Alaska | Building Up Chicago

I wasn’t looking for a reason to post photos from our trek through Alaska, so much as an excuse. A crane on a barge provided it.

The tour through Resurrection Bay from Seward, Alaska is supposed to include the glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park. Sadly, even glaciers aren’t powerful enough to shine through rainy, foggy days. But there are still sights to be seen. Eagles, otters, harbor seals, and puffins, wildlife not generally part of the scenery on the Chicago River.

And the above barge. I know, most folks would be scanning the mountains for birds and bears, or watching the water for porpoises and orcas (we saw neither), but if you’re even a bit surprised I chose to watch the crane on a barge, you haven’t been paying attention to this space.

: Let Google Maps explain exactly where Seward, Alaska and Resurrection Bay are.

: The barge.

: The tug.

: Our sentry, as we left Seward harbor.

: Ship building on Resurrection Bay.

: Unimpressed natives.

: The payoff, instead of the glacier, was seeing the icebergs just beyond the beach at Kenai Fjords National Park.

: We weren’t completely shut out of glacier views. Though these were not the glaciers we were looking for.

: Otter wrestling at the end of the cruise.

A rendering of the new wing for the Anchorage Museum, from the Davis Constructors website.

Up in the far northwest suburbs, the Anchorage Museum Association is expanding its facility at 625 C Street.

You might think someone visiting Anchorage would be out photographing bears and salmon and moose and flying over glaciers in bush planes. Well, don’t worry. I’ll get to that. But let’s talk about what I can see from the hotel first.

The museum expansion team includes the architecture firm of McCool Carlson Green Architects, and general contractor Davis Constructors. Completion is expected in September 2017.

The 24-million-dollar, 25,000-square-foot project is being fully funded by private donations. But that doesn’t mean they can’t use your help. You can still make a contribution, and they’ll even put your name on a block on the donor wall!