July 23, 2009

July 23, 2009

From the RV park we walk to downtown Anchorage. On the way we stop at the statehood monument memorializing Alaska’s entry into the union in 1959. Our next stop is the Alaska Federal Lands Visitor Center. There we peruse a couple exhibits and watch several films about bears and Alaska history. In between we catch up to a ranger-led walking tour to the Cook Memorial. Captain James Cook, the great English explorer of the Pacific, mapped the Alaska coast on his third voyage in 1778. There is also information about the Alaska railroad, one of the few federally funded rail lines ever that connected the ice-free port of Seward to the riches of the interior. For many years the railroad was the primary mode of transportation in Alaska.

At the end of the day we attend the Chamber of Commerce’s annual street party. Although the Mambo-like band played well it was hard to get excited about it. Besides the long beer lines, it was a little too cold for us to stand around drinking beer.