Cernek.org Blog

We have arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, on June 24. Wow! It is still hard to believe we are actually here. Our time here is going to be spent enjoying Anchorage, some down time, and celebrating the Fourth of July. We are staying at the Creekwood Inn RV park, located about ten minutes from downtown. We are close to everything we need.

The downtown shopping area of Anchorage is geared for tourists. The cuteness factor is running very high. This skateboarding moose is right in front of where we are parked.

He has the moves all down.

The flowers are all over the downtown area. The colors are brilliant. I think Alaskans really love their flowers. Maybe after the long, dark winter the splash of colors is a huge relief. The flowers have been mentioned in all of the things I have been reading about Anchorage. I see why.

There are a lot of fur stores. I guess it hasn’t become “not PC” to wear fur when it is 20 below.

Bears are big here. This whimsical guy is fun.

Ed on his pack moose is ready to ride off into the gold fields.

You don’t see a bear watching out over the street in Phoenix or Los Angeles. There are a lot of clues around that we are in a different land. The bear is only one of them. The street is lined with hanging flower baskets.

What the hey?!!! Is this really glacier ice? They trucked it in? Or did it come out of somebody’s freezer? I’m not sure we will every have the answer for that one.

Somehow putting Dasher and Dancer into hot dogs is just wrong. Wouldn’t it be better to call them caribou dogs?

The Fourth of July brings us to the strip park where the festivities will be held. The parade will circle the park at 11:00. While we wait, there are a lot of things happening. This bald eagle up close and personal is one of them. Those wings are not fully extended!

I think every Fourth of July celebration needs a giant blow-up Statute of Liberty.

The War Memorial is in this park. It honors the vets from all the wars. I chose the Viet Nam plaque for the web site because that was Ed’s war. Our thoughts are also with those who are still giving, either some or all, to keep our country free.

This wooden flagpole is special and very appropriate to be part of the memorial.

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This makes we really stop and ponder what I owe those who have given so much that I may live in this great country and have the freedom to live life on my terms.

Every party needs a giant purple dinosaur.

Live music will be playing after the parade. The giant Uncle Sam certainly adds to the ambiance.

Ed has a new toy, his new camcorder. He’s getting it checked out, taking pictures of me taking picture of him.

The military presence is very big in Anchorage. There are a lot of military families at the party today. You see the uniforms all over town. Thank you, all.

This is the first Fourth of July where I have actually gone to a parade. This is the quintessential celebration. The families along the parade route are waving flags. The clothing is a bit different than it would be in the Lower 48. Everyone except a very few have on long sleeves and/or sweatshirts.

It sort of looks like maybe “peace” was the theme this year.

Who knew the American Legion crowned a king and queen? It isn’t all over when high school ends after all.

Star the reindeer looks pretty shaggy. It is that time of year. The rack that is growing on his head is starting to get pretty impressive.

Star doesn’t look like he really wants to keep apace in this parade. I’m sure given his choice, he would be grazing in a pasture somewhere.

These folks went all out. There is a lot of shiny, stringy stuff all over this car.

I’m thinking some officer said for these guys to get in the back of the Jeep and play music. And that is precisely what they are doing.

Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson are located in Anchorage. It looks like Fort Richardson has sent some of its finest to be in the parade.

The Fire Departments were next in line.

These are pretty important people.

The bagpipes added a lot to the festivities. I wish we had sound on the web site.

For years the Fourth of July parade in Anchorage did not have a marching band. A few years ago the Red White and Blue Crew Marching Band was put together. It is made up of all ages and people from all walks of life. They get together before the parade to practice for the big day. This band is probably not going to win any competitions, but they are giving it all they’ve got!

This looks like it would be very fun to drive. It is street legal!

Can anyone who has a “thing” get in this parade?

Very appropriate.

I love his hair cut.

I guess every kid with a scooter who wanted to roll in the parade could come????

If we doubted tourism was important to Alaska, we don’t anymore.

God bless her. She is still out there doing it!

The first of a whole passel of beauty queens.

I didn’t put the rest up on the web. There were several more cars of Alaska’s beauties.

This dance troupe would march along and then break out  into a line and perform a very cute routine. They are going to be tired when this is over.

It is playing real calliope music.

Home for the holidays! Democratic U.S. Senator from Alaska. When this party is over, it is time to head back to the Senate and get to doing the hard work this country needs done right now.

