Anchorage, Alaska

We stayed at the Hotel Captain Cook.  The hotel had large wall paintings depicting the voyages of Captain Cook.

Our bus tour first headed to the north of the hotel.  This is the Alaska Railroad Train Station.

This is where the railroad management resides. 

Ship Creek - where Anchorage started.  The original inhabitants of the area were the Dena'ina tribe, who lived in the area for over 1000 years. English Explorer Captain James Cook first explored the Anchorage area in 1778.  In 1914, it became the headquarters of the Alaska Railroad.  Construction of the railroad began in 1915.

The Anchorage small boat launch allows boats to access the Knik and Turnagain Arms of Cook Inlet.  The Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, at 30 feet, has the fourth largest tidal range in the world and the largest in the US. The shape of the inlet and its orientation with respect to the lunar orbit causes the tide to come in and go out very rapidly. 

As you can see, the tide is out. The shipping containers are here because this area is the Port of Alaska. Seventy-four percent of all the waterborne freight and ninety-five percent of the refined petroleum products entering the state through Southcentral Alaska ports is shipped through the Port of Alaska. This includes 100 percent of the jet fuel supplied to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and approximately 66 percent of the jet fuel for Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Looking inland from the port, we could see the bridge connecting Elmendorf to Anchorage.

The 1964 Alaska earthquake was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America. It struck Alaska’s Prince William Sound, about 74 miles southeast of Anchorage. The earthquake had a magnitude of 9.2 and most of Alaska’s mainland felt it. The shaking lasted for more than four minutes, launching several deadly tsunamis and triggering killer landslides.  This building, the Hilton Hotel, survived the 1964 earthquake.  

Our bus stopped at Earthquake Park, where we didn't get off, but the driver/guide told us how the earthquake created a sharp drop-off north of the park and peculiar rippling hills in the forest.

The next point we visited was the Lake Hood Seaplane Base.  It was created by connecting Lake Hood and Spenard Lake.

There were parking lots full of planes.

Interesting way to move the planes around.  Notice that the "truck" ends behind the cab.

Not the usual type of plane found here.

Planes don't always need their skis, so they were stored in this lot. 

Lake Hood is very close to Anchorage International Airport.

The next stop was the Anchorage Museum.

Umbrella handles