Hard to port

Yesterday afternoon we went on a tour of the Port of Anchorage, which was a good deal more interesting than it probably sounds. Until sometime in August, the port is giving bus tours of its facility and the expansion it is currently undertaking. The tours are available on Sundays from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. with a bus leaving the departure point every 30 minutes. Our group was a mix of locals and tourists, and it was surprisingly popular, considering what it is. You get on the bus with a guide who works for the harbor and who tells you what you are driving past. I won't give anything away, so as not to spoil the ending. :) However, a surprising lot of stuff flows through this port, and the statistics will give you some things to think about. If you are inclined to think about that sort of thing...


The highlight of the tour is a stop at the operations (I think) building, where you will be offered a hot dog cooked by the director of the port, a nifty little presentation, and a view of port operations. We stood on the building roof, watching a crane operator lifting shipping containers off a barge and loading them onto trucks with breathtaking precision. It was, no kidding, really fascinating. Also, the drivers that drive the containers away have personalized their vehicles with flags - some have pirate flags, one had a diver's flag - that sort of thing. So we had fun tracking which drivers were coming and going. They were also giving awaycoloring books concerning the harbor, which we looked at for our godson, who was born in Alaska. They were lame, though. But hey, they're free! We didn't take one anyway. After enjoying the splendor of the loading/unloading operation, you get back on the bus and go back to the starting point. All in all, it is maybe 1/2 hour to an hour tour.

A few words of advice - it is a closed and secured port. This means, among other things, that they will check your photo ID - we saw people getting turned away who did not have any. You will not be allowed to take photographs. You will not be wandering around unsupervised. That said, if you have any interest in this sort of thing, it is well worth the time.