N.B. Ever since I left Portland, I have been in Alaska. Internet and cell phone service has been absolutely HORRIBLE and we have experienced a lot of difficulty with most everything but texting. Please forgive me if this doesn’t look as polished as my posts usually do. It has been several days with no internet and finally, here in Seward, we have a glimmer of a connection so I am trying…

So, I left Portland at 7:00 AM flying to Anchorage on Alaska Air. Because the flight is 3 hours and 40 minutes, I decided to use some air miles to upgrade to first class so it turned out to be a wonderful flight, with a huge comfortable seat, and a tasty breakfast of quiche and fresh fruit. My hotel, Lakefront Anchorage provided a free shuttle already waiting at the curb upon my arrival. The hotel sits directly on Lake Hood where most of the seaplanes take off and this afternoon it was quite busy. The hotel lobby is full of stuffed animals—moose, thin horn sheep, and who knows what else. After I got settled in, I caught the shuttle into Anchorage where I wandered for a bit, then met up with my tour director, Ellie.

I had signed up for a bike tour along the coast. Named for former Alaska governor Tony Knowles, who served from 1981 to 1987, the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is one of four greenbelt trails located in Anchorage. The trail spans 11.0 miles from Kincaid Park to just north of where 2nd Avenue ends in the Cook Inlet. We drove to Kincaid Park, donned bike helmets and set off on a scenic path towards downtown Anchorage. I actually lucked out–I got a private tour as I was the only one to sign up for the 2:00 PM bike ride!

After an exhilarating ride where I actually saw a moose that was very, very close, they dropped me off back at my hotel where I relaxed for a while before going to the bar where I enjoyed tomato shrimp bisque and what they called a Nature’s Candy Salad—caramelized pears, Arcadia greens, herb=rolled goat cheese, candied walnuts and pecans with a champagne vinaigrette. Ofcourse, I also drank a nice crisp sauvignon blanc. Lovely dinner for the end of a spectacular day.