Anchorage Adage...

One old weather adage, or proverb, states, "If it rains before seven, it will clear before eleven."  Well, for us on this trip,that sure didn't hold true.  We had rain before seven in Anchorage, which continued off and on for most of the day......same as the day before....and the day before that, ad nauseam.  At our age, we have to keep moving so we don't rust!

We made our way to Earthquake Park, which sits on top of a bluff overlooking Cook Inlet.  The 1964 Good Friday earthquake not only wiped out Valdez and Portage, it also caused a huge portion of the land here to drop 15 feet, obliterating an entire neighborhood.

As we read the sign below, we realized we were standing on a spot that would have been 15 feet underground before the quake hit.  No wonder I felt a bit claustrophobic....

As we walked along the path, you could see how sections of the land had undulated up and down, finally settling into small mounds and pockets under the tree branches.  If you strayed from the paved path, you really had to watch your feet to avoid tripping.

I guess Don didn't want his picture taken, so he turned around and walked backwards as I took a photo.

We had also found out from the ranger on the Whittier boat tour that this area is a rain forest.  That would explain the numerous mushrooms nestled under the trees, just off the main path ways.  These weren't the dull, gray or brown mushrooms variety found in your local grocery store.  The beautiful red and yellow coloring made them stand out against the green grass and ferns.

This is my favorite one.

No visit to Alaska would be complete unless you came home with an Ulu (pronounced oo-loo).  Off we headed to the Ulu Factory near downtown Anchorage.

The Ulu is a traditional knife used by the Eskimo women and great for chopping veggies, meat or anything else.  In the end, 3 couples came out with Ulus.  We were a "sharp" bunch for at least once in our lives!