Anchorage and Turnagain Arm

The Chugach Mountains frame the city of Anchorage.

We land in Anchorage at 11:45 p.m. and the sun was bright and shinning and high in the sky. Our bodies were tired from traveling all day, but mental were given a twist by the Midnight Sun and the odd fact that people were walking around Anchorage like it was an early summer evening. Not a few random people, but kids riding bikes, people doing yard work, buses making regular stops. The only clue that is was late into the evening was that the majority of the stores were closed. Even the "Eat Late" at Taco Bell store. By the time we got our rental car and headed to the hotel, Madelyn was out cold. So we toted her to the only open restaurant near us--Denny's. The sticker shock of the price of the food really took us by surprise, but after traveling 12 hours to get there, we quickly understood. (By the way, McDonald's has a $2.00 value meal--and that was cheap.) At the hotel we attempted to draw the black out curtains, but they just didn't block out all the light. Maddy was up at the crack of TEXAS time, just as schedule for home but we were three hours behind central standard time. You would think a nap would for sure be in her future, but she was just as interested in the nature around as we were.

In Airport park, part of Denali National Forest.

Earthquake Park the site of North America's strongest earthquake of a 9.2 magnitude in 1964. You can still see where the earth separated and rose seven feet from the other plate.

The Cook Inlet waterfront in Anchorage.

Mackenzie Point--taken just for Mackenzie

Turnagain Arm provided us some of the beautiful scenery. The four hour drive from Anchorage to Homer went by fast in terms of so much scenery to look at in awe and wonder. But at the same time we felt compelled to stop at every scenic point and take pictures. What should have been four hours turned into a seven hour drive when you added up all the pit stops. But it didn't feel so long, because we were truly captivated by the majesty of the area.

We took over 200 pictures during our drive, but they just do not do the beauty and majesty justice.

Turnagain Arm has two high tides and two low tides a day. The current is extreme and you could visibly see the rippling of the current as it was pulled out to sea. Beluga whales and sea otters are often seen in the waters. We saw several Sea Otter Rafts floating along and looking ooh so adorable. Maddy even saw some whale spray.

Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were brought forth,or ever you had formed the earth and the world,from everlasting to everlasting you are God." It make me sad that I wouldn't get to see this view everyday in Texas. God never ceases to amaze me with his creations!

Overlook Waterfall was one of the many cascading beauties we saw, but this one was just WOW!

The entire drive was riddled with cliffs with small cascading waterfalls remnants of the melting snow caps above.