I am home in Alaska for the month of June.  The days are warm and sunny, and with 22 hours of daylight in Anchorage, you can drive at midnight without headlights.   Most local people are enjoying the long Alaskan summer days with activities such as fishing, swimming, camping, hiking, and planting gardens to grow HUGE vegetables!  The volcanic activity from Mt. Redoubt has quieted down, and the only sign of the eruptions this Spring was a dusting of ash on my driveway and the dust on the leaves of trees and plants in my yard.

Alaska Cruisetours…What are they?

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When I arrived back in Alaska the airport was literally bustling with people from all over the world arriving with their fishing poles, ice chests, back packs, hunting and camping gear.  Groups of tourists were being met by guides from all the major cruise lines.  The tourist season runs from mid-May to mid-September.  June 21, the summer solstice, and longest day of the year, marks the height of the summer season.

As a former Bed & Breakfast owner, I was glad to see all this activity for the start of a good tourist season. Summer is definitely the best time to visit Alaska.  There are some great travel deals out there.  Some cruise lines are offering great discounts.  See www.worldtoursandcruises.com for specials.  As you travel and sightsee in Alaska be sure to ask for businesses for Last Frontier specials as Alaska is turning 50 this year.

Happy Birthday Alaska!

Recommended places to visit when in the Anchorage area:

Alaska Native Cultural Center

Anchorage Museum (see information below)

Boat trip on Portage Lake to get close to the Portage Glacier

Take a tram ride up Mount Alyeska

Visit the Anchorage Zoo

Drive through the Whittier Tunnel to Whittier and take a 26 Glacier Cruise

Sealife Center in Seward

Cruise Kenai Fjords from Seward

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Girdwood

Pan for Gold

Friends and I checked out the beautiful new addition to the Anchorage Museum designed by a noted English architect,  David Chipperfield.  He is an internationally renowned and award winning architect based in London. In the new building there is a wonderful exhibit of 300 Gold objects.  The exhibit is running from May 30 to August 2.  Highlights of the exhibit are ancient Greek and Incan jewelry and a 27 pound solid gold bar!  Also in the new section see the new Museum Cafe and Museum Shop.

Still, my favorite section of the museum depicts Alaska history and I love to see the paintings of Alaska Mountains by Alaskan Sydney Lawrence.  The addition of the new building will make it possible to bring back to Alaska for display here at home over 600 native artifacts from the Smithsonian Museum.  Also the Imaginarium, a children’s science museum, will relocate here from a separate downtown location.  The Thomas Planatarium and Tote Space for children ages 0-5 will soon replace the former Children’s Gallery in the old section of the building.

Some other great free things to do in Anchorage are:

Walk the coastal trail

Bird watch at Westchester Lagoon

Watch the sea planes take off and land at Lake Hood

Swim in Goose Lake

Bike ride on the bike trails all over Anchorage (they are ski trails in winter)

Sample the fresh baked bread at Great Harvest Bread Company on Benson Boulevard

Sample chocolates filled with Alaska wild berries at Alaska Wild Berry Products

See the free sourdough show at Alaska Sourdough Mining Company Restaurant

Climb Flat Top Mountain

Watch for whales at Beluga Point

Look for eagles, Dahl sheep and waterfalls while driving along Turnagain Arm

Visit the Visitors’ Center at Portage Glacier

Opportunities to see wildlife happen even in the city of Anchorage.  I had only been home a few days when a cow moose with two baby calves passed through my midtown neighborhood.  I watched from my car and took lots of pictures.  It is important not to touch or feed the wildlife.  Especially as a cow with calves can be very protective, and she could injure or kill a human if threatened.