One of the enjoyable things of moving to a new place is the opportunity to explore the area. Alaska is so huge, and there is so much to see and do, I don't think it is possible for anyone to explore it all, no matter how long they live here.
Today we took the kids to a trail just outside of Anchorage for a little hike. The skies were clear and the temperature was just right - a glorious summer day in Alaska! From the trail, which overlooks Cook Inlet, we were able to see Mt. McKinley in the distance. If you look closely at this picture, you can see the peak on the right.
About a mile and a half down the trail, we stopped and had lunch. A German tourist asked me to take a picture of him and his wife. His English was not great, so all he was able to communicate to me, other than asking me to take their picture, was that Germany was ten hours ahead of us and they are now sleeping. He put his head on top of his two hands, palm to palm, which is the international sign for "asleep"!
Just behind us on the trail was a major airport, presumably mostly for cargo traffic judging by the planes flying above us. Every five minutes or so, a jet would roar overhead, on its way to some distant locale. It is amazing how busy the skies are in Alaska. In addition to the jets right on top of us, there were passenger airliners landing at Anchorage International Airport, military planes flying to or from Elmendorf Air Force Base, and the occasional floatplane or other small craft buzzing around in the skies.
Here is a picture of Anchorage. One couple we met on the trail, who were transplants from Long Island and had lost none of the accent, called it "an ugly city in a beautiful place." Some Alaskans might disagree with the first part, but there is no question about the second; this is truly a beautiful place.
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