It rained during the night, but it had stopped before it was time to pack up to get back on the train. Bill McNally, Marcia’s second cousin, was going to pick me up at the train station in Anchorage. Bill is a United Airlines pilot. He convinced his bosses that United should use Anchorage as their air freight hub for Asia. They agreed that it was only obvious. He switched from flying passenger 747s to 747 freighters, and they put him in charge of establishing the hub there.
After we boarded the train, we learned our start was delayed due to an earthquake near Anchorage. A truck with rail wheels was checking the track, and we could start if it was safe to go. (We made up the lost time by the time we arrived in Anchorage.)
The most scenic part of this second segment of my journey was along the Indian River. We saw big salmon at Hurricane Gulch and the conductor’s (same one) cabin just beyond it. He also delivered (tossed) the Anchorage newspaper at other scattered cabins along the route. We passed through Wasilla too, but clouds blocked our view of Russia. 😀
Bill was parked right at the station when I arrived, and after stowing my stuff in his pickup we had a beer at the Railroad Brewing Company. We swapped bike touring, flying, fishing and camping stories. He is an avid outdoorsman, which is natural for someone who grew up in Minnesota lake country.
Bill had a splendid house that he designed himself. It had a big great room with a 16′ ceiling. The second floor overlooked it from a mezzanine. It had many other unique touches too, for example, the laundry room was on the second floor. That’s where most of your clothes, towels, and bedding are anyway. Why take them downstairs and back up again when you need to launder them?
His house offered grand views of Anchorage, Cook Inlet and the Alaska Range from both the great room and the mezzanine. You could even see Denali from there.
Bill’s house was close to Chugach State Park. It is mountainous, with an alpine character because of the northern latitude. The next day, Bill and I hiked in to a couple of very nice lakes there that could have been in Yosemite. He did a little fishing while I took some (ill-fated) pictures. While we were there Bill said, “People often ask if those lakes freeze in the winter.” His answer? “No, they freeze in the fall.”
We went to downtown Anchorage for a bike ride on my last day there. We rode along the Coastal Trail and around the business district first.
The trail runs along the shelf that remained along Cook Inlet after the 1964 earthquake there. The magnitude 9.2 earthquake was the second largest in world history.
Then we rode out to Lake Hood Seaplane Base. There are over 1,000 seaplanes (floatplanes) based there. By far the largest number in the world. It was interesting to see so many different kinds landing and taking off.
Bill left at 5:00 am the next morning for a departure to Japan at 7:00 am. I got up around 7:00 am and prepared to leave. Visitors at Bill’s house had one rule to follow: Write an entry in his visitor log. I’m sure I thanked him, and reflected on my wonderful visit there. Then I let myself out and headed down the hill to the Seward highway. I’d arrive there in a couple of days.
Didit.Live 