Crazy travels!!

12/1/13
Late breakfast and check out but with over 2 hours to wait until going to the airport we decided to walk to Stanley Park. The walk around the river took us to Totem poles - beautifully carved & coloured. 

Then took the walk around the beach to get back - not a good idea especially after walking some distance to find that we had 5 kms to go! There seemed little point in turning back so we powered on not daring to look at the time as we knew it was running out for us to get to the airport! The path was icy in places & cold because it was in the shade but the sea was clean & clear. The path wound around the cliffs and there was no way of gettting to a road so we continued on trying to increase our walking speed. Needless to say we arrived back at the hotel breathless but with just enough time to get to the airport!

Checked in at airport, paid $21each for our bags to be placed in the hold & then we went through customs and security - fingerprints etc. - until we reached a sign saying ‘Welcome to the USA - strange as we were still in Canada but it did mean that we didn’t have to go through customs once arriving in USA. All the rushing we had done was in vane as the plane left 50 minutes later than planned.

It was a short flight to Seattle to board the next flight to Anchorage. With it landing late Valda & I had to run to the next gate and for the first time ever our names were being announced throughout the airport. Once again today we arrived breathless but got on board! 

It was 3hr 30min to Anchorage and of course when we got there our bags hadn’t arrived! We had to fill in form etc & then went to our hotel by this time it was after 10pm & unfortunately no food to be had. Slept in our clothes & at 5am had a call to say that a bag had arrived - it was Valda’s but it was badly damaged!

After breakfast we went to the airport - thank goodness there is a free shuttle from this airport - Valda had taken her empty bag to claim on it & I asked where mine was! We watched 2 flights come in from Seattle but my bag wasn’t there. We spoke to supervisors from Air Alaska & they told us to go & buy the things we needed - me clothes, Valda a new bag - come back with the receipts and we’d be refunded the money spent. They also paid for an extra nights accommodation as instead of seeing Anchorage we were either at the airport or the Mall.

Conditions in the street were treacherous paths were totally icy. The temperature is just above freezing & it was raining. We were sliding along the paths praying that we wouldn’t fall. Daylight didn’t come in until 10am & by 5pm it was dark! We were not venturing out again once we were here so had a nice dinner & then an early night. Still no bag!!!! But wait - on going to breakfast I was reunited with my luggage.

Caught the shuttle to downtown Anchorage & called into another, minor airport which was a total ice.rink. 

We went to the Visitor Centre to check out a few things. Firstly it was suggested that we went to the Army & Navy store to buy 'cleats' ( things you put on your shoes which makes walking on ice ok!) We then found that because the weather was so mild there were a number of things we couldn't do! Even the ice sculptures are melting! 

After a great deal of discussion we are staying here for a couple of days and trying to do some day tours. One to an animal reserve has been shut for a few days because of the threat of avalanches! 

We will head to Seattle on Thursday & spend our last 5 days there. We will have to come back to Alaska at another time - hopefully much colder - to visit the areas we can't reach because of the mild weather.