Anchorage and the Volcano

I arrived in Anchorage around 11:00 p.m. My flight out of Bethel was delayed over an hour, but no one seemed to know why. Go figure. I couldn't rent the car I had planned to rent because my drivers license expired this week. OOPS. I had to take a taxi to my hotel. The driver had NO business being a driver. He ran a red light (not yellow RED) and then when we got to the intersection, he asked ME which way downtown was. Luckily, I knew.
I am staying at the Sheraton in Anchorage. It is a very nice hotel. I got my room for $66 a night. I checked with the desk when I came back from dinner tonight, I asked if the room would be available for tomorrow night, just in case I need to stay in town another night. The lady at the desk said that the room I am in usually goes for $159. Gotta love hotwire.
I went to Northway Mall today. It wasn't a great mall by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a MALL!!!! I went to Joann's and bought some fabric for the parka one of the ladies is making for me. I also went into a Regis and got some things. Most of the other stores I had never even heard of. I went into a Carr's (grocery store) that is attached to the mall. I had forgotten how beautiful flower arrangements are. They have a floral department and I looked around for about twenty minutes. I couldn't believe all the fruit and vegetables they had. I wanted to buy it all.....we seldom get fresh fruit or vegetables in the village. Maybe once every two months, and then they aren't always in the best shape. I had a wonderful sandwich in the deli there. I could only eat about half of it (and wasn't going to be in a position to take the rest with me) so I gave it to a guy who was sitting around the food area.
Then, I took the People Mover (city bus) back downtown and walked around a little while. I took my purchases back to the hotel and took the People Mover to the Fred Meyer on Northern Lights Blvd. I bought a ton of groceries to take back to the village with me. There were a LOT of people buying masks in case the volcano decides to erupt. (More about that later.) I had a lot of stuff so I took a taxi back to the Sheraton. I boxed all my stuff up and decided to head out to dinner. While I was waiting on my cab, a slightly intoxicated guy decided that he thought I was pretty so he talked to me the whole time I was waiting for my taxi. He invited me to dinner and for a drink. He apparently works for one of the oil drilling companies and this was also his first trip into Anchorage in some time. I went to dinner (by myself) and had a wonderful filet mignon. I also had Key Lime Pie. It was YUMMY!!!!
I am back at the hotel and am not looking forward to going to the dentist tomorrow. I guess all the stuff I have been able to do in Anchorage will be worth the trip to the dentist. MAYBE.
Now, on to the volcano, I know that a lot of people have been reading about it. The news said earlier that it was steaming (a result when LAVA gets in touch with ICE), but it isn't spewing ash yet. If it starts to spew while I am here, I may be here longer than planned. The planes can't fly through the ash because the little bits of rock in it can blow up the engines. They say it isn't a matter of IF Mount Redoubt will erupt, but WHEN. Maybe it will wait until after I get out of here. Spending extra time in Anchorage would be great, but it would also be very expensive.
If it erupts and the wind is blowing toward the north, it might mean no mail or deliveries into the village for a while. Alaska has a lot of volcanoes. I guess they get used to it.
Not looking forward to the dentist.
Debbie