Denali Trip

We packed up our bags and headed north to visit Denali National Park. This family can now consider themselves members of the 30% club as we were able to see Denali on the drive up. This mountain is so massive that it creates its own weather systems!

Thus, only about 30% of visitors to the area get to see the mountain. In fact, we pulled over and snapped these pics at the north viewpoint and by the time we had driven about another 30 miles, the mountain was fully shrouded behind the clouds again.

The next day was quite cooler and windy. We took a bus ride into the park to look for animals and enjoy the scenery.

This bear put on quite a show for us. He walked along the bus for a bit and then crossed the road right in front of us.

 He crossed two creeks and then stood up on his hind legs and scratched his back on a tree! I wasn't quick enough to get a pic of that but others captured it on their phones.

 Nearby, a mom and her cubs were grazing on the mountainside. We also saw a few moose, Dall sheep, and caribou along the route.

  Hope they had a good time! They should be home in a few hours enjoying the heat and humidity of the South.

Trip to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July! We enjoyed our day by traveling down the Seward Highway and taking in a few sights. Our first stop was Beluga Point. 

 If you look closely in these pictures you can see the Godwins out on the rocks in the Inlet.

 As usual, it was a bit windy but the views were awesome.

 We pulled over one more time to see a Dall sheep and her baby up on the mountainside.

 The Wildlife Conservation Center was our next stop. These animals certainly know the sounds of the food wagon.

 As soon as the worker drove in with their meal, these reindeer immediately began to follow her!

These antlers that Chris is modeling are quite heavy. Velvet was still on the antlers of the reindeer, moose and elk that we saw today. It will remain on the antlers for a few more months. Many of the animals were resting in shelters or under trees. It has been very warm for us here these last few days. 

Hoping it stays sunny and warm because the family will be out on the water for a boat tour tomorrow.

 We made it home and ate some yummy grilled food that Greg cooked for us. Competition was tough during the few games of croquet we played. Melinda and I hold on to our Championship Titles for the summer! We took the bikes over to my school to ride for a bit.

Don't think the sound of those fireworks is going to keep me awake tonight. Kinda tired and we've got a busy day tomorrow.

Friends visiting Alaska

I returned home from Tennessee on July 1. Early this morning, the Griswolds, also known as the Godwins, arrived in Anchorage! We got out and enjoyed this quite warm but beautiful day. Even as tired as they were, they were really good sports and got out and walked all around downtown.

 We walked around Ship Creek hoping to see some fish.

 The kiddos just had to test the water and see how cold it was.

 They also met a few new friends in front of the giftshop.

 We walked on the Coastal Trail to the Westchester Lagoon area.

Here's an action shot of them playing on the equipment.

 After walking several miles today, I'm sure we will all sleep well tonight. Gonna travel down the Seward Highway tomorrow for some more outdoor adventures.