The Alaska State Bird

I am compelled to comment on the Alaska state bird. No, not the ptarmigan. The "other" state bird - the mosquito. Legendary in proportion according to both visitors and natives to the state, like the big mountain, we had not come across this beast. Of course I'd heard the stories from my sister, her family, and even Gerry from when he visited here in the '70s. I'd begun to think that perhaps they had gone the way of Denali and the other big mountains (17 of the 20 highest peaks in the US once were here in Alaska) and had relocated to Asia.

...until...

...last night that is. After a wonderful dinner with Dona and Roger and Beth and Matt (where we enjoyed our bottle of Opus One wine - the last such bottle ever on the Diamond Princess) Beth & Matt took us on a brief tour of the Anchorage highlights. We went out to a place near the airport - very near the airport - where we could watch the planes coming in directly overhead like something out of the opening sequence of "Hawaii 5-0." Judging by the number of cars and people here, this is quite the thing to do on a July evening in Anchorage.The sun had cleared the skies (though not the skies where we might see mountains).

After we watched a couple of 737's and then a deafening DC-9 (or maybe -10), we got back in the car to go back up the road to see Earthquake Park - to see where the 1964 earthquake had lowered a shelf of land some distance into the bay.

Well that was what we were supposed to be doing. The path way is lined with vegetation - apparently just the type of vegetation that moose like and it is not unusual to see moose here, I'm told (not unusual perhaps, but certainly a frightening thought!). So I'm on lookout for these moose to come popping out of the woods.

Until...the mosquitoes descend. They are everywhere. Fortunately we've taken up walking so we're trying to keep up a good pace (what? thinking we could outrun them?) but the word is apparently out - dinner is on the way - and every mosquito in Alaska is now upon us. Gerry, walking ahead of me (as usual) thinks he is immune, that mosquitoes don't like him. I'm too busy waving my arms like some demented helicopter to see, but I hear Beth say "ooh look - they like light colored clothing." And sure enough, I now see Gerry's khaki pants are COVERED with mosquitoes!

Now we are both frantically trying to keep from getting bitten. Gerry has taken to what Matt refers to as the "mosquito dance" (I only wish he had gotten a video instead!) We quickly now get to the point where we can look (although the darn things were now getting in my eyes and mouth) and say yeah, nice drop off, LET'S GO!

On the path back to the car, we go once more through the swarm. I'm now the one covered. I know it looks like Gerry has gone all "Mel Gibson" on me (cuffing me upside the head) but he was really just getting a mosquito off of my cheek. I should have gone "biblical" and turned the other cheek as that one actually completed the job of biting me. We race to the car thinking how are we going to jump in without bringing a bunch of them with us. Of course the answer is WE CAN'T - we're swatting them and opening windows to try to let them out as we drive back to the hotel. Flustered, we barely remember to retrieve our suitcases from the back of their car so we can finish repacking for our flight!

Having seen and experienced most all that Alaska has to offer (no damn mountains!) we are headed back this afternoon to the civilation of the lower 48. Can't wait to come back!

~later, tw