Sunday, June 26th

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Saturday we drove over to Portage Valley on an overcast misty afternoon. As we drove down the Seward Highway we pointed out the old town of Portage and some of the old houses that lay in ruin. These homes were destroyed when the ground sank six feet during the 1964 earthquake. When we arrived near Portage glacier, we stopped near the Blue Ice Trail and let the girls test the temperature of the glacial water. They were also delighted by the crystal blue color of the water. We drove to Begich Boggs Visitor Center and were surprised to see many icebergs floating in Portage Lake. There were a few wind surfers braving the cold waters of the glacial lake. After checking out the Visitor Center, we made our way to the trail head of the Byron Glacier Trail. If you haven't walked this trail, it is less than two miles round trip, and most definitely worth the walk. It is a gravel trail that meanders by the rushing run-off waters of the glacier. The scenery is gorgeous during the entire trip and once you reach the glacier, the view is quite stunning. The girls unanimously voted it the best trail yet even though we passed two piles of bear scat on the trail. Such findings usually get an immediate thumbs down and an end to the hike. They didn't even hesitate to continue walking because it was such a beautiful hike. Once we reached the glacier, they were both glad we continued as they played on the ice, walked in the water, and snapped hundreds of pictures. Greg and I were quite impressed and will definitely be back for another walk.

Thursday, June 23

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It has been a beautiful day here in Anchorage. The sun has been out all day and the temps are perfect! We got out and walked to the post office to mail a book and then walked around the park strip. There were several people flying kites and really enjoying the nice day.

The girls and I had a fun day yesterday with my friend Terry and her son and his friend. They picked us up around 1 and we stopped and got a bit of lunch before heading out of town. We drove down to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. This center was about a 45 minute drive south for us. Here they provide a home for injured or orphaned animals. They also have the only herd of wood bison in the United States. These animals are the largest land animal in America. The wood bison get much larger than their plains cousins. We also got to view the new baby musk oxen. I gotta admit, they were pretty cute. The 2 brown bears put on quite a show by swimming in the water in their habitat. There were 2 brown bear cubs from last year in their own area that also got into the water.Check out the claws on this dude. I was super glad he was behind a fence! Thanks to Terry for taking us along on this fun trip.

Tuesday, June 21st

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Happy Summer Solstice to all! It really is a long day here in Anchorage with all this sunlight. Tonight after dinner we decided to take a short ride out to the Eagle River Nature Center for a hike. This center is located in the Chugach State Park. After paying our parking fee, we headed onto the trail. We soon discovered that we weren't alone as hundreds of mosquitoes joined us. We hadn't figured on the mosquitoes and had unfortunately left the bug spray at home. We made it down to the the first viewing platform to enjoy the scenery. Greg took a few photos. The clouds had the tops of the mountains obscured from view but it was still lush and beautiful. Greg couldn't stand still long because the mosquitoes seem to enjoy him the most, so we continued down the trail. We soon came upon 2 piles of bear scat (also known as bear poop). At this point, Kate and Taylor let us know that they were no longer interested in continuing on the trail tonight. In fact, they were ready to leave right then! We turned around and did convince them to visit the classroom yurt. While we were checking out the yurt, we heard several dogs creating an uproar near us on the trail. Not sure if they came across the bear or not, but we decided to head on toward the car. Not only due to the uncertainty of the location of the bear but also due to a loss of blood in Greg from bug bites, we felt it was time to head toward home. As we drove back into the city of Eagle River, Greg spotted a cow moose and calf eating on the side of a road. We turned around and got a couple of decent pictures. If you are keeping score, the girls' moose count is now at 3.

