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Anchorage II | |
Our favorite gas station is in Girdwood, Alaska. We passed it about 10 times and stopped in on more than one occasion. It's on the way from Anchorage to Portage Valley and at the foot of the mountains below the Alyeska Resort. | We spent our last RV night at Ship Creek Landing RV Park located in downtown Anchorage. Not much on amenities or atmosphere, but it put us in the right place to turn in the RV early the next morning and head for the ship. |
Vacationers crowd into Alaska's RV parks, even those in downtown Anchorage.
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A short walk from the RV park is some of the best fishing in Alaska.
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Though not mentioned in any tourist brochure, some say the best fishing in Alaska is right here on Ship Creek near downtown Anchorage. Ship Creek is also a great place to be when the salmon are spawning. Approximately 9,000 king salmon spawn here yearly. We saw huge fish that seemed anchored to one spot as they swam against the turbulent waters at the base of this pedestrian bridge. The area is adjacent to Government Hill, the oldest district and the northernmost part of Anchorage. Ship Creek was selected as the original tenting site of the pioneers who arrived in the area to build the railroad in 1914 and 1915. They first filled the area located nearby Ship Creek, then spread north up to Government Hill, so named for the funding behind the construction of more permanent housing for railroad workers. Government Hill was one of many places to feel the destruction of the 1964 earthquake. When 400 feet of its bluff collapsed, it destroyed a school and dropped the railroad yard and shipyard by 30 feet. |
During the summer, fishermen try their luck at this spot 24 hour a day.
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Our RV spot was up against the fence next to the railroad tracks.
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The Midnight (really!) Special was right on time.
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Though very late at night, it's still daylight!
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Johnny arrives by plane in the wee hours and looks for the red flag.
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Not enough sleep, Johnny?
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Together again.
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Fish for breakfast, anyone?
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We met the gang and killed some time before boarding the bus that would take most of us to Whittier
and Prince William Sound, where we would board the Diamond Princess cruise ship. |
We watched seaplanes come and go constantly from their "parking lot" directly behind the Millennium Hotel.
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Matt finds a honeymoon buggy in the hotel's other parking lot. Just Married is written on the back window. |
Obviously, Andy didn't get the word on the uniform of the day.
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Ah, the bus, time to load up luggage for 17 people. Seven of our group took other transportation to the ship at Whittier. Yes, there were 24 of us in all.
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We weren't out of Anchorage yet when I stood up to take a picture of the group. Then suddenly everything was upside down.
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Your Honor, as you can see from the evidence submitted in Exhibit B and Exhibit C, considerable swelling and bruising resulted when the victim was thrown through said false wall of the bus in question and landed head first on the steps against the rear door of said bus. The driver took immediate charge. "Sit down, shut up, no smoking, I'm not responsible," he blurted over the intercom in Russianized English. Thank goodness it was a party bus, there was ice on board. One fellow cruise passenger suggested a local treatment for the injury. "Drink some coffee, this is Alaska." |
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