May 3, 2006 – Here I Come, Healy, Stopover in Anchorage, Alaska Options

[Patricia_Janes]

May 3, 2006 – Anchorage, Alaska

You may recall that I am going on an icebreaker expedition to the Bering Sea. So why am I writing this journal entry from Anchorage, Alaska rather than from the US Coast Guard cutter Healy? Although my ultimate destination is the Healy, I must wend my way there one town at a time.

With that in mind, I set off in the wee hours of the morning today and boarded a plane to Anchorage. Tomorrow I will hop onto another plane—one bound for the town of Unalaska, Alaska. That’s where Dutch Harbor is, and where the Healy will anchor.

But for now, I am enjoying learning more about the town in which I currently find myself. Anchorage, being roughly the same distance from both New York City and Tokyo, has an international airport that has as a backdrop the most beautiful surroundings I’ve ever seen. Snow-capped mountains from the Alaska Range, the Chugach Range, the Kenai Range, and the Talkeetna Range seem to pop into view no matter where I stand.

Look closely at the background of this photo and you'll see some of the snow-capped mountains that surround the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.


Adding to the postcard-perfect picture: Anchorage is located on a body of water called Cook Inlet. Cook Inlet is named after Captain James Cook, who sailed through this area in the 1770s in search of a northwest passage from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic.

Sea planes dot Anchorage's watery landscape.


My big excitement for the day: I saw a moose. Sadly, I have no proof of that, as my camera was stashed away in my bags.