Baby Steps

We had been turned back from the Nature Center the day before due to a bad accident.  So we set out again the next day.  Another beautiful summer day on Turnagain Arm awaited us.  The drive afforded lots of time to catch up on all the stories that had not been shared yet.

Of course we had to pull over a few times and just soak up the scenery.  The ocean was glittering like the jewel it is, definitely photo worthy.

 It takes just over an hour to get to the conservation center (it might take less if I ever manage to make the whole drive without stopping for photos...I kinda hope the day never happens that I don't feel so inclined).  Once there, the first stop was to see some of the new babies.  The whole herd is protective of the little guys.  This female had no problem giving us the tough girl stare as if to make sure we didn't intend to bother them too much.  She can't help if her best mean look is adorable.

A few minutes later a baby emerged from its hiding spot beneath a log!

As soon as the little guy ventured out, everyone closed rank around to make sure the baby would be in the safest spot.

Momma gave encouraging muzzles to greet her babe.

 And presumably the proud papa let out a warning to all around that he had antlers and would not be afraid to use them.

 Walking on stilts is tough.  Mom was around to help give a nudge forward...and offer a little support if the momentum accidentally carries backward.

The two aunties hang back, gossiping, grazing, and girl talking.

Seriously, it takes a lot of confidence to get those disproportionate legs all going in the right direction at the right time.

But like most things, the task at hand is made easier with a friend by your side.

Now they have the hang of it.

 A tender moment with a proud momma for the bigger baby.

He is getting big enough to wander along on his own.

But his little cousin still needs some gentle help.

Looks like a scene straight out of Bambi.

Mom helps the littlest one take just a few more steps.

Then rewards her with a kiss on the head for making it all the way across the clearing.

It's nice to have days when you can just stand and watch the simple things in life.

The Alaska Zoo

So it was my first visit to the Alaska Zoo.  I have not been to many zoos in my day.  Zoo programs do really important job in these days.  They provide safe haven to orphaned or injured animals that might otherwise have died in nature.  They participate in breeding programs for endangered species, and they aspire to educate the public about a parts of the world many of us may never venture too.  They endeavor to make keep wildlife in the collective consciousness, and to promote Conservation in these times where the human population takes more space and more resources than ever before.  Still, while I am sure all zoos want to give their animals the best habitat they can, I wished there was more space for many of them.

These seals seemed pretty content.  I think they were even hamming it up for the camera.  If you are a seal, you spend a great deal of time in life in the wild trying not to get eaten.  Polar bears above you, orcas below you, I don't imagine life is very relaxing for seals.  In the zoo, these two little fatties were laying out catching some rays, definitely relaxing, and I absolutely caught one smiling on camera.

Soon it was time for seal slumber again.  This involved a big sigh, closing ones eyes, and stretching out your flippers.

Here is the move in action...the stretch, a little flipper footsie with your best seal pal..

And then a final big yawn for naptime.

The polar bears were laid out sleeping too.  We definitely hit afternoon nap time.

This polar bear was awake, but wasn't showing us anything except his fuzzy polar bear butt.  He was watching the construction on the other side of the bars...they are expanding the enclosure.  Polar bears in the wild travel hundreds of miles...the few feet are not going to make up for that, but it's going to be roomier than it has been so I was happy to see that.

Tiger in Alaska?  Well, yes.  The natural range of tigers included Russia (Siberia), and there are still a few tigers in the mountains of Afghanistan (Caspian Tigers).  In fact, Siberian Tigers did roam Alaska 100,000 years ago according to the fossil record, and it may be true that they were still here thousands or tens of thousands of years more recently than that.  But for today, there is just these two Tigers in Alaska that i know of.

The zoo also is home to a couple of llamas.  If you ever saw the cartoon 'The Emporer's New Groove," you might think this sassy llama was characterized well in the film.

The Alaska zoo also has 3 brown bears.  This enclosure made me a bit sad -- one bear just paced back and forth...all the grass had been long overturned, and lush greenery and a small stream trickle by just outside of the bars.  I wish they could move the fences so the stream goes through it, and toss in a few salmon now in that stream.

