September 25, 2025
After my daytrip to Hatcher Pass I decided to revisit some of the overlooks north of the airport in Anchorage (where I had seen a moose yesterday), hoping lightning might strike twice.
This is looking out at the soon-to-set sun (still up in the clouds). It was taken from one of the overlooks which is right at the end of the main runway at the airport (but located downhill near the water), and every few minutes a jet would come roaring overhead.
I stayed at the overlook a little while longer to watch the planes and then started driving back towards downtown Anchorage, planning to stop at a few other parking areas. When I got to an access road for the airport I spotted 3 moose, not far off the road. I pulled off right next to the road I was on and got out with my smartphone.
Two cows and a bull (one of the cows is in the lower left, next to the orange marker) were on or near a little hill. It looks like they were penned in by fences but the area to the left is wide open as you will see shortly. They really liked the little hill, and moved around a good bit. I stayed near my car but on the side opposite the road so I didn’t get hit by someone else who might be distracted by the sighting. The moose were on the other side of the fence so I didn’t worry about being so close.
Soon the bull came down to the corner and the two cows were on top on the hill.
One of the cows started making a move toward the gate where vehicular traffic can enter or exit the airport (not the main entrance, but probably for workers), and where the moose could “escape” to the side of the fence I was on.
She stopped because she saw something yummy to eat.
She finally made her move for “freedom”
Meanwhile the bull was following her. He would stop (to eat) before he got out and would eventually go back to the hill.
The cow came around the end of the fence and I had moved back to the “street side” of my car. You can still see the bull’s legs inside the fence on the other side of her.
I had already warned the woman in the photo below to keep back and she was now running for cover (and there wasn’t much distance separating them).
Then here came cow #2, making her escape. She had evidently walked right past the bull and why he didn’t follow her I don’t know.
Both of the cows went off to an area just out of view to munch on vegetation on a nearby hillside.
Meanwhile, the bull had retreated to the fence side of the hill, but could see the two cows who had gotten out.
He climbed the hill…
and came toward me. I thought he was going to go right back to the corner…
but he turned around and I thought he was going to go out the gate…
but then he changed his mind and went back towards the corner.
He finally made his way to the gate (perhaps because there were no longer cars and people hanging out close to it).
And he was out!
He soon trotted over to where the 2 cows had gone.
I THOUGHT I had started taking video after taking the photo above but was sadly mistaken. When I realized my phone wasn’t recording he had already reached where the 2 cows were.
According to the time stamps on the photos, the whole process took about 8 minutes.
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