Travel Musings by Jan

Calvin and I flew via Delta first to Minneapolis-St. Paul and then on to Anchorage. Thank you, Delta, for free movies on that long 5-hour flight! We were surprised when we deplaned to see bright sunlight at 9 in the evening! We marveled at the scene of mountains all around us. Holland America staff met us, collected our luggage, and shuttled our group to the Westmark Hotel in downtown Anchorage. Our room was on the 14th floor and this was the lovely scene we viewed from our window. We found we were located about 8 blocks from the Pacific Ocean, overlooking the port where almost all of the goods coming into Alaska are shipped. The Port of Anchorage website states, "If you eat it, wear it, or drive it, it came through the Port of Anchorage". Further, it states that "an estimated 90% of the merchandise goods for 85% of Alaska's populated areas pass through our facilities". The freight ship in the harbor stayed there all night until high tide. Dredge boats

Hello! Today I am starting a new blog to share with readers some musings about my recent trip to Alaska. My husband, Calvin, and I had dreamed of this trip for many years. We decided to schedule our trip this summer before we accumulate any more birthdays. We have always enjoyed travel but have mostly journeyed in the Midwest where we live. Notable earlier exceptions included two trips to New England and another to the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Perhaps after I conclude my musings about Alaska, I will try to remember some highlights of those earlier trips to share. Our entire family also has great memories of five trips to the delightful city of Charleston, South Carolina, where our oldest son and his family lived for seven years. The main item on our agenda on those trips was to enjoy time with our son and daughter-in-law and their two cute, smart, amazing children! However,   being the history enthusiasts that we are, we also toured many important and instr