Sorry, Yogi - it's not a pic-a-nic basket, but it might be smarter than the average vegetable!... Apparently someone ignored the "Do not feed the bears" signs, and decided to share our beans with the local grizzlies.

Here our beans hang out with 2 1/2 tons of Alaska jade. I think the jade will win this battle...while beans are great and all, they'd make a lousy broach or pendant.

I have no idea who these ladies are, and I'm sure that they have no idea why they're holding a can of beans, but it must've all worked out okay, since they managed to sell plenty of souvenirs to my sister and her friends, and they were kind enough to be seen with our beans.

Anchorage was founded in 1914 as the headquarters of the Alaska Railroad running north to Fairbanks. Anchorage is the largest city and chief commercial center of Alaska, where they like oil and tourists, not necessarily in that order. Here, the beans play the political game and visit city hall.

The Iditarod, the annual 1,100 mile dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska starts right here, provided that there's snow, of course. But since it was summer when these pictures were taken, our beans had to hang out with just the sled - no puppies, I'm afraid. Still, it's probably best that they weren't subjected to malamute slobber...