Kodiak

This post is a three for one. I wasn’t able to jot down any thoughts for my first day in Kodiak due to just being so tired. So Saturday, after a great night's sleep we left the hotel in Anchorage and headed to the Airport. {pic standing in front of the plane} Our flight was supposed to leave a 9:55 am. We went to the airport at 8:00, checked in and waited. The flight was cancelled at 10:10 due to fog. The next flight out wasn’t until 7:45 pm. So we scrambled to find some way of getting out of the airport and exploring Anchorage. We first decided to get rid of our luggage. In hindsight that was a mistake. After spending fifty dollars to store our 7 bags we found out the city bus only ran once an hour. It was 12:05. So we decided that renting a car would be the best option. If we had done this starting out we could have stored our luggage in the car and put the 50 dollars towards the car rental. Oh well, live and learn. So we were off to explore Anchorage.

Anchorage is a town of 300,000 people. That being said, I must say that it does seem to be evolving. Neighborhoods, fast food, gas station and commercial businesses can all be in the same block. Route 1 is a 4-lane highway that runs into Anchorage from the east and just turns into a city street all of a sudden. We went to grab a bite to eat and then when to Thunderbird Falls Park. This is a beautiful lake in the mountains just outside of Anchorage. {pic Thunderbird Fall Park mountain} The park was packed and after a couple of hours of hiking and shooting photos it was time to head back to the Airport. The plane was packed. After a one-hour flight we were finally in Kodiak.

My parents met us at the Airport and took us to the Kodiak Baptist Mission. {pic in front of the plane} The mission is a very old part of Kodiak that was a key part of the development of the current town. Now it works with the children of Kodiak, providing after school programs and summer bible school programs. A small group of people runs the mission with the help of guidance counselors, volunteers and work parties that come from all over the US. My parents are part of the volunteers at the mission. My mom helps with office work and children programs. My dad helps with organizing the maintenance and work parties that come to the mission. Both of my parents love the people and the work they do at the mission. At the age of 79 my dad seems to be really enjoying his life. So many people my parent’s age seem to feel unneeded. This couldn’t be further from the truth with my parent’s time at the mission. {pic my parents } They both are very needed and respected for their work. I could continue telling you about their relationship with the mission, however, that would truly be a blog of its own. If you are curious about their adventures please direct those questions to: normanbaggett@yahoo.com.