July 23--Cousin Lunch and the Museum

Wow, our last day in Alaska! For being on vacation, we sure have been on the go a lot, so we took a more leisurely mornng and caught up on some rest and picture work. We know that we won't see a bed again for a long time, so going a little slower today isn't so bad. The Dunnuck's and Welch's met downstairs for a French Toast breakfast in the hotel and then waited until 11 when they were going to meet Forst's cousin and his wife.

Dan and Anne Sommer moved to Alaska nearly 20 years ago with their church and have raised their family here. Dan's grandmother and Forst's mother were sisters. While there wasn't a lot of shared experience growing up, there were still plenty of family stories to talk about. Alan and Joyce enjoyed hearing more about what it's like to live in Alaska year-round. The six of us went up the street to the Glacier Brewhouse, a local brew pub that is very popular. The food was great and the fellowship was wonderful.




When the Sommer's left, the rest of the group made their way to the Anchorage Museum. The Schaeffer's had toured their on their long day before returning to Indiana and were very happy with their choice. The museum was undergoing some renovations, but the gallery of Alaskan art and displays about Alaskan history kept Alan and Joyce going for some time. Forst was having a "bad knee" day and elected to sit out most of the touring and was joined later by Louise.


From the museum, we made our way back arcross downtown Anchorage toward the hotel. We needed to be there by 9:30 in the evening for our shuttle to the airport, so there wasn't a rush. Along the way, we did some Anchorage shopping, looking for bargains, gifts, and last-minute souveniers. We also had a chance to see some wonderful gardens with many different kinds and colors of flowers, something we had come to expect in Alaska, but it was still stunning.

Just a couple of blocks from the hotel was the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. They had a restful presentation about the Aurora Borealis, titled "Aurora". The Northern Lights usually make their appearance at the time of year when visitors aren't around as much, so this was a great opportunity to see some amazing colors and sights, with wonderful musical background (and a nice place to rest as well!)

A couple of souvenier stops later and we were back to the hotel. We found an alcove to take over for an hour or so, Alan and Joyce went for some Subway sandwiches, and we finished our time in Alaska pretty low key.

The shuttle bus arrived on time, and there were just a few of us that had late flights out from the Princess group. Amazingly, there were several Indiana connections in the group, so the trip to the airport provided a nice time for reminiscing with others about our time in Alaska.

We arrived at the airport, checked our luggage (after some "rearranging" to meet weight requirements), and made our way to the gate. By around midnight, we were in the air, trying to sleep, and making our way to Minneapolis, and then on to Indianapolis.