But today, the best part of waking up wasn't the Folgers in my cup, it was Debby's Zucchini bread that she had made! She even delivered it to our camper while it was still warm...and it was VERY good! WOW, what a way to start the day!
We loaded up our backpacks and cooler and drove off towards Anchorage to start our day trip. We intended to first stop and hike up to Thunderbird Falls. Only problem was, the exit was only for Wasilla-bound cars. So, we temporarily skipped item A on the agenda and headed for Potter's Marsh on the south side of Anchorage.
If you are into birding, this is one place you don't want to miss. There is a very nice boardwalk which takes you along the northwest perimeter of the marsh. From there you can experience two of the three creeks which flow into the marsh. Within the wetlands are a variety of birds. Check out the photos that were added today to see some of the feathered friends that we saw.
Peggy was carrying binoculars and said, "There's a moose out there." And she was right! After several minutes the moose ambled back into a thicket of trees and disappeared.
From Potter's Marsh Peggy suggested driving on down the Seward Highway to the Turnagain Arm Pit, a BBQ joint, since it was now just past noon. We had passed it several times when going back and forth from Whittier and again to Seward. It was about 12 miles southeast of Anchorage and got good reviews in The Milepost. The BBQ place is not very big only having 6 booths inside. When the weather is decent there are about 6 or so picnic tables outside to use. With a threat of rain we chose to eat inside.
We order the day's special: 1/2 rack of St. Louis style dry rubbed ribs, 1/2 rack of their BBQ ribs, cole slaw and baked beans. I should say we split this order between us, and like Debby's zucchini bread, it was very good, also!
On the way back toward Anchorage, we stopped and walked the McHugh Creek State Park area. It was once a home to miners. We took some pixs and headed on up the Seward Highway.
We then stopped on the south side of Potter's Marsh where we got good closeup pictures of gulls and terns. The neatest thing was watching an adult gull feeding 3 chicks by upchucking food for them. (I was glad that we had already eaten!)
From there we drove into Anchorage to Earthquake Park on the west side along Cook Inlet. It was in this area in 1964 that the Good Friday earthquake created much damage and devastation to homes. The park has a short walking path with many placards describing the destruction.
Then we drove to downtown Anchorage to attend a theater showing of a 40 minute movie entitled "Aurora Borealis" with videos of the northern lights. It was amazing the shots the videographer had taken. It would be nice to see firsthand these sights, but the time of year (Land of the Midnight Sun) interferes. Maybe the latter part of August will provide an opportunity if the sky gets dark enough and Mother Nature cooperates.
After the movie we drove past the monument marking Alaska's Statehood Day, Jan 3, 1959. It is a bust of President Eisenhower backed by an eagle and 2 flags.
We then got back on the Glenn Highway to drive to the trailhead for Thunderbird Falls. It was 5:00 p.m. and the drive helped alleviate any homesickness we may have had as we were in the bumper to bumper traffic of Anchorage's rush hour. It reminded me of making the drive from Center St. to Maple St. on I-680 at the end of the day when I was working.
We made it to the exit for the falls, parked, paid our $5 state park fee, and began the 1 mile hike up to the falls. We made the walk, took some pictures, and hiked back down. The short drive back to Wasilla was uneventful with our arrival back "home" happening just after 7:00 p.m.
Since we had such a large lunch, I suggested that I would enjoy some more Zucchini bread for supper. Didn't know that we would eat the whole loaf in one day!!
No comments:
Post a Comment