That same stream is a good home to the swans though.

The zoo had a few mountain goats -- one shy little goat stayed up top...

...and one bold goat came down to have a little nibble.  When mountain goats nibble, their little mouths move across the ground with far more accuracy and consistency than the average lawn mower blade.  It was actually pretty cute to watch.

After getting his munchies is, he had time for a little chat.  I have no idea what he was saying, but he mumbled on in little goat talk for a while before going back to his munchies.

So that was the day at the zoo.  It isn't a big zoo on the scale of zoos, so we had time to go to my favorite sushi restaurant, Sushi Sushi before heading back to Eagle River to plan the next day!

Summer Drive

On Day 3 of Shibby's Alaska vacation, it was time for a road trip.  One of the first places she wanted to go was to see the bears at the Conservation Center.  We had our pitstops at Alaska Wildberry, and lunch at the Peanut Farm, and headed south on the Seward Highway.  It was a beautiful clear and sunny day to see Turnagain Arm.

It was a little different from the days of old where we explored Bermuda by scooter.  We had radio.  Coffee holders.  And traffic.  In the scooter days, we could maneuver pretty easily, or get by holdups in Bermuda's infamous "third lane' of traffic, the third lane being the center line of the road between opposing lanes flows of traffic.  Amazing that I survived all that and got taken out by a rat terrier in the end.  Anyway, our beautiful drive started out well, great clear views of the water, some beautiful Fireweed on the roadside to add a splash of color to the pictures.

Occassionally a float plane would cruise by, just willing us to take its photo as it headed on to Seward or Homer, in that cool and casual way that Alaskans fly rather than drive distances between 100 and 1000 miles. Fact...one in five Alaskans have a pilots license.

Unfortunately there was an accident further up the road, and after an hour parked on the highway, we were forced to turn back to Anchorage as the road would remain closed for several hours.  We were a bit disappointed, and with the afternoon fading, had to come up with a change of plans on the fly.  We decided to stop at the Alaska Zoo on the way back through Anchorage.

Before I talk about the zoo, I wanted to share some pictures of flowers at the zoo.  Alaska is quietly big on flowers.  You don't hear a lot of fuss and muss about city planners, or beautification schemes, you just find a lot of flowers, everywhere.  I think nature around here inspires everyone to try a little bit of gardening.  Even I managed a little wildflower garden on my patio this year, which I am desperately trying to keep alive now in September when the sun won't come out and the clouds hang low threatening to freeze my poor little flower friends.  They live in the spare bathroom now.  But anyway, there are lots of little wildflowers that pop up anywhere there is an open spot, and lot of little pots and plots carefully tended that you see all around town, and even around the zoo.

This sleepy little sunflower in the late afternoon sun made me smile.

And these bright pink and yellow flowers could brighten any day.  In Alaska, the flowers themselves are small, but their color and energy are super big!

One more shot of the flowers...and then it was time to focus on the animals (literally and figuratively).

The Peanut Farm

I hear a lot of ads on the radio about "The Peanut Farm."  It took me a few ads to know what it was about...at first I was like "a peanut farm in Alaska?"  After the next ad I thought maybe it was a pub...beer and peanuts...but it was the Facebook status of others that lead me to understand that it is a large sports bar style restaurant/pub that sits alongside Campbell Creek, which runs through town.  I decided I had to go try it out when I saw my boss post that she was at the Peanut Farm enjoying some sunshine and watching Salmon swim by in Campbell Creek from her table on the patio.

Shibby and I had to eat, and the Peanut Farm is a neighbour to Alaska Wildberry Products where we had just been.  So it was off to the Peanut Farm for lunch!

The Peanut Farm immediately made it on to my favorites list.  It has a large patio to soak up some of the sunshine on those long Alaska summer days.  The menu and food were good, but it is really the comfortable patio view that made my lunch.  The tables border the creek -- and the bridge is a good viewing deck for salmon watching.

