Alaskan M(oo)sings: Review of Past Week

I am not good at posting every day. I get tired.

Here is a review of what we did last week when John came to visit.

1. Local Breweries - BB and I find that local breweries usually have good food. They are also a good place to go when you need to sit, relax and gather yourself for the next round of activities. We visited:

49th State Brewing - both locations (Anchorage and Healy)
Anchorage Brewing
King Street Brewing
Ravens Ring Brewing
Denali Brewing
Girdwood Brewing

2. Hot Dogs - John continued his search for the perfect hot dog. Read about it on his blog ( https://tourdefrankhotdogs.blogspot.com/?m=1).

3. Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center - I LOVE this place. We got a family pass that is good for a year. It allows us to bring four guests with us. Realize that if you come visit us you will end up visiting the Center. My highlight this trip was the Moose Encounter. We got to feed a moose! Reading about the Wood Bison Restoration Project was also interesting to me as we saw Wood Bison on the Alaska Highway in Canada. The Wood Bison at the Center are descendants from Wood Bison brought to the Center from Canada.

4. Alaska State Fair - A great all day event! Weather forecast was for all day rain. It was a drizzly morning but that stopped mid-day. The food was a hit, also looking at the veggies, animals and the arts and crafts. BB nixed me getting a goat; but I tell you baby goats are just too cute! We saw quilts that were amazingly beautiful. No way should they end up on a bed. We went to the Amazing Raptor Exhibit and learned about hawks, falcons and owls. John got a hotdog. We checked out the rides but didn't take any.

5. Denali National Park - Can't really get into the park without taking a bus tour. We took the 6-hour Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour. The hope was we would see animals...and we did! We saw BIG animals:
4 grizzly bears
6 bull moose (with impressive antlers!)
1 female moose
caribou - multiple sightings: singles, groups, and a herd sky lined on top of a ridge
Dall Sheep - multiple sightings
And LITTLE animals:
1 squirrel
2 ptarmigans
1 grouse
And beautiful scenery. Fall is starting here so there was lots of color.
We did not see THE mountain (Denali) while in the park. We did catch glimpses of pieces of it on the drive back to Anchorage.

Not the best pictures; however, look closely and you should see a moose and a bear:

I think Denali is in these:

6. Husky Homestead - I LOVE this place! Here is another warning that if you visit us you will likely end up here. This is where four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King raises and trains his sled dogs. You step out of your car and are handed a puppy! You meet Jeff King! You learn how he trains his dogs (the wheel and the treadmill) and hear Jeff tell adventures encountered running the Iditarod. His book, Cold Hands Warm Heart, is an interesting and amusing read.