Anchorage, AK

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Sunday August 5, 2007 It wasn’t raining when we got up, but the clouds were heavy and slate grey so it was still a possibility. Based on the advice of the Campground Hostess, we headed for the Alaska Botanical Gardens. She recommended the nature hike for the chance to see bear or moose within the city limits.
The Gardens were very pretty and the Garden Club had had a show yesterday and the winners were still on view. The flowers in the garden were wet and combined with the cloudy sky, the colors of the plants were saturated - great for photography. We enjoyed the nature walk. There were lots of berries (autumn is coming to Alaska) and different birds. We actually saw a bull moose. He had run across a road and then up the steep bank near where we were walking on the trail. After that we saw evidence everywhere of moose in the area. We also spotted three hawks. So Frank was happy about the wildlife and I was happy about the gardens. Nice morning!
After lunch we headed northwest to Chugach State Park about 20 minutes from the campsite. They have a nature center and trails around the Eagle River. The sky lightened up considerably and the sun did peak through once in a while. We took a pleasant hike near the river for several hours. It was flat and the scenery was different than we’ve seen - - wetlands and birch forest (not rain forest). As we made our way back to Anchorage it clouded up again and started to sprinkle. Not sure what the weather forecast is for tomorrow. No one here seems to give weather reports much credibility.

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Photos

Hike at Eagle River Chugach State Park
The Chugach State Park is outside Anchorage. The environment in the park was different. The wetlands were caused by underground springs and the water is clear.