Friday night we met our friends, the Scarbroughs, at the airport. We hadn't seen them since last Christmas and we are really glad they decided to come see Alaska and visit us. The whole group- George, Jane, George III, Elle, and her friend Aubrey were tired and hungry. It is a long and exhausting trip from Tennessee! We stopped for a bite to eat and then made our way downtown. They got settled into their hotel and then we all walked around for a bit to check out some of the downtown scenery. They were all amazed that it was still light at 11 o'clock at night. Saturday morning we got up and headed toward Portage Valley. We drove through the longest combined vehicle/railroad tunnel in North America to the quaint city of Whittier. 
After a delightful lunch at Varly's Swiftwater Seafood Cafe, we noticed our friends, Mindy and Paul, pulling their boat out of the water after a successful 3 day fishing/shrimping trip. They were super nice to give us 2 packs of freshly caught salmon! It was right out of the water- can't get any fresher than that! We headed over to the visitor's center for Portage Valley. 
Then we traveled a bit up the road and began our hike to Byron Glacier. 
So much melting had occurred that it didn't even look like the same place we visited 2 weeks ago. Still, it was a beautiful sight. 
Everyone else scrambled up and climbed over huge boulders and around the talus field, which is broken rock at the base of a high place.
I chose to stay down at the base of the snow area- I'm here in this picture seemingly far from everyone. 
They were much farther away from me than this photo shows. They crossed several streams, peered into ice caves, and finally returned unscathed. 
Here is Aubrey in an action shot!
On the way home from the glacier, we stopped in Girdwood for a short walk on a trail near the Alyeska Hotel. It was nice stroll right through the middle of the forest. By then we were getting tired and decided to make our way home. I decided to use the fresh salmon that Mindy had given us earlier in the day to cook her famous Salmon Stacks. Thanks again Mindy! After eating, we all visited for awhile before calling it a night.
After a delightful lunch at Varly's Swiftwater Seafood Cafe, we noticed our friends, Mindy and Paul, pulling their boat out of the water after a successful 3 day fishing/shrimping trip. They were super nice to give us 2 packs of freshly caught salmon! It was right out of the water- can't get any fresher than that! We headed over to the visitor's center for Portage Valley. 
Then we traveled a bit up the road and began our hike to Byron Glacier. 
So much melting had occurred that it didn't even look like the same place we visited 2 weeks ago. Still, it was a beautiful sight. 
Everyone else scrambled up and climbed over huge boulders and around the talus field, which is broken rock at the base of a high place.
I chose to stay down at the base of the snow area- I'm here in this picture seemingly far from everyone. 
They were much farther away from me than this photo shows. They crossed several streams, peered into ice caves, and finally returned unscathed. 
Here is Aubrey in an action shot!
On the way home from the glacier, we stopped in Girdwood for a short walk on a trail near the Alyeska Hotel. It was nice stroll right through the middle of the forest. By then we were getting tired and decided to make our way home. I decided to use the fresh salmon that Mindy had given us earlier in the day to cook her famous Salmon Stacks. Thanks again Mindy! After eating, we all visited for awhile before calling it a night. 
What a beautiful scene! Please tell my friends the Scarbroughs I said hello! Hey Greg and Phyllis, can I come too???? -Jennifer Agar
ReplyDeleteSalmon Stacks? Please explain:)
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