The first of a whole slew of antique cars. When I was little we had an old green Hudson.

I never did figure out what was on her sash. She has a title of some sort. This was the only horse in the parade. I find that unusual. Of course, that cuts down on the need for pooper scoopers.

The diversity of breeds is very interesting.

So they had a bike for three. Is that how they qualified to ride in the parade?

The inclusive theme of this group is encouraging. We haven’t gotten a feel for what the prejudices may be in Alaska. Maybe there aren’t any. Wouldn’t that be wonderful!

We never knew what this was supposed to be. At first I thought maybe Native Alaskan, but something isn’t quite right about that. The three men in the front have their underwear hanging out from their loincloths. I guess that was better than the alternative. Their act didn’t fit with anything known to either Ed nor I. Their dress hasn’t matched anything I have seen in any of the interpretive panels we have been seeing. We may never know.

These men and women were great! They were giving the Japanese drums their all.

For 30 years I had an Austin Healey Sprite that looked a whole lot like this one. I loved that car.

A large biker contingent is represented.

The parade is over and the crowd is dispersing back into the park. The sun held sway throughout the parade, but the clouds have been moving in. It is starting to look like there is maybe going to be some sprinkles before this party is over.

The Air Force jazz band is playing some good music.

It is time for us to head back home. On the way to the car, we pass this lilac bush. We have been following the lilacs all the way from Washington. I love lilacs, and I have had my fair share to enjoy this year for sure.

We were wondering how they were going to do the fireworks. Since it doesn’t get dark, when do you shoot them off? We discovered that they do it at midnight even though it isn’t dark. However, what may be missing in color display, they make up for in volume. It sounded like we were being shelled. The favorite item seemed to be related to mortars. It did put the proper finish on a fun day.

Tuesday morning I am out on the hiking trail that goes along the Cook Inlet. There are hiking trails all over Anchorage. This one could become a favorite.

There are a lot of people out enjoying it today. The sunshine may be a factor.

Another great place for a walk is Earthquake Park.

Along with the nice hiking path there are several interpretive panels addressing the effects of the Good Friday Earthquake on Anchorage.

This seems to have something in common with the soil in Southern California.

This is a huge drop from where the bluff used to be! We have already seen various movies and panels discussing this earthquake. It is pretty hard to take in the magnitude of the disaster that the people had to endure. The coverage that it received on the news was nothing compared to the coverage of the disasters today. So are the disasters worse today, or is the coverage more sensational?

Anchorage didn’t have the devastation from the tsunami that so many other cities of Alaska suffered.

Valdez was relocated to help protect it in future earthquakes.

Seward was wiped out!

The tsunami moved towards Hawaii, arriving in about six hours.

Four minutes to experience what must have seemed like the end of the world. Imagine you house dropping down 15 feet! The aftershocks are large earthquakes in themselves.

The one bright spot!

This is a grim bit of knowledge that everyone in Alaska lives with as well as the folks on the West Coast. One has to prepare and then get on with life.

After all that horrific destruction, it is a relief to look up and see these beautiful roses blooming along the path.

These tides are something to be respected.

There are only a few places where tourists can get a view of Mount McKinley. Earthquake Park is our first opportunity. We have lucked out today. The majority of the time the mountain is obscured by clouds. Today it is beautifully clear. Mount McKinley has to be well over a hundred miles away and over 20,000 feet tall. This just proves that if you have something big enough, high enough and the air is clear enough, you can see it from anywhere!

For those of us living in the more southern climates, I’m not sure that moderate is 10 to 20 degrees in the winter!

We are loving these long summer days. It is weird for it to never get completely dark.

The war that nobody knew about. This costly battle in human lives was not in the news at the time and is not talked about now in most World War II history courses. Alaska is strategically located. Seward made a heck of a deal when he purchased it from Alaska.

We are seeing small airports all over Alaska. Small grass or dirt fields are part of life. There are a large number of small numbers at every formal airport that we have seen. Any town of any size has an airstrip.

Our stay in Anchorage has been very enjoyable. We met up with all of our mail. That is always a relief. We enjoyed getting caught up on life — washing the car, doing the laundry, catching up on end of the month paperwork. It is time now to head on down the Kenai Peninsula. Homer will be our first destination. Stay tuned. Life is good.