ANCHORAGE, AK

July 18, 2011


The Wagon Master and Tail Gunner cooked us a breakfast of pancakes and bacon.  Each rig was asked to bring a can of fruit which was drained and folded into a fruit salad. We needed to hurry this morning as we had an appointment to take a float plane ride.

At 9:00 we were on board the Ellison Sea Plane for a 30 minute ride at 1,000 feet.  We were able to see the Anchorage skyline, the Anchorage area and mountain ranges, the Susitna Delta and herds of buffalo, moose and elk. I definitely felt more comfortable at 1,000 feet than 16,000 feet.

Our next stop was the Alaska Native Heritage Center which celebrates the Alaska native traditions and cultures of five different cultures.  There were demonstrations, presentations and traditional village sites.  Just for kicks, you could pay for a dog sled ride pulled by a team of sled doges owned by the 2011 Iditarod champion, John Baker.

I was disappointed at the heritage center as I assumed there would be many artists on hand to display their traditional clothing art, baskets, and jewelry and there would be a wide variety of things to purchase in the gift store.  I didn't make any purchases there much to my surprise.

We extended an invitation to Mary Feltz and to our delight she did join us for a BBQ at our campground.