Leg #: 12 (Day 41-46) 

Location: Talkeetna, Anchorage and Whittier (we called an audible and changed our planned itinerary due to inclement weather) 

Mileage Driven leg/total:   498 / 5797 miles 

Road Conditions:  Variable. Roads as we have traveled south have improved with less frost heaves, but there were unexpectedly sections of road in quite rough shape. 

Weather:  The weather was forecasted for 3 solid days of rain upon departure from Denali NP so we decided to head to Anchorage where there were some indoor activities/options available instead of spending 2 additional days in that area sitting in the rain. Ww are fine with misty drizzly rain, just not non-stop pouring rain as forecasted. Weather in Anchorage was nice overall, with a mix of sun, overcast and light rain. Very PNW like. 

Tofu Status:  
	• All systems working. 

Highlights: 
	• Wildlife Sightings: moose and baby moose, black bears, bald eagle, sea otters, harbor seals, kittiwake. 
	• Anchorage is a gem of a city. It is easy to get around, relatively clean, lots to things to do and with friendly locals. No touristy vibe at all. The city is surrounded by mountains but also has water access as it is on the Cook Inlet. Anchorage reminds me  in character of a nicer version of Seattle but it's the actual size of Chattanooga,  TN. A great combination in my book. 
	• We took a Brompton bike ride along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. This is a paved 21 mile multi-use trail from downtown Anchorage to several parks. It was a lovely ride with views of downtown Anchorage and even Denali in the distance. We did have to "hike-a-bike" through a dense muskeg due to a moose and baby moose on the trail that were not interested in moving on. After 45 minutes of getting devoured by mosquitos, several locals decided to hike around the moose (meese?) so we followed. Let me just say it was 100% bushwacking and Devil's Club is no joke. 
	• We spent a delightful afternoon at the Alaska Aviation Museum. A small but well done museum mainly focused on telling the personal stories of bush pilots. There was equitable space given to women bush pilots and their impact, especially during WWII. 
	• We headed south for a couple days with stops in Girdwood and Whittier. Whittier is only accessible via a 2.5 mile long tunnel which is shared with the railroad. We walked around downtown Whittier, hiked up to Portage Pass to view the glacier and took a catamaran cruise of the Prince William Sound. While is was amazing to see so many blue glaciers up close, the catamaran was too "people-y" for our liking. I think this is a theme for us, we aren't "people-y" people. 
	• We joined a NOAA scientist and several directors from the Anchorage Museum for a night bike ride around Anchorage. The ride theme was viewing Anchorage through the lens of how climate change is impacting this area. Very informational and a perfect warm/cool but sunny evening. It was great to meet so many locals, too. 
	• We toured the Alaska Botanical Gardens and learned about flora that is native to this area. They were a Harvest Host location so we stayed the night, too. 
	• This might sound like a strange highlight but we stayed multiple nights at  (Camp) Cabela's along with at least 100+ other RV's. It was centrally located, quiet, strong cellular signal and safe and so many unique RVs, many from Europe or South America. Good people watching. 
	 
Lowlights: 
	• Talkeetna. We wanted to like it, but not so much. At least 6 giant tour buses were in town making this tiny hamlet super crowded with tourists plus it was cold and raining. We did a quick stop in town but ultimately decided to not linger as it was just too "people-y" for us. We did stop for Birch Syrup on our way out of town. Delicious. 
	• Several days of non-stop torrential rain. 
	• Mosquitos were equally as bad in Anchorage as they were in Fairbanks. Locals told us this has been a horrible year for them. 
	• Drivers in Anchorage are very aggressive. 

Tiger (Provan) Sightings: Tony = 2, Tracey = 0. 1 Earthroamer, too. 

Next: Kenai Peninsula with friends