Anchorage

Gateway to Alaska

The transportation hub of Alaska, Anchorage is ten times the size of any other city in Alaska. It has the amenities you would find in most other cities in the US. Anchorage. Everything goes through Anchorage. The city has no sales tax and this is the place to load up before you head out to see Alaska. Before World War II, Anchorage was smaller than Juneau. The Cold War and the discovery of oil led to rapid growth as people moved in and out of the city. Key attractions are the Anchorage Museum in downtown Anchorage and the Alaska Air Museum near Lake Hood.

There are a plethora of eating establishments in the big city but if you wait until late on a clear day, you can get a great view of Denali from the bar atop the Captain Cook Hotel. Anchorage also has a great system of bike paths and you can go for miles if you alot a day for this activity.

EARTHQUAKE Park is the only place you can see remenants of the second largest earthquake ever recorded. The 1964 Earthquake registered 9.2 on the richter scale.

Wildlife sighteeings are not unheard of within the city. Moose are frequently seen strolling through neighborhoods.

A nice excursion out of Anchorage is an hour drive to Alyeska Ski Resort via Girdwood and Cook Inlet. The resort is open for gondola rides in the summer. Golf in the summer at Girdwood and stop at Beluga Point for a chance to see - wait for it - why beluga whales of course! The skiing is world class as is the resort.

Go north about a hour drive and you reach the Matanuska Valley and the Matanuska Glacier. The towns of Wasilla and Palmer are there. It is here under the light of the midnight sun that crops grow to biological extremes. Every year the State Fair is held in Palmer in the last week of August and it is truly and Alaskan event.