Ah, Alaska at last!   Doesn't everybody dream of checking out that 49th State?  A wilderness frontier boasting some of the country's most beautiful land?  There you'll find the 'native' accents are from Boston, Georgia, Rhode Island, New York, Hawaii....you get the idea. 

    My destination was Anchorage.  After a 9 hour flight, I beheld a sunny land with golden trees at the peak of their autumn foliage.  Walking out of the airport, I gazed up at my first sunring.  It's tragic that I didn't unpack my camera gear at that very moment, because within the hour it clouded up and I was cursed with rain and drizzle for the remainder of my stay.  So much for the scenery.  AND, they said there'd be moose!....moose everywhere!....in the backyards, at the airport, walking by the side of the road.  I looked high and low for a moose!  Finally, on my last day there, I happened upon a cow moose and her calf....off the road, in behind the bushes.  I took aim, but it was a louzy shot.  I wasted 8 frames of film.

    I did, however, have a wonderful stay, and my host John, treated me to some of the best eating establishments I've ever been in.  Food is definately a high priority, especially when it rains, and Anchorage didn't disappoint.  During my stay, I had fresh salmon, halibutt, Alaskan King crab, and clam chowder to satisfy my seafood cravings.  John also arranged for a 2 hour small plane excursion 'into the wild'.  We flew over a glacier, small lakes and rivers, saw wildlife (black bear, caribou, mountain goats and moose), and landed our floatplane on Skilak Lake to 'feel' the uninhabited glory that is Alaska.  Without a doubt, it is a most magnificent land.

    Many thanks to John Gomes, Ellison Air and all the friendly folks I met there.  That Canadian girl says, 'Hi!'

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