Am back from Alaska and mosquitoes were not a problem. There is this pesky fly or gnat though. I was told repellant is not effective on it. It seemed to prefer the ladies, anyway.

As you had said, Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage was a treat. We got to see some Tlingit dances performed. The walk around the lake with distinct culture home sites attended by natives from that region was especially good. The biggest problem was that we were given only 1 3/4 hours to tour it and get a lunch snack as well. Quite inadequate. I did ask about Mary Oxer's work at the shop. Neither of the two native salesclerks knew of her or what she made. Sorry. I did note a basket of perhaps half-gallon capacity that went for $480. I bought a coffee mug for $6.50.

I did take a peek into the Gaslight. Impressive watering hole, for sure. My wife and another couple that were with us did not want go in. We ate at Orso, an Italian food place, on the next street. I'm not sure how long it has been there, but the food was excellent.

We were in Anchorage on 9/11, a surreal day. On the morning of 9/12 we took the train to Denali Park. I'm guessing you could hear the train from your house there. While passing Elmendorf Air Force Base (lined with F-15s), we were shadowed by one or two police cars on the adjacent highway. We heard later that train service had been stopped the prior day.