The Coast International sits right next to Lake Hood - a lake where hundreds of float planes are moored at the edge of the water and take off and land constantly. Also plenty of birds to see there like Red-necked Grebes, Pintail Mama with chicks, Magpies, White-crowned Sparrows, Juncos, Bonaparte's Gulls and more. Savannah Sparrows were gathering nesting material and another surprise was a Spotted Sandpiper sitting on a fence post, then attempting to balance on the fence. It probably had a nest in a nearby ditch.

Lake Hood seen from the air.

Plane landing on Lake Hood

Dark-eyed Junco

Black-billed Magpie

Pintail Mother and Chicks

Red-necked Grebes

Savannah Sparrow on the Fence

Spotted Sandpiper

White-crowned Sparrow - Taiga West Race

Alaska 2012 - Hooray

Poor neglected blog...Having too much fun living my life to write about it. Will try to do better.
My Alaska adventure started on June 19th with a long day of flying - Savannah to Charlotte to Phoenix to Anchorage - arriving at 1:45 in the morning. No sooner than I turned on my phone but it rang and my friend and roommate for the trip Lainie Epstein was calling to say that she had just arrived and was at baggage claim. We met up and called the 24 hour shuttle to take us to the fabulous Coast International Hotel. It is 5 minutes from the airport with the friendliest staff. It was our home away from home as we stayed there on 4 different nights and stored luggage there when we took off for Nome, Barrow, and the Pribilofs.

Lainie Epstein - friend and roomie for the trip.

Stacy at the Coast International was the best!