Golden Nugget RV Park, Alaska, United StatesRain in Anchorage
We head for the laundromat
Gine found a laundromat and this was
our first stop: we only washed 2 days ago – but now we do it again – that is
called extended circumstances because our clothes are so wet!! And we had to go
back and forth in the rain – really!!!
What to do when it rains????
Now we were heading to McDonalds – at
least here we have internet: Gine’s laptop has no battery power even it should
have charged during the day, so each of us adjust a bit different from we tough
it out – should we hole up during the rain period and with different opinions
we go no-where and nearly 2 hours later we are still in the same spot – ok now
let’s get an RV site for the night, at least then we can plug everything in and
charge it and we have internet and can make plans for the rainy days.
Sleeping in
Ok after a crappy ending day yesterday
with pouring rain, we slept in and then had the door open and the heater
running – wiping down windows and frames and it took at least another 1.5 hours
until we had the feeling we got all the moisture of the windows and out –
clearly this is not a winter-approved camper (this is why we use it in summer
in Alaska!!!) – we also decided today that Mandy will stay in the back so that
during that rainy weather we can move some staff in the front and actually can
walk in the camper (a big complaint from Paul) – and the chairs/table can also
stay in the front and we won’t have to move them back and forth every day in
the rain – that gives so much more space.
Downtown Anchorage
Today we decided to venture with our
Camper into downtown Anchorage – I mean if we are in the city we have to check
it out. First we need to find parking – which was not that complicated as they
have big parking lots it only took us a while to sign up to the app – so we
could pay. After walking along one of the main tourist streets we did what all
tourists do we went in a souvenir store to get matching rain jackets: his and
hers :-). Then along the street and over to the visitor info which is a small
log cabin with lots of flowers and lots of homeless people hanging out here. Up
the next tourist street and Gine said we saw enough. I may should mention you
learn a lot about Anchorage history as it is all along the walls.
- In the old days fourth Ave was lined with trees linking downtown with the natural surroundings: so they established the “Four-Way -forest” the important connections: 1) is it the truth, 2) is it fair to all concerned, 3) will it built goodwill and friendship?, 4) will it benefit to all concerned – this is a golden rule which should concern as all and makes the world a better place
- 1910 Cabins were built on Ships Creek
- 1912 Alaska became a united state territory with it’s own legislature – the Alaska native brotherhood was formed to give citizenship to native Alaskans
- 1914 they started to built the Alaskan Railroad from Fairbanks to Seward with the headquarter at Ship Creek: it started with a railroad construction settlement by 1915 1000 people worked here for the railroad for 37-60 cents per hour at that time it was a tent city with 2000 people, 30 restaurants, 15 grocery stores, 15 barbers, 1 bath tent, 6laundries, 2 watch repair shops, 2 drug stores, 1 saw mill, 2 movie theatre tnets, 1 newspaper, 2 lawyers, 10 cigar stores, - there were no saloons as it was government property
- 1915 a townsite auction was held “Great Anchorage of Sale”and 655 lots were sold, and the name Anchorage was chosen for the town, in 1917 the first school was built and in 1918 the first train run from Seward to Anchorage
- In 1925 a diphteria outbreak in Nome occurred, 3000 units of anti-toxin left Anchorage via railroad to Nenana and then via dog teams to Nome
- 1923 the golden spike to complete the Fairbanks-Seward railroad was put in
- 1934 they started to built the hospital
- During WWII it became a strategic spot and the military built a large army post: Fort Richardson – this was the reason they built the Alaska Highway. At the beginning of the war 7725 people lived here and at the end 43.300. Military is still an important part and 16.000 people work for it.
- 1943 anchorage had 50 airlines: people could write the name on a sign up sheet for a specific destination and when a plane was full (mostly DC-3) the plane left: From anchorage to Seattle it took 13.5 hours
- 1949: the first traffic light was installed at 4th Ave
- 1953 Mount Spurr erupted and Anchorage was covered in Ashes (it erupted again in 3x in 1992)
- 1956 Alaska became a State and in 1959 became the 49th state
- 1957 oil was discovered on the Kenai Peninsula and in 1968 the largest oil field in the Us in Prudhoe Bay got discovered, in 1974-77 the trans-atlantic pipeline got built: a barrel of crude oil takes5 days to flow from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez at 6.6 mph (by 1991 8 Billion barrels of oil reached Valdez): it was actually the discovering of oil which really made the city grow
- 1982 Alaska has only one timezone: the Alaskan Standard time (except Aleutin Islands)
- 1998 the Moose became Alaska’s official land mammal
Parks in Anchorage
A short stop at the hardware store for
new rubber rings for our propane: wow our most expensive bill so far: 1 $!!! A
Quick stop at the Ship Creek Viewing platform I mean we couldn’t really see
salmon – but there were for sure a lot of people checking and further down
fishing.
Next stop at the Resolution park:
we did park in front of a parking meter, but Gine said no paying because we are
here only for 5 Min: I mean how long does it take to walk down and look at Mr
Cook who came here in 1778 on his search for the North West Passage (which he
didn’t find).
- If you see a lot of mud at low tide then this is glacial silt
- Capt Cook 1728-1779, he did his 1st exploration voyage from 1768-71 to find Australia, Tahiti, New Zealand and New Guinea, his 2nd voyage 1772-75 went to the Antarctic and South Pacific with Friendly Isles, New Caledonia, Easter Islands, Cook Islands and New Gorgia, in 1776 he set out on his 3rd voyage on the Resolution to find the North-West Passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic he sailed up the North American Coast to Alaska, and turned south at the Bering Sea and died in Hawai in Feb 1779
Paul said: how about a Hotdog and we
decided if we can find a parking in front of the hotdog stand, he can get a
hotdog and if not then that is how it is: and there was a parking spot: guess
we are eating a reindeer hotdog: but I do have to say it was super yummy and
fresh with cheese and onions.
It’s 3 o’clock time for coffee so off
to the next park Margret Eagan Sullivan Park: it’s at a lagoon – and
after coffee we walked a bit along saw the lagoon were disappointed to not
being able to see the ocean as we are on the coastal trail: but discovered that
today already 605 bikes came by here and this month 24.000. Oh and here we also
were at the Jupiter part of the Planet walk. I think it is funny that here you
have to be concerned about Moose. And I may should mention we could see today
the mountains surrounding the city.
And as it starts to rain a bit we
decided this is perfect to get ready to head out of Anchorage: Costco – Carrs –
dumping – gas filling up. And yes again we stay at Cabela’s the meeting point
for RV’s – and yes the parking lot is full
As we are not city people we decided
we saw enough in Anchorage and we will head out tomorrow
2025-05-22