Yesterday we took our first plunge in Little Long Lake, twice, once in the morning while Zoe was at art camp, and once in the evening hours after our visit to town to play at the park and check out the farmer's market.
Swimming in the lake is a sure sign that summer is here, even though it was freezing cold. After such a wonderful trip to Alaska, we appreciate living in our own vacation destination, and swimming at our own little quiet lake just a mile up the road.
We woke up on Saturday, packed up, cleaned out, and had a cup of coffee at the Anchorage Barnes and Noble.
I could not stop myself from checking to see if Taproot was on the shelves - and it was!
At 10:00 we returned our camper the the rental office, then we took the shuttle to the the airport We made it through baggage check in and security and had a bit of a wait until our flight took off (this mama took advantage of high-speedy airport internet to upload photos)
The flight was good. Boden was entertaining everyone. The big kids entertained themselves with in-flight movies and coloring....barf bags.
The flight attendant even complemented how well behaved our children were (about 5 minutes before this spirited little red head had a tantrum and hit me in the face and kicked me in the shins.
We got back to Minnesota close to 10:00 p.m. then stayed at our park-and-fly, connected with Grandma and headed north today.
Overall the kids did great. We go a lot of "you've got your hands full" from passers-by, and had to deal with some tantrums and some sibling squabbles along the way. No one got hurt, lost, or sick - worries the mama had going into the deal. We stayed within our budget and came away with more positive experiences than we ever imagined going into the trip.
We feel very fortunate and grateful for this family time together ~ to Zoe, Otto, Wyatt, and Boden, I hope these pictures and words help you remember this time ~ I know I will cherish these memories for years to come.
We love you!
Our last full day of our Alaska vacation we spent slowly coming up the Seward Highway back toward Anchorage. We stopped in Girdwood again to check out the community, shops, and to have a picnic in the park.
Then we traveled up to Anchorage and checked out a shop in Anchorage
checked out the Lake Hood Seaplane Base
and had a meal at the Bear's Tooth Grill before we camped at a campground in Anchorage.
It sure was a wonderful trip. We were blessed with safe travels and wonderful weather!
After some morning beach combing at the Deep Creek campground. We started our drive across the Sterling Highway.
Along the way we saw lots of moose and even a Grizzly bear cross the road.
(the mama will argue the bear was a lot closer than the daddy thought it was)
This ended up being a big driving day as we decided to explore the small community of Hope.
and we also ventured through the tunnel to Whittier.
Whittier had great scenery and worth the trip to explore.
We spent the night at the Williwaw State Campground just outside of Whittier. We were able to do some hiking along a boardwalk with the kids before rested after a long, full day.
After Kasilof we found our spot for the night at the Deep Creek Campground north of Ninilchkik on the Kenai Peninsula. At most Alaska State Campgrounds overnight camping is just $10. Since our camper had a generator and we stocked up on groceries in Homer - we had everything we needed for a night on the shore.
The kids found a hermit crab & we enjoyed a cook-out over a campfire. This campsite also had great views of some of the active volcanoes on the Kenai Peninsula.
Another spot we checked out on our way north was Kasilof.
Each shoreline was a little bit different. Kasilof also had a tractor boat launch ~ here we explored the beach and watched eagles.
On our way out of Homer we checked out some of the towns we drove by on the way down to Homer. North of Homer we checked out Anchor Point known for being North America's most westerly highway point. For our family, we were most interested in walking the shore and watching the tractor boat launches.
The kids found some crabs on this section of the shoreline,
and we picnicked in the camper before we headed north.
On our second day in Homer, James went out Halibut Fishing for the morning and the kids and I spent the morning on the shore. The kids enjoyed collecting rocks and shells.
In the evening we went out to eat at the Boardwalk Fish and Chips where we all ate local seafood.
The kids had calamari & french fries.
We spent the evening on the shore with more beachcombing on the shores of the Homer Spit.
After our Exit Glacier hike we drove and camped just in the yard of some people we knew from Crane Lake who live outside of Soldotna. There Zoe got a pocket knife from John and throughout the trip has practiced carving driftwood and making marshmallow sticks.
The morning of June 10th we drove down the Kenai Peninsula down to the city of Homer and camped on the Homer Spit.
We were out to the ocean right away, enjoying the mountains and the ocean.
We camped at the Homer Spit Campground. We spent our first day checking out the shore and checking out some of the shops on the spit.
After lunch - our whole family took a nap - then woke up with energy and ambition to explore Exit Glacier north of Seward.
We experienced more good weather, so that made this hike doable for the whole family. (If Bo had his way he would have walked the whole trail without any help....and without holding anyone's hand.) It will be interesting to see how the glacier changes in the years to come, as it has been receding at a rapid pace. The kids will have these snapshots to mark their experience now in 2013
Anne Lamott: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Rink Mann: Backyard Sugarin': A Complete How-To Guide, Third Edition
Kristin Kimball: The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love
Ruth Stiles Gannett: The Dragons of Blueland (My Father's Dragon)
Ruth Stiles Gannett: Elmer and the Dragon (My Father's Dragon)