June 19, 2011

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The girls and I did a little shopping on Friday to get some snacks for our weekend hike. Unfortunately, Taylor almost turned into a little bear snack as you can see in this picture. Saturday turned out to be a clear and beautiful day. After lunch we hit the Glenn Highway and headed toward Eklutna. Our first stop was at the Eklutna Historical Park. This park is home to the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, a fully functioning church even today. The old church was built around the 1870s and is one of the oldest log buildings in the Anchorage area. The cemetery is the final resting place for some local Athabascan, Russian, and Yupik people. The spirit houses are built over the graves 40 days after burial to house the spirit of the deceased and their possessions. They range from very simple to very elaborate in their design.
We left the park and rode over to Eklutna Lake which is located in the Chugach State Park. The lake is fed by both glacial and freshwater streams. It is seven miles long and nestled underneath the towering mountains. We walked down to the lake and then began the Eklutna Lakeside Trail. It was a beautiful afternoon and we ended up walking a total of six miles. The girls did very well! We didn't see any wildlife but still spent a beautiful afternoon in a beautiful place. The trail was easy to walk and the scenery was worth every mile. We had built up quite an appetite from all the walking so we drove toward home and stopped by the Carl's Jr. for hamburgers and fries. On Sunday, we walked down to the weekend market to hunt for souvenirs and such. We saw a few really neat things but the only thing I bought were birch caramels. They boil the birch sap, like they do maple sap, and make pancake syrups, candy, brittle, and other yummy eats. We then took it easy and relaxed around the apartment for the rest of the day.

Thursday, June 16th

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Tuesday evening we all walked down the Coastal Trail past the Westchester Lagoon. We saw many ducks, geese, gulls, and even a small beaver. But no moose! We walked the Chester Creek Trail toward home. Wednesday we finally got a new car. It is a little Ford Fiesta. We would highly recommend our salesman, Craig Porter, at Worthington Ford. He was great to work with! After all the excitement and drama at the car dealership, we felt the need for some Taco King for lunch. Then we cruised out to the Target and Freddie's to pick up some needed supplies. Feeding 4 people is quite a change from feeding just the 2 of us!

After dinner, we decided to let Greg ride in the new car. We hit the library and Wal-Mart, where we picked up bear spray for this weekend. Greg drove us out to Beluga Point hoping to see some mountain goats or sheep or even a moose for the girls. Alas, all the girls got was a taste of Alaska in June at Beluga Point. The wind was gusting at over 40 miles per hour. The girls swear it was colder than Christmas at their home. They were able to endure the cold and wind for about 5 minutes before running for the car! Today the girls and I walked to the Post Office and browsed a few shops downtown. Greg did get to come home for lunch with us.

Tonight after dinner we went down to Kincaid Park. It is a very beautiful place full of lush forests and plenty of recreational activities. The ocean view adds a nice touch to this oasis at the edge of the city. We walked along the trail toward the ocean. Greg had ventured off the trail a bit and we strolled on. We heard him yell for us and we turned to see to see the girls' first moose! It was a fairly large bull moose but Kate wasn't impressed because she immediately turned the other way and took off! Taylor must have been a little more impressed because she didn't flee the scene but she was so anxious she forgot to take a picture. Luckily, Greg kept his wits and was able to snap a few quick photos. We ended up walking around the park for about 2 hours before making our way home. Once we got back in the apartment the girls' night was topped by another first. The sky had cleared and they were able to get a somewhat hazy look at Mount McKinley. What an exciting day, and so much more planned for this weekend and the upcoming weeks!

Return to Alaska

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Left for the airport at 8 am CST and got to the airport only to learn that our first flight had been cancelled. We had to wait around and leave at 1:32 for Denver. The two girls were divided on their opinions about their first flight. Taylor said the airplane ride made her "want to throw up" but Mallory quite enjoyed hers! We had a long layover in Denver and finally left for Anchorage at 7 pm MST only to arrive in Anchorage at 10:30 AST (which would be 1:30 am CST). What a long day!! Jacque and Greg picked us up at the airport. We really appreciate Jacque taking the time and staying up late to taxi us home. Greg thought it was funny to watch us hurry to button up our jackets as we walked out into the cool night air in Alaska. The brisk temperatures are a nice relief from the sweltering heat of the south.

Slept in on Monday but eventually got going and decided to walk around downtown. We headed out by the museum and made our way down 4th Avenue to the Alaska Public Lands Information Center. We wanted to show the girls some of the animals in Alaska exhibits. They were quite amazed at how large most of the animals are. After leaving the center, we decided to treat the girls to their first reindeer sausage. They both agreed the sausages were yummy. We walked down to the Ulu Factory and then strolled around Ship Creek. There were a few fishermen in the water trying to hook a king salmon. We rode a trolley back to the Visitor's Center. Taylor was impressed that the trolley was heated due to the cool temperatures. That warm air blowing on our feet felt quite delightful. Hard to believe you need the heat on in June. We made our way back to the apartment and rested for a bit. Greg walked the girls around the park strip to look at the huge kites while I took a nap! They also got to see Star the reindeer!