In Anchorage, after I picked up the rental car, the low tire light was on. Not wanted to drive to Seward like that, I asked at the Westmark Hotel of a nearby tire shop. They recommended the Tesoro station at the corner of 5th and Gambell. "I had some work done there and it was very cheap!" said the front desk clerk.
Going to the station, it was like the old Windsor Texaco in Austin - a small store, two bays with men working inside, free air. When I couldn't get the gauge right, one of the workers helped me out. He advised to keep the pressure at 40 psi. "The sweet spot" he said. I then manually reset the light and all was well.
I went inside to buy at least a candy bar and soda. I commented that I liked the old school vibe of the place. Mr. Cline said "Yeah, it's still the 1970s around here"
Highly recommend this local spot!
Cline's Tesoro
Your Independent Tesoro Dealer
Richard and Wanda Cline
442 Gambell St.
Anchorage, AK 99501
Friday, June 16, 2017
Monday, June 12, 2017
Anchorage Part II
Some final thoughts as I am set to depart to Seward AK from Anchorage
1. ANC is a 20th century town at heart - most everything looks like 1980 or so
2. Whites, blacks and Pacific Islanders mix pretty easily here.
3. Not hard to see that the native people probably have it harder than others.
4. A fair share of American retail outlets here, but not as many as other places
5. Cruise Line visitors are full during this month of June
6. It never gets dark
7. It's not warm
8. An interesting crossroads of the world
9. Food scene is behind the times
10. ANC is barely scratching the surface of Alaska. More time needed to get a full picture.
1. ANC is a 20th century town at heart - most everything looks like 1980 or so
2. Whites, blacks and Pacific Islanders mix pretty easily here.
3. Not hard to see that the native people probably have it harder than others.
4. A fair share of American retail outlets here, but not as many as other places
5. Cruise Line visitors are full during this month of June
6. It never gets dark
7. It's not warm
8. An interesting crossroads of the world
9. Food scene is behind the times
10. ANC is barely scratching the surface of Alaska. More time needed to get a full picture.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Anchorage
I arrived in Anchorage, Alaska at their time midnight, my time 3 a.m. on Saturday morning. No sleeping on the flight to speak of. I think you know where this is going.
The time change and no darkness (to speak of) caught up fast and Saturday turned into a half day of activity followed by a half day of sleep. Today is Sunday so I think I might be about caught up. But I'm still planning to take it easy.
Our trip to Denali got cancelled due to weather. So we found a bicycle rental store and rented some bikes. Our plan was to ride the Coastal Trail to Kincaid Park. But the trial was not so easy, Eric got a flat then lost (temporarily) his phone and so we cut it short after just past Earthquake Park. Still a good time. We also found a Pacific Islands heritage festival going on in a local park and got a plate of food for lunch. Plus entertainment of the local dance troops. Liked it.
Today, Eric has his conference all day so I am heading out to explore the areas outside of downtown. Like many cities, the suburbs are where the people and commerce are at.
Tomorrow, we head down to Seward, AK
The time change and no darkness (to speak of) caught up fast and Saturday turned into a half day of activity followed by a half day of sleep. Today is Sunday so I think I might be about caught up. But I'm still planning to take it easy.
Our trip to Denali got cancelled due to weather. So we found a bicycle rental store and rented some bikes. Our plan was to ride the Coastal Trail to Kincaid Park. But the trial was not so easy, Eric got a flat then lost (temporarily) his phone and so we cut it short after just past Earthquake Park. Still a good time. We also found a Pacific Islands heritage festival going on in a local park and got a plate of food for lunch. Plus entertainment of the local dance troops. Liked it.
Today, Eric has his conference all day so I am heading out to explore the areas outside of downtown. Like many cities, the suburbs are where the people and commerce are at.
Tomorrow, we head down to Seward, AK
Saturday, June 3, 2017
San Marcos
"How do you get to San Marcos?" asked John. I initially thought it a strange question from a native Texan. I emailed the answer - I -10 West from Houston to Luling, then Hwy 80 West to San Marcos.
But after being there for 2 nights, I'd say I didn't really know about San Marcos myself. Never having spent more than a night there for a wedding in the 90s, I was a stranger. I was pleased to see that it has become a little Boulder, a college town with a hip, current look. Downtown courthouse square was a great place to walk around with lots of restaurant choices and bar choices for the party crowd. I enjoyed dinner at the Root Cellar the first night. Today lunch with my cousin Deborah was at Aqua Brew, which she recommended.
Our hotel, the high rise Embassy Suites was certainly the best lodging between Austin and San Antonio. Recommended.
Thursday I had a delightful visit with Rupert, the proprietor of Tackleberry's, a local gun shop. Capt. Eugene Tackleberry was a character in the Police Academy movies. As you can tell, he had a great sense of humor - and he was a Brit so it just sounded even better from him.
Friday we had a full day: Ziplining at Wimberley - a quaint little town I had only heard about. BBQ at Miss Mae's, a local place - good value. And then floating the Guadalupe River loop near Canyon Lake. And dinner at the Gristmill in Gruene. The Hill Country area seemed very authentic - you'd never know you were near a big city like Austin. Everything and everyone seemed to have a small town vibe.
A good trip with John and Kyle. Our group the Wrenegades did it again. We are already planning the next adventure.
But after being there for 2 nights, I'd say I didn't really know about San Marcos myself. Never having spent more than a night there for a wedding in the 90s, I was a stranger. I was pleased to see that it has become a little Boulder, a college town with a hip, current look. Downtown courthouse square was a great place to walk around with lots of restaurant choices and bar choices for the party crowd. I enjoyed dinner at the Root Cellar the first night. Today lunch with my cousin Deborah was at Aqua Brew, which she recommended.
Our hotel, the high rise Embassy Suites was certainly the best lodging between Austin and San Antonio. Recommended.
Thursday I had a delightful visit with Rupert, the proprietor of Tackleberry's, a local gun shop. Capt. Eugene Tackleberry was a character in the Police Academy movies. As you can tell, he had a great sense of humor - and he was a Brit so it just sounded even better from him.
Friday we had a full day: Ziplining at Wimberley - a quaint little town I had only heard about. BBQ at Miss Mae's, a local place - good value. And then floating the Guadalupe River loop near Canyon Lake. And dinner at the Gristmill in Gruene. The Hill Country area seemed very authentic - you'd never know you were near a big city like Austin. Everything and everyone seemed to have a small town vibe.
A good trip with John and Kyle. Our group the Wrenegades did it again. We are already planning the next adventure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)