On this day we watched for salmon, but what we actually saw go by were geese.  The current is actually pretty fast, and they shot by the first time before I even had my camera ready.  But there were either several gaggle of geese upstream, or they hop out just past the restaurant and waddle back upstream to take the ride again, because 10 minutes later, they went by again.  This time I was ready!

I can't say I caught them smiling, but I am pretty sure they were having fun.  Like everyone on the patio.  The Peanut Farm, on airport road, is a great place to stop in for summer lunch, or a pint to watch the fish and fauna go by.

Alaska Wild Berry Products

Jumping back to the end of July, you might recall that one Irish Siobhan had come to visit, and I promptly headed off to knee surgery.  Just because I couldn't walk very far was no reason to not get some Alaska Urban Exploration time in.  I had made a little list of all the places I had been meaning to check out, and post op or not, a girl has got to eat, so there were several restaurants on the list.  While researching those, I came across a note in the tourist books about Alaska Wild Berry Products, that said their local shop hosts the worlds largest chocolate fountain.  It got added to the list in big bold letters right away.

The upper portion of the world's largest chocolate fountain

Located on the South side of Anchorage, and conveniently right on Airport Road for any tourists, it's pretty easy to get to Alaska Wild Berry Products, and the area is a perfect tourist stop for several reasons.  It is located next to two great lunch/supper spots, the Peanut Farm and the Sourdough Mining Company (ok, I haven't tried to food here yet but the name sounds great).  Alaska Wild Berry makes chocolates, jams, jellies, smoked salmon, buffalo, venison, and caribou (most of which I would rather photograph than eat) and sells loads of great T-shirts, jammies, pictures, postcards, magnets, etc etc etc.  You will find a souvenir item to take home if that's on your list.  They have also created a little historical village for their shoppers to wander around and take pictures at.

There is the big water tower....

The really big Inukshuk (with a small Shibby at the base).  Most people know what an Inukshuk is now, as it was one of the major symbols of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.  Inukshuks were used by the Inuit (Canadian) and the Inupiat (Alaskan American), Yupik (Alaska  American and Russian), and Kalaallit (Greenland).  These man made landmarks were established to be reference points to finding trade routes, hunting grounds, food caches, camps, and fishing sites.

This lovely little totem carving highlights some of Alaska's most recognizable residents -- the Bald Eagle, the Bear, and the Salmon.  

Here is the the mock village that lines the parking lot.

Inside is the chocolate fountain.  This chocolate waterfall of copper kettles is home to s]3000 pounds (yes POUNDS) of liquid chocolate goodness. 

the upper part of the chocolate fountain

And the lower part of the chocolate fountain

 They have big signs and staff keeping a careful eye to make sure that nobody sticks their fingers in the chocolate fountain -- there are delicious sample chocolates available right outside the candy window, where you can watch your chocolates being made.  But by the looks of this guy, he might stick a paw in at night when no one is looking.

Chocolate thief bear?

As far as the chocolate itself -- delicious!  We bought some to taste, and ended up going back later in the trip for more for souvenirs -- both for Shibby to take back to Ireland and me to take to Canada on my trip home for the wedding.  Even my brother who is not a chocolate hound loved these...I know what I will be sending home for Christmas parcels this year!

A little Fall Blogging

Alaska changes daily.  It's wonderful to watch.  I watched spring break up of the ice race through Turnagain Arm the day after I arrived in Alaska.  I watched the color of that water change from murky grey to a smooth cobalt blue.  I watched the trees wake up from winter, and the seedlings seize the long summers and shoot up taller than me in one season.  The hillsides and mountains turned green, then purple with fireweed, and the sunsets felt otherworldly.  And I left Alaska for one week to come home to a slightly shifted Alaska.  Somehow the sun has become lazy, and begrudingly takes its place in the sky as I head in for work, rather than warming the day in advance for me.  The bridge I have been watching them work on all year was still an unpaved shell when I left, but I drove over it coming home from the airport.  And the air hangs with just a hint  of cool.  I fear the fall is here.  It snuck up while I was away.  I am still hoping my return will drive it away.  Summer is definitely my favorite season.

