Welcome to Anchorage. Mind the Moose

Elmendorf is a pretty base. It was built in 1940, and a lot of the buildings when we were there seemed to be from that era, or just post WWII. They were doing a lot of new stuff though - right next to the old bx (replaced in our final year) was a brand new log-cabin: 'look mom! Yellow icicles! Are they peecicles?'

We found the TLF (temporary lodging facility) registration place, Kirk established that we were indeed expected, and recovered the keys, and we drove around the base looking for the housing. As we drove past the bowling alley, a huge male moose strolled across the road - casual and unbelievably longleggedly graceful. A base mp car was tailing him at a safe distance to make sure he didn't come to any grief (or cause any). He looked like he had dropped by to bowl a few whatever-it-is-one-bowls, have a bag of chips with the guys, and was heading home before his wife got upset. Couldn't be more relaxed and at home with things.

But the best moment, the unbelievable, okay I think we might survive moment, was when we got to the TLF and found two entire floors - as in rooms on one level, then stairs, then rooms on an entirely different level. Without a word the kids headed into one area and the adults another. After two weeks on the road, two weeks in a tiny car and in single-room hotels, we still loved eachother, we just didn't really want to see much of eachother for a while.