The weather forecast for Sunday's trip to the state fair was excellent -- a welcome end to our seemingly endless week of rain. We rightly anticipated a packed crowd there, which was no worry due to our standard nap schedule dictating a plan that hinged on getting there right when it opened. We arrived when the gates opened, cruised right past the folks that did not purchase tickets beforehand, and found ourselves hiking through a half full thoroughfare. Henry usually naps at 1pm, so we planned on enjoying the fair from 10 - 1 before snoozing out in car seat on the drive back to Anchorage. Three hours is a decent bite to take out of the fun for Henry, though we secretly hoped that the excitement would get him pumped enough to tack on a little extra time.



Rather that take the easy route and bring the stroller, we loaded up him in the backpack and gave Henry a bird's eye view. Therein was the home run. He loved pointing at the spinning rides, ferris wheel, and booming horn of the Alaskan train as it clanked into the station hourly. After a quick sweep of the food, Hank walked for an hour or so while tearing through the petting zoo, tractor exhibit, construction equipment, and APD car. The only moment where his joy abated occurred when the sheep in the petting zoo bleated towards him, sending him gripping my pants for dear life.



By 12:30 Henry was still full of energy so we decided to execute our overtime strategy -- the 1pm Lumberjack Show. We've seen the show a few times over the years and the jokes and events remain unchanged, which is part of the fun. The lumberjacks are all announced along with their Wisconsin hometowns (Hayward), and their accents bring a definite joy to the event. By 1:45 we were back in the car, whereupon Henry grabbed his rag and promptly hit the snooze button, never having fussed in the slightest at the fair.

As we drove north the inbound traffic was backed up for close to 5 miles just to get in the parking lot. We had timed it all perfectly.

All State Fair photos here.