When I was planning this journey, I didn’t spend a lot of time learning about Anchorage – I figured a big city is the same pretty much where ever one goes, right? NOT! Of course “big” is all relative – Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and only has a population of 283,000.

Imagine my surprise to learn that Anchorage sits in one of the largest state parks in the country. Chugach State Park and National Forest stretches from the sea to snowy peaks in an area the size of New Hampshire, with 20% of the land covered by glaciers – and includes most of the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound. Anchorage itself is home to thousands of moose, bears and fox – in fact the visitors guide boasts that you can see more bears in the city than you see in Denali! (All we saw were the “Caution Bears Live Here” signs).

We explored Potter Marsh, Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Kincaid and Elderberry Park. We visited the Alaskan Native Heritage Center – a wonderful indoor/outdoor compound representing the 11 tribes covering the state. Later, Dave was  able to get his Home Depot fix and I was even able to cruise a Sam’s Club!

Sandwiched between mountain peaks and the Cook inlet, Anchorage can have huge traffic jams – which we personally experienced when an ice cream truck caught fire on the only road out of the city. I kept thinking that this might be a city that our nephew Kevin would love – kayaking, climbing, skiing, hiking, and flying (jumping) all within an hour or two….once you get out of the city!