Only In a Grocery Store!

I remember as a young single girl I was told that a great place to meet men was in the supermarket. I’m not sure I ever understood that but I think it had something to do with checking our the food in their carriage and you could tell from that if they were single.

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Whatever it was, it never worked for me. You can get frostbite hanging out in the frozen food section!

I mention this only because I’ve never found standing in a check out line a place to strike up a conversation of any depth but I have to eat my words now. (Along with a tasty muffin)

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Sunday morning I stopped in the local grocery store to pick up cat food and a lb of hamburger. I spent more on cat food than I did on my food but that;s not what I was getting to. What I wanted to share is that I got talking to this lovely lady that was in line behind me. I’m not even sure how it came about but before I knew it we were talking travel. She has a friend who just bought a home on the Big Island and she asked if I had ever been there. That led to a comparison of the various islands. She had been to Oahu and Maui.

We agreed that everyone should go to Oahu if for no other reason than to see Pearl Harbor but while you’re there visit the Polynesian Cultural Center too and I threw in a snorkel in Hanauma Bay.

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We both like Maui for just general pleasantness.

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Its more laid back than Oahu. But I think I still like the Big Island best. I love Volcano National Park and the excitement of an active volcano in the form of Kilauea.

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From Hawaii we made a brief stop in Houston because of the upcoming Superbowl (Go Pats) and then veered off to Kentucky.

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Neither of us had been there but one of her friends holds a Kentucky Derby Party every year with fancy hats and mint juleps.

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Then our conversation took a big jump to Alaska and the pros and cons of doing a cruise. Don’t miss Denali!

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By the time I finally reached the check out, we were well on the way to discussing international travel. I have to say it made standing in line go by really fast. I never even got the lady’s name but here’s to Happy Travels!

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An Update from Mayor Stubbs

Hi Guys
I have greatly improved over the last few weeks and is beginning to get back to his old self. I may need another surgery to repair a floating septum bone but otherwise I am doing well. I am watching the elections with great and Feel ready to dispense advice on any issue. I am roaming more freely (around the store) and extra precautions have been taken to assure I remain safe and well while recovering. I may come out of retirement and Claw my way back to the top..
Many thanks for your wonderful support
cat

Alaska Wrap Up

I thought I’d finish my series on Alaska with a few stats for you to mull over. It’s no wonder they call Alaska “The Great Land”.

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Alaska is home to 17 of the 20 tallest mountains in the US. The top ten starting with Mt McKinley are:

  1. Mount McKinley    20,320 ft.       Alaska Range
  2. Mount Logan           19,541 ft.        Saint Elias Range
  3. Mount ST. Elias      18,008 ft.      Saint Elias Range
  4. Mount Foraker        17,400 ft.      Alaska Range
  5. Mount Lucania        17,257 ft.       Saint Elias Range
  6. King Peak                  16,972 ft.      Saint Elias Range
  7. Mount Bona              16,550 ft.     Saint Elias Range
  8. Mount Steel               16,470 ft.     Saint Elias Range
  9. Mount Blackburn     16,390 ft.     Wrangell Mountains
  10. Mount Sanford          16,237 ft.     Wrangell Mountains

Alaska has an area of 571,951 miles and is the largest state in the U.S, more than twice the size of Texas, its closest rival.

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With a population  only 686,293 this translates to an average of 1.2 people per square mile.  the rest od the US has an average of 76 people per square mile.

Alaska has over 70 potentially  active volcanos!

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The Alaskan coast line is 6,600 miles long. Include the islands and it balloons to 34,000 miles! There are 3000 rivers and more than 3 MILLION lakes!

Over 50% of the world’s Glaciers call Alaska home.

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30% od Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.

There’s so many more fun facts, like the Alaska Bachelor’s Club but if I tell you everything what will that leave you to discover on your own trip?

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Newark International Airport at 5am. Almost home.

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Back at the hotel we retrieved our carry-on’s and made ourselves comfortable in the lobby of the Hotel Captain Cook.

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It’s a very nice hotel all polished and shiny with lots of shops to explore.

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Eventually we moved outside to sit in the sun while we watched them load our luggage onto the bus for our trip to the airport.

One stop in Seattle, very briefly, and then the red-eye to Newark. From Newark a short hop to Albany, NY. Lots of time to review the trip in my mind.

A few quick facts I ran across during our Alaskan Adventure.

The Alaska Flag: The Big Dipper & the North Star on a field of blue.

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State Motto: North to the Future

State Fish: ( Bet you can’t guess) King Salmon

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State Flower: Forget-Me-Not

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State Tree: Sitka Spruce

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State Mineral: ( Another obvious choice) Gold

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State Gem: Jade

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Sport: Not hunting, not fishing…it’s Dog Mushing

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State Bird: Willow Ptarmigan

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Native People: Eskimo, Aleut, Athabascan Indians, Haida Indians, Tlingit Indians, Tsimshian Indians

On the Summer Solstice (June 21) Anchorage gets 22 hours of functional daylight.

The largest Salmon caught in Alaska weighed 97 lbs.

The largest halibut weighed 459 lbs.

The average snowfall  in Anchorage is 69 inches. 42 miles away , on Mt Alyeska, the average snowfall is 650 inches.

The Northern Lights are most often seen between September and March unless you are above the Artic Circle.

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