Weekend in Anchorage

Leslie Friday, July 11 to Sunday, July 13, 2008

Back in Anchorage, we spent the next few days dealing with errands great and small. On Fridya morning w e had an early appointment at an RV repair facility to have our water pump replaced, the gas portion of the water heater replaced, and a recall done on our refrigerator. It was a cloudy, chilly, day. After a few hours spent in the service waiting area, I decided to move to the back couch of the couch to hang out with Molly and Cody. We were even able to make lunch in the rig as we waited for parts to arrive. All in all, it wasn’t that much of a hassle but we certainly hope that the water system is now in good repair. (Hint – within a day we’ll learn that it still doesn’t work right!)

Saturday and Sunday we ran city errands – two visits to COSTCO, grocery store, Sports Authority, etc. We did lots of low level shopping. Anchorage is the first real city we’ve seen since we left Colorado in early May. We’re leaving Anchorage on Monday for a camping spot in the woods, then on to Valdez which is a small, coastal town. We used this opportunity to stock up on staples as COSTCO and the grocery store, get prescriptions filled, and generally restock for the road. Laundry, however, can wait for the next town. Because so many people in rural Alaska don’t have running water and electricity at home, every town, regardless of how small, has a laundromat.

Sunday night we took our traditional walk around the campground. We hadn’t noticed the time but wondered why we didn’t see other campers out. After we returned to our rig, we figured out why, – it was 11:30 pm. Because it is light so late, we often forget that it is as late as it is. I guess Alaskan parents can’t have to "come home when the street lights come on" rule. The kids would be out until after midnight! We are losing 3.5 minutes of daylight every day. In a month we’ll really see the difference.