Chpt-21 Seward

Back "home" in Anchorage it's a good day to take a bike ride around the lake. It is so to say a big yard for airplanes. It's also the busiest seaplane base in the world. No, it's not the biggest, it's the busiest. Many planes around:


The airplane marina.


Next day. On our way to Seward, a nice little drinking town with a fishing problem.


The road down is, again, one of the most scenic drives I can remember.







Our reason to get there: finally a kayak trip.


I didn't take a picture, but just next to me a dolphin showed up.


On our way back. Everything looks even nicer. Isn't that what you imagine when you hear the word "Alaska"?


Awesome, huh?


A perfect place to take another panorama picture.


Which is this one:


Back in Anchorage, Dennis, Charley and me went out for some beers. There is a terrace up on the roof where there was a very nice view over the city to enjoy.


On our way home: a lake in the middle of the city.


However, this will be the last picture on this blog. I just managed it to get my car sold. To a price both parties have made a good deal with. I checked the weather report and it says: rain rain rain rain rain...

Somehow I like "Heat wave" better. I rebooked my flight and when you read this, I'll probably be on the plane already.

So, I hope every one of you has enjoyed following my trip and maybe one or the other has got some ideas of where to plan next year's vacation.

Now I am looking forward to my "New Life" in Bremen again, after 4 years in Toulouse and 2 1/2 months in Canada/USA...

Chpt-20 Anchorage / Denali

In Anchorage, my work starts again. First week in San Diego was about buying a car, now it's about selling it again. Unfortunately I wasn't quite aware about the importance of the "title" of a car. That like the "Fahrzeugbrief" in German. Without it you can't sell a car. Now I have to wait for getting it sent to me. I hope it will be here before I leave.

Dennis, his son Charley and Tracy, which I hiked up the mountain with, just next to Anchorage.


That's what you see up there:


And on the other side.


Next adventure: My ride to Denali Park. It is situated just next to Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America. This is on the highway up there.


Everybody has their vehicle pared right in front of their building. Some of those just fly.


I made a stopover at Talkeetna. Good that I brought my bike again.


The river there is just beautiful.


View from the place I had dinner at.


Seems, no one lives in Igloos anymore nowadays.


That's where my bus into Denali leaves. It takes only six and a half hours to get you from there to the campground.


And this is the pretty bus, taking me and some hard core campers out "Into the wild". Actually, for those of you who have read the book or seen the movie: the bus where he ended up is just right North the place I stayed. Something between 20 to 50 miles north (will have to find out about it later...).


Weather wasn't all too good, and frankly, it went worse...


Nice countryside, soaked with water.


Look at the bus and you get a feeling what my tent will look like 2 days later.





Yupp, they have sheep here in the park. Different from those you know from most farms, though.


On this model you can see what I did not see: the highest mountain in North America: Mount McKinley.


You better bring some good mood when you build up a tent out in the wild in a whether like this. I am not quite sure if my mod was that good in the begining, it was miserable at the end, so much for sure! ;-)


Looks like the one in the movie, huh?


My hiking trail the next day. Usually this is a good spot to see the enormous mountain in the background. Unfortunately, well, see yourself. Weather is pretty much unpredictable over here.





I was happy to be in the bus after two days and nights in the rain. People were arguing who was wetter and more soaked. But a highlight: we saw some Grizzlies just next to the road:



Once more in motion:

Chpt-19 Into Anchorage

From TOK the road took me further down the Highway to Anchorage. However, it took me a loong time as I stopped for every picture which can possibly be taken. And here are some of them. Most of them I will just speak for themselves...

Early morning at some RV-Park. It wasn't much darker here at midnight.


The street to the place called "Chicken".


To remind you where and in what country you are.


Old Saloons from the gold mining age.































They wanted $20, just to get closer to that glacier. Something tells me that I will see more of them for less money...




Now I have arrived in Anchorage and I am working already on getting the car sold again. So, it's not only vacation but also work, here. Today it was a full day of work.