Anchorage and Seward

We went from Denali to Anchorage; it seems to be the largest town we've been in since we left the lower 48. We got a bus tour of the city and went to the Wildberry Theater to watch a film about Alaska and then we had dinner. After dinner we walked around and we saw an eagle that can't be in the wild anymore because his half of his right wing is missing. He was beautiful and very proud looking. I'd hate to be a small animal with those talons coming at me. We also saw some reindeer. Both sexes get antlers in the spring. the anlers are in velvet until they stop growing. I touched them and they feel just like the fur on the animal. They are warm because they are supplied with blood while they grow.

The next day we went to the Native Cultural Center. We saw some dancing and storytelling, some totem carving, and a few of the native dwellings. A lot of the houses were built underground or built up with bones and rocks and covered with dirt. They seem to be very cozy. The clothing that they wear in winter is made from fur and skins of the animals they hunt for food. The native people used everything from the animals. There was no waste. Bones became tools or building materials, innerds became rope or waterproof clothing, and the hides became clothing and or blankets. Of course the meat was eaten or dried for storage. I was impressed by the culture.

The next day we drove to Seward. It is on the Kenai penninsula. It really is pretty here. Wednesday we got up early and went to the aquarium for a behind-the-scenes tour. Our guide was a student from Missouri. He was very interesting to listen to. The place is nothing compared to Monterey, but nice nonetheless. At eleven we all got on the bus to be taken down to the dock to board The Star of the Northwast. We were going on a tour of the bay here. Wow!Did we get our moneys worth. We were weren't out of port for more that an hour ( in which we were feed very well) when we came upon a humpback whale. He spy-hopped a lot, rolled over on his back and slapped the water with his flippers, breached and slammed the water, and did some vocalizations. It was amazing. The captain told us that he had only seem one other whale this season and it just left the bay. We really had a show. The whale hung around for twenty minutes or so. It was great even though I only got a picture of his tail when he dived. We also saw a group of basking Steller Sea Lions, and we saw tons of sea birds nesting along the the rocks that lined the bay. We saw puffins, kittiwicks, common murres and a tern looking bird. We also saw a sea otter floating out there just resting. We saw at least four bald eagles as well. We saw iceburgs coming from Bear Glacier. It was an action packed five hour boat trip. We had a forest ranger on board too, and she gave us a running commentary on what we were seeing. This place is almost as beautiful as the Denali park.

We leave for Homer tomorrow morning. It's drizzly today, but we've been lucky so far as far as sightseeing goes. It's always a beautiful day for the sights. That's all for now.

Love, Mom AND dAD