Half-Baked Alaska

It’s a tad cool up here in the Great North.  If y0u read my last blog entry, then you know that Ursula and I left for another of our adventures.  On Monday we were in Anchorage, Alaska.  Sky conditions—cloudy with drizzling rain most of the day.  Temperatures—high of 63° F (17° C).  This is what passes for summer in Anchorage.  After almost a month string of 100°+ F (38°+ C) temperatures in El Paso, pretty half-baked, wouldn’t you say?

I shouldn’t be surprised.  The last time I was in Anchorage was in mid-August, 1972, and it was pretty much the same thing then—cool and damp.  I will say this for Anchorage, though; the city makes good use of their 20+ hours of sunshine this time of year by growing some spectacular flowers.  They were everywhere.

We also took a trip to the Alaska Zoo, which specializes in Arctic and sub-Arctic animals.

Walking back to our hotel from downtown, we found ourselves strolling through some very charming neighborhoods with some really quaint, yet architecturally striking homes.

What follows are some of the many sights we beheld during our first full day in Alaska, having arrived Sunday evening the day before.