{"id":2939,"date":"2014-07-23T05:32:27","date_gmt":"2014-07-23T05:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=2939"},"modified":"2014-07-23T05:32:27","modified_gmt":"2014-07-23T05:32:27","slug":"2014-family-vacation-days-1-and-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=2939","title":{"rendered":"2014 Family Vacation: Days 1 and 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year’s family vacation is a trip to Alaska. \u00a0Once again, Candy has painstakingly planned this event. \u00a0Day one was a travel day from Baltimore through Detroit through Seattle to Anchorage. \u00a0In Detroit Metro airport we had a long layover, which enabled us to get a stack of Coney Island hotdogs at National Coney Island. \u00a0I was quite disappointed in not being able to find a Vernors ginger ale.<\/p>\n

\"Candy<\/a>
Candy and Tom at National Coney Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We also learned — almost by accident — that there is a USO-like organization operating in the Detroit airport, so we had a chance to sit on comfortable couches and have a drink in a quiet place while we waited for our flight.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>
Our first view of Alaska<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After nearly 10.5 hours in the air and two layovers, we finally caught a glimpse of Alaska. \u00a0You can see a glacier under the wing along the southeastern coast of Alaska. \u00a0This was about 0100 East Coast time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We are renting an RV for this trip. \u00a0We arrived after the rental agency, Great Alaska Highways, was closed. \u00a0The rental agency is used to having people arrive late, so they had the keys for our RV on the rear wheel and allowed us to sleep in it overnight. \u00a0The picture above was taken at about 2200 at night; Anchorage had 17.5 hours of daylight yesterday. \u00a0We arrived got to bed after midnight after we unpacked our suit cases into the various drawers, closets, and cubby holes. \u00a0The next morning we got our training on the RV and were on our way.<\/p>\n

\"Waking<\/a>
Waking up -- slowly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our first stop was downtown anchorage for a trolley tour and brief history lesson. \u00a0We learned quite a bit about the great earthquake (the second largest in world history) and some other interesting facts.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The visitor's center in Anchorage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Hotdogs<\/a>
Hotdogs and bratwurst from a street vendor in downtown Anchorage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I found this sign near the visitor’s center interesting.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sam<\/a>
Sam makes a friend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a couple of hours wandering around some gift shops, we headed out of town. \u00a0Our first stop was our proposed camp sight for the first night — just a couple miles outside Anchorage near Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson. \u00a0We reserved our camp sight and then went to visit the Alaska Heritage Center.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A semi-subterranean native Alaskan dwelling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Alaska Heritage Center includes villages representing the 11 major cultural groups in Alaska. \u00a0Most had high school aged docents from those regions and cultures who described the traditional dwellings, tools, and other artifacts. \u00a0Except in the southeastern part of Alaska, which is classified as rainforest, most of the state is permafrost. \u00a0The native Alaskans built semi subterranean dwellings that protected them from the harsh temperatures. \u00a0The picture above shows the entrance to a reproduction of one such dwelling.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A young man shows off his skills at a native Alaskan athletic event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition there were a number of talks by the high school aged kids and some demonstrations of native dancing and sports. \u00a0The picture above shows one native athletic event in which the participant, starting from a standing position, jumps straight up and tries to kick a ball hanging in the air. \u00a0The demonstrator placed third in the recent native Alaskan athletic games.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We also took the time to do something really touristy at the Alaskan Heritage Center: \u00a0we got pulled in a training sled around a short course by a team of dogs that completed this year’s Iditarod competition. \u00a0Afterward we had a chance to see some of the dogs, who were amazingly friendly. \u00a0I expected them to be more wild.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A whale skeleton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After about four hours at the Alaska Heritage Center we went to Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson to stock up our camper with food for the next week or so. \u00a0Then we retired to our camp sight for a light dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. \u00a0We were quite tired from the previous day’s traveling and late night, so we hit the sack early.<\/p>\n

The temperature was between 55 and 65 all day. \u00a0The weather and scenery were terrific.<\/p>\n

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