Anchorage

Anchorage is a town built on extraction of things. On every street corner of downtown is a fur trader, a jade shop or an ivory shop. The presence of the trans Alaskan Oil pipeline is ubiquitous. If you aren't involved in extracting something then you likely work in the tourist industry. Strangely the month I have decided to visit is the inbetween seasons. Tourists dont really start coming to Alaska until May. The first cruise ship arrives on the 13th of May. A visit to the Alaskan Mueum of Art and History details the strong links with Siberia and Russia. The West Coast of Alaska is less than 3 miles from Russia and once upon a time a land bride existed conecting the two lands. It is thought that all of the Americas were originally populated via this bridge. In a typically non-indigenous approach to land, the Russians who had a controlling trade interest in Alaska decided to sell Alaska to the United States for 7.2 million dollars. Staggering!
The day I spent wandering the quiet streets, locals were excited because the local Hot Dog stand had ventured out for the first time this year. His arrival seemed to officially mark the start of the thaw, the start of Spring. No less than 4 people suggested I should try on eof his hot dogs. have to admit, they were good.