So what made me leave the last of my Alaska summer?  This little thing...my niece got married so I was Alberta bound. Yes I know she looks young -- she has always been a tiny little thing, but her heart and smile were shining bright so I guess she is ready enough.  I quite enjoyed seeing the Bohemian side she has developed -- ballet slipper flats, simple white lace, a quiet ceremony in the park and a smile that lit up the world that day.

It was good to get a visit in with family -- a couple of meals, a couple of glasses of wine, and a lot of wondering where all the years went that led to the first wedding in this next generation of the family.

Of course, once I was in Alberta, I was halfway to Vegas, which is where I was planning on meeting the Bermuda Scots that week anyway, so off I went to join them for a few days.  The split trip made it a bit short on seeing both groups of people, but I will take the time I can get!

Once in Vegas, I took the time to FINALLY get to a spa again and now have strikingly pretty periwinkle toenails that got compliments all the way between Vegas and Oregon, but here in Alaska where there is no call for open toed shoes anymore, it's just me and the Panthers that will be admiring them from here on out.

Vegas is always changing, but I am noticing a few changes that I wasn't so found of.  There was a time when the food, drinks, and shopping were cheap and you could spend in excess of whatever you chose.  But each time I go back, the crowds are a little lighter, the growth of the city has slowed a bit more, and while it has more than enough going on and plenty of people going through, the casino's are actually starting to price gouge.  The hotel room was inexpensive, but the resort fee and taxes tacked on brought it up a bit.  Yet with that resort fee, you still had to pay to rent a pool chair, the internet is included but only if you are sitting in the lobby -- no internet access in the rooms (although the phones could still get enough of a signal, but not a tablet or computer), and...not even a coffee pot or mini bar/bottle of water in the room.  A cup of coffee in the lobby was $4.50 for a 12 oz Americano...which seemed bad until I bought the $4.50 small bottle of water.  Of all the money I have spent or wasted in my day, I don't have any regrets...but the price gouging for water and coffee were irksome.

Fortunately we made up for it -- in the end we didn't spend that much time on the Strip.  We took a cab to the shops south of the Strip, Town Square, that the Scots had discovered last year.  We did a bit of shopping and stopped at a fabulous place to eat/drink -- Miller's Ale House.  Delicious food, $2 cocktails, $19 twin lobster tails (although we all chose fajitias), and the funniest waiter ever.  We had a great time!

Usually we end up at a show or something, but it had been a year since the last visit, we had staggered arrivals and schedules, so we just decided to wing it and hang out -- which worked out fabuously!  We headed down to the big wheel, at the Linq...well almost.  There were 6 of us, in 2 cabs.  The Scottish accent is something you need to get a bit of an ear for, and I dare say that since I left Bermuda my Scots are sounding even more Scottish.  The cabbie was told to bring us to the Wheel, and we took off, with Lizzie's cab right behind us.  A while later we turned off the freeway, Lizzie yelled "follow that cab!" and her driver said "they aren't going to the wheel, that's the wrong day."  Well, our cab driver, heard Rio...which is where we ended up.  In fact, he thought they were Australian.  Lizzie's guy dropped them in the wrong place too, and we all eventually arrived at our destination at about the same time -- but later than planned.

The area around the "High Roller" or the wheel/Rio (no where near the Rio), is a marvellous little street of shops, colored fountains, eateries, and pubs -- a great place to go to.

So we decided to spend a little time enjoying the atmosphere a little off the beaten path.

Not to mention, we had to stop at a pub George has been raving about since last year -- the Tilted Kilt.  I think I know why he liked it so much now.

Eileen had a little hole in the wall in the neighbourhood she wanted to visit too -- last year she found John Wayne there, and yup -- he was still there!  Clint Eastwood is in the ladies room.

 After that, it was to the piano bar at Paris Paris, where I was delighted to hear Taylor Swift followed immediately by Master of Puppets by Metallica all on the pianos!  Quite the range!  It was a full and fun couple of days, but now it's back to work!