What a long day! We didn’t get to the hotel and to bed until 3am and woke up at 8:30 so we could enjoy a sunny day in Anchorage. The weather ahead isn’t looking promising so this may be our only day of sunshine.
Our hotel is a Comfort Inn! I’m not crazy about this brand but the person at Alaska Tours who set up our itinerary said it was in a nice location. It’s right next to the train station which will be easy to get to tomorrow morning.
Breakfast included waffles, scrambled eggs and sausage. It was tasty and is free. I like free. The hotel shuttle also picked us up at the airport in the middle of the night and took us to the visitors center this morning. This was complimentary as well.
We were going to take the trolley around town but it was $25 each for an hour ride and I really needed to get some walking in. Bruce can walk a little and we took it very easy and slow.
Found some neat wall art. I like to photograph graffiti from different cities.
We spent a few hours in the Alaska Museum. It was quite large and diverse.
They had exhibits of sea life. We thought this turtle was fake until it started swimming. It’s a large snapping turtle.
And we watched the museum worker feed the starfish. They eat mussels.
There were these giant colorful bears on display in the art gallery. The Kodiak bear in neon.
On our way back to the hotel, I took some photos of the mountains.
Then we stopped into a shop that makes Ulu knives.
And back to the hotel for a little rest before we go out for dinner.
In our lobby was a Kodiak bear. These bears can stand 10’ tall on their hind legs. Not something I’d want to run into in the Alaskan wilderness.
Bruce and I decided to eat Thai tonight. We found this hole in the wall place in town – nothing fancy – but the food was great.
We shared shrimp Pad Thai and egg rolls. It was great.
On our walk back to the hotel, the sky was amazing.
Now to bed early because our day begins at 5am tomorrow!
We woke at 5am to catch a 5:30 shuttle to the train station. It was walking distance but it was raining, so I was glad I reserved seats on the shuttle. The train station was packed with half asleep travelers. I was able to take a few photos without people.
Bruce and I got our Gold Star pins, which gave us reserved seats in the upper deck with dome ceilings and included breakfast in the dining car on the first level. The Alaska Railroad was a treat!
The train left the station on time and it was still dark out. But as the morning light edged in, it opened up to a world of immense beauty.
For breakfast we had 3 choices. I chose a barley oatmeal with blueberry compote and coconut flakes and Bruce chose scrambled eggs, reindeer sausage and home fries. Bruce let me have one of his sausages.
Our trip took us by glaciers, rivers and oceans. We saw moose, beluga whales and bald eagles. Unfortunately, the wildlife did not cooperate. But it was amazing scenery.
That little black spot in the field was a moose.
The glaciers were stunning.
The train went through tunnels and over bridges. It meandered around the mountains along the banks of pristine lakes.
It was a great way to admire the majestic landscape without getting wet.
After a four hour train trip from Anchorage to Seward, we finally arrived in Seward which will be our base for the next two days!
#alaska#seward#goldstar#alaskarailroad#mythai#anchoragemuseum#comfortinn
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