Day Three - Anchorage

There was a bit of snow overnight, so I went for a wander in my immediate neighbourhood.  It's like a Christmas card. Not all of this fell last night, just a top-up, but there was about 3 inches I would guess.


It was light and powdery, and I was grateful for the handy brush and scraper supplied by Avis.

Cleaning the snow off the car

I decided to "stay local" and visit the Alaska Zoo, where they have brown bears and polar bears.  It's obviously not a popular time to go, as there was only myself and two families in the entire place.

The polar bear was pacing up and down the same track in her enclosure and she didn't look nearly as healthy or happy as the ones we saw in the wild last year.  I felt a bit sad for her really.

There were three brown bears that came out to play, and they were very cool.


They had a couple of snow leopards that were perched up really high in their enclosure almost out of view, plus they had wolves, red foxes, coyotes, a bald eagle, golden eagle and some Oomingmak, also known as the Musk Ox, although they are apparently related to goats, not ox.  They are unique to Alaska.
I spent maybe an hour wandering around the zoo, and then headed back into town, on a renewed hunt for the elusive pants.  I tried Midtown Mall, which was rather small with not many shops, but it did have a REI store that specialises in outdoor active wear.  They do not specialise in pants that fit me.
I had a late lunch at Burger Fi in the Mall and then headed back in to Downtown to re-visit The North Face.  I eventually found a pair of Men's pants that fit me ok, they are not as thick as I would have liked, but hopefully with layers underneath they will be ok.
It started snowing again in the afternoon, so I decided to head home for the day.  The roads have quite a bit of snow and ice on them and I've lost traction on a few occasions.  Nothing nasty but my crappy little front wheel drive auto is not really the best vehicle for the conditions, so I'm erring on the side of chicken and not taking any risks.

Today I discovered the pleasure of toe warmers.  You break open the packet, peel off the backing and stick them to the sole of your socks.  They keep your toes warm for up to 6 hours according to the packet.  And they really work, I did not have cold toes all day, even trekking around the zoo in the snow.  They contain iron, water, charcoal, vermiculite, polymer and salt, and when exposed to oxygen, the chemical reaction generates heat.  You are only supposed to wear them outside socks and inside boots, I guess to limit how much oxygen is in contact with them/limit the heat produced so you don't scorch yourself.
Toe warmers
I also bought hand warmers that work on the same principal, and full sized in-soles as well.  I am sure to be toasty warm.

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