While the boys are away...

This past Friday I experienced my first Black Friday and let me tell you, it was something else!  We woke up at 4:45am to head out on a shopping mission, but due to some minor set backs (having to dig the Mercury out of the foot and a half of snow we got the night before and having to push Katie’s car out of a snow drift), we started a little later than planned, missing some of the deals we had on our lists.  With stops at Walmart, Sports Authority, Sportsmans Warehouse (similar to Bass ProShop), Forever21 and Burlington Coat Factory, our mission ended at about 8am, before the sun was up.  Although I probably will never take part in another Black Friday, I did walk away with matching snow pants for Steve and I (I know he’ll love them) and some winter gloves, all for $50.  I’d say it was a successful mission!

Once the sun came up, it turned out to be a beautiful day so we decided to take a little drive south to Beluga Point.  Below are some of the pictures from Beluga Point and McHugh Creek.

After our drive south to Beluga Point, we decided to head to Kincaid Park.  Kincaid Park is 1500 acre municipal park, bounded in the south by Turnagain Arm and in the west by Knik Arm and is noted for it’s many trails and nordic skiing in the winter.  It also has a large bear population (thank goodness they’re hibernating now) and is the place to go if you want to see a moose. People find it hard to believe when I say I’ve been here for almost a month and a half and have only seen one moose in the wild!  We decided to take a stroll down the Tony Knowles Coastal trail, an 11 mile trail that stretches along the city’s scenic coastline from Kincaid Park all the way to downtown Anchorage.  Although we were unsuccessful in the moose search, the park is absolutely beautiful, with breathtaking views of the majestic Mt Susitna,  a prominent landmark in Anchorage that can be seen across  the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet.  Mt Susitna is also called the Sleeping Lady for its resemblance to a woman lying on her back and is named after the Susitna River, which means Sandy River.  Below are some of the pictures taken while searching for moose in Kincaid Park.

On a side note, for those of you wondering at home… the sun rises at about 9:45 am and sets at about 3:50 pm right now. Definitely a change I am still not used to.

So until next time…  when there is even more snow on the ground and the days get even shorter…

Photos  ©Marla Wales 2010