on a hotel, but I favor the comfort of a bed over a bench
seat with the non-stop commotion of cleaning staff and PA announcements. After departing Runway 32, it was on to PDX
and eventually home.
Both the marathon and the trip to Alaska were memorable experiences
for me. Within the five days, we were
able to see and do many things that I will always remember as I close out
another chapter in my marathoning journeys.
I would like to go back to Alaska some other time to see Fairbanks, the
North Slope, drive the Dalton Highway, visit Barrow and the western part of the
state. That will have to wait for
another time, but for now, we must focus on the remaining 25 states on our “Quest
for 50.”
