Ahhhh, we have arrived and are loving Alaska. The beauty that God created here is breathtaking. No one can deny that there is a God after seeing this scenery!
After an extremely long flight, we arrived in Anchorage around 3:30pm. Just outside the airport, we saw the magnificent snowcapped mountains, reaching up to the sky and welcoming us. The photo to the left is one of many photos we have taken of the mountains. This particular view is one we will see just outside our townhouse!
So far, the weather has not been as frigid as we originally thought it would be. Today the temperatures are in the mid 30's but reaching in the 50's by the late afternoon. The snow in town has melted and all that is left are piles of dirty snow mounds and sludge. High atop the mountains the snow is still glistening but is slowly melting and you can begin to see shades of green beginning to return.
The food here is fantastic. We have already eaten halibut (the most wonderful tasting fish in the world), and smoked salmon. In the photo, we went to the Snow Goose and ate fried halibut - yumoo!!!
The salmon season is fast approaching and we can't wait to go fishing. Kim told us the other day that once the seagulls return, it is a sure sign that salmon season is not too far behind. Surprisingly enough, there are seagulls everywhere, especially near the bay. We thought we left those type of birds in Florida!
One thing that we have noticed is that food, produce, and paper products, here are quite expensive. What would cost us around $8 in Jacksonville, costs approximately $15 here. We're glad we will be working soon - we're spending all our spare cash quickly!
Kim took us to the rail yard and we we able to see the train cars that we'll be on up close. Wow, these things are huge and much, much bigger than we thought. You can barely see Rennie and I sticking our bodies out of the train car (picture to the left). The guests will be on the top floor of the car with us and dine in the lower portion.
Our training begins on May 5 (Rennie's 50th birthday) until May 12. The first train leaves May 13. A normal schedule for us will be working two days on the train, then one day off - two more days on the train, then three days off. On the three day break we will be able to work another shift or go on an excursion.
We move into our townhouse on Friday. For right now, we are in a hotel in downtown Anchorage. One view from our balcony are the mountains, another is the bay, and another is a part of downtown Anchorage. I'm guessing the size of Anchorage is approximately the size of St. Augustine. About 270,000 people live in Anchorage - so much smaller than Jacksonville.
Today we are supposed to go to an Alaskan museum. Hopefully we can learn many things that we can use with our narration on the train.
So far, our adventure is all that we have hoped it would be and we are truly happy and excited about what is to come our way.
Until next time...Pamela
I'm sure this is the only chocolate moose/bear in town!
This photo makes me want to sing Debbie White's "Moose and Bear" song.
We ate at a restaurant called "The Peanut Farm," which is situated on a creek. We were able to sit outside on the balcony. breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy some really good food. Afterward, we walked down around the creek and explored a bit. Again, Anchorage is so beautiful and the weather has been magnificent - the locals say the wonderful weather is extremely rare - usually it is raining and quite cold. We have said that we brought the Florida sunshine with us.
If you look at the banks of the creek, you can see that there is still thick sheets of ice. Over the winter, this creek is frozen solid. Spring has finally come to Anchorage.
These statues just cracked us up - they are located outside a bank that has a Starbucks attached. We stopped for a coffee break and had to take photos of these funny things. I don't know which one is the funniest - I guess you can decide!
Guess what time this photo was taken (taken about 10 days ago)??? On this date, it was 10:30PM. The daylight is beginning to stay around more and more. Last night, I begin to yawn and said to Rennie, "Why am I so tired"...then I looked at the clock...it was 10:00PM and the sun was still shinning brightly! Well..duhhh...
This is proof that we are very far from our home!
A small replica of the Alaskan Railroad train that pulls the Holland America and Princess cars for us.
Gray Wolf - they are huge, but so beautiful! The males can weigh between 85 and 145lbs., stand 26 to 38 inches at the shoulder, and live for approximately 10-18 years. As much as I want to see a wild bear or moose, seeing a wild wolf would be a highlight for me.
Which one is the brown bear??
A Puffin - up close and personal!
Two cute brown bears :)
Got my moose lips on!
Ahhhh, we have arrived and are loving Alaska. The beauty that God created here is breathtaking. No one can deny that there is a God after seeing this scenery!
The food here is fantastic. We have already eaten halibut (the most wonderful tasting fish in the world), and smoked salmon. In the photo, we went to the Snow Goose and ate fried halibut - yumoo!!!
Kim took us to the rail yard and we we able to see the train cars that we'll be on up close. Wow, these things are huge and much, much bigger than we thought. You can barely see Rennie and I sticking our bodies out of the train car (picture to the left). The guests will be on the top floor of the car with us and dine in the lower portion.
