Our 4th of July!!

We were excited and ready to celebrate the 4th of July in Alaska today........not a single thing went as planned-but it was perfect and so much fun!

The day started with a couple garage sales we found on Craigslist w/ furniture, bikes, and a snowblower listed. Garage sales are the same here---if you don't get there right when it starts, what you wanted is gone OR it is extremely over-priced. We came home with a couple books and a wicker "chest" for storing blankets!

Our agenda was to hit garage sales, go downtown to see the festivities and the parade, then head to the beach for the day with a picnic lunch. Well--by the time we got downtown, it was PACKED and the parade had started. We got frustrated and decided to just hit the beach. We decided to follow the coastline in hopes of finding a beach or something similar---this is what we found!

We stopped at Beluga Point, but didn't spot any whales! BECAUSE I was ready for the beach-I stupidly wore flip-flops and Adam decided he'd be my hero and carry me from the "point" to our car!! **picture**

Our next stop was due to several cars parked on the side of the road with binoculars and cameras pointed at the mountain above us...... DALL SHEEP!!! We saw several females with what we believed to be babies--on the side/edge of a very steep mountain! Behind us was an ocean creature--watching the whole event from the water! Adam spotted an Harbor Seal or sea lion. He just kept poking his head up and watching us!

Next, since we hadn't found a beach and drove pretty south of Anchorage-we consulted our map! We decided an animal refuge would be our next stop! We saw many Alaskan animals that were thankfully saved and are still alive. 3 brown/grizzly bear cubs came in at 6mos old after their mom had been shot. There were many orphaned moose, caribou, elk, musk oxen, and bison. They also had black bears, great-horned owls, a fox, black-tailed deer, and a lynx. A staff member was sitting with a small bull moose, rubbing him and talking to him. We thought he was sick, she said it was just cuddle time!! She raised him since he was 3months old (now 18months). She was a very proud mama and told us of his ups and downs when he was young and a great story of when she took him camping with her---he was like a loyal dog and sat outside her tent!

From our few adventures--we have learned a lot about Alaska already. Mainly about the wildlife, but also some history. Alaska has daily earthquakes, sometimes felt in Anchorage! In the 1960's, a record quake dropped the terrain a good 10 feet in some places, causing crazy tidal waves of saltwater that killed many trees. The trees still stand! **picture** There are tidal waves called "bores" in the Turnagain Arm that can be something like 6ft high!! We have a chart to follow, so we can see the best bore. One other dangerous trap mother nature has in Alaska is in the mudflats of the bay when tide is low. They can cover holes up to 100ft deep! ....no adventures through the mud to reach the sea water!

On the way back home, we saw several waterfalls that started at the very top of the mountain, or where the snow was still melting! One had a state park for hiking, camping, fishing, ...taking pictures!

Oh yes---and the fireworks aren't that great in Alaska at this time of year---it doesn't get dark! I guess the big fireworks show is during their outdoor festival in February!