"I kill one black bear every year and jerky up the meat a treat. Y'all know the brown bear doesn't taste that good but black bear it is soooo good. Only, I don't go catch-in' that ol' black bear in the salmon season - the meat tastes awl fishy. No you have to catch them awhen they aren't eatin' those smelly ol' salmon."

Conversations snatches in Alaska are a delight!

"A big ol' Moose jerkies up a treat but Caribou is the best. Just heaven to slip that ol' Caribou between your teeth. Caribou is best all ground up with a big ol' grinder then made into burgers and hot dogs. I have the ol' basement freezer just full of ground up Caribou". 

We truly are in a different world here in Anchorage, Alaska - and this world is just so "darn" beautiful!

The "fall" (not autumn here, but fall) air is crisp and cool but the sun shines for awhile most days. The tourist season is all but over and there is hardly anyone around. We are booked on the last cruise for the season leaving from Seward, 3 hours South, but have allowed ourselves some time to explore Anchorage first.  

We hit "pay dirt" (see I'm talking like an American already!) with our accommodation. We booked a "secret hotel" through Expedia.com where you don't know what the name of the hotel is going to be until you have paid, but it is guaranteed to be much better than you would expect to pay for the low quoted price. We are ensconced on the 12th floor in a luxury suite for the minute sum of $62.41 a night! We have glorious view, a microwave, and fridge AND a king size bed! Just the place to recuperate from our serious case of jet lag.

Walking out and about everyday, we enjoyed the small city feel and found a free "Captain Cook" tour, a free lecture with slides on Mt. McKinley, and free transport to the zoo. People are so "darn" friendly here. A lady struggling along a path with a walker apologized to us when we stepped off the path to allow her to continue - really!! That is the level of good manners here.
 
We were thrilled to be able to see Mt. McKinley one day. At 6,194 metres it is the highest mountain in North America. It is rarely visible from Anchorage but we were blessed with a good view of the snow clad peak for several hours. Our Captain Cook walking tour was excellent. We learnt how Captain Cook explored Alaska but also a full history of his voyages and some facts we didn't previously know. The guide was dressed in the era and was delightfully entertaining.

Avan celebrated his birthday in Anchorage with a morning hike, a fabulous fish lunch and then a therapeutic massage in the afternoon. Phone calls and emails from family and friends added to making the birthday special.

The Alaska Zoo was a little disappointing, but the bus trip to the zoo was so entertaining it made up for it. The conversations above about eating bear, moose and caribou took place between some other Alaskans and our driver. We lapped up all the banter and learnt a lot!

This is the world of Sarah Palin. Wildlife abounds and is definitely there for the sport and to eat.

Enjoying our luxury accommodation, and Anchorage the city, so much, we changed our previous plan, which was to move down to Seward two days before our cruise, and extended our stay at the Inlet Towers instead, booking a transfer to Seward to the day of the cruise.  

Our bus driver to take us to Seward was called Randy (really!!) and pointed out some amazing sights on the 3 and 1/2 hour journey which included glaciers, inlets, whales and gold mining rivers.

And now for our long awaited 7 day Alaskan cruise.

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