Alaskan Vacation Part 3

When we were up on the tram we spotted a trail below and decided to hike it. It was right through dense forest. There were berries lining the trail almost the entire way. People were out with buckets collecting them. We saw wild raspberries and blueberries. There are also wild huckleberries. 

Robert really wanted to see a bear on this hike. We searched the woods as we were hiking. But as you can see, there could've been bears all around but we never would have seen them in the dense woods. While Robert really wanted to see one I was OK not seeing any. I have read one too many bear attack stories. 

About a mile down the trail we asked a passerby if she had hiked the trail before and if it was worth going any further. Luckily she was a local and told us that about a mile and a half ahead there was a waterfall and a pulley system across the river. So, we kept going and it was worth it.

Before we saw the water and waterfall we could hear it. It was rushing down the mountain so fast. It was beautiful and clear.

We enjoyed the waterfall then continued our hike over a couple of more hills and got to the pulley system that is 100 feet over the river. No one works there. You're on your own, except for the help of other hikers that may be there and feel like assisting you. 

 Waiting of our turn.

 I quickly snapped a picture when we were half way across. It was tight in the cart and the guy you can see decided to help us so we went across really fast. It felt like we were on The Amazing Race. :)

What Robert and I realized every time we hiked was that on the hike in it doesn't seem like you've gone very far. But on the way back it seems to take forever. Our feet were absolutely killing us by the time we made it back to the trail head. It felt like we could feel every little rock underneath our feet. But, we made it! We had a good dinner and put our feet up that night. 

To Be Continued...

Alaskan Vacation Part 2

Thankfully my legs had healed by the next day. We were off to Girdwood, Alaska to check out the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and then on to the Alyeska Resort. 

The drive there was gorgeous along  Seward Highway. You can take a train all the way up the Alaska Coast if you want to .

They say that people spot beluga whales here but we didn't get lucky enough to see one because the wind coming off of the water was cold!  It's funny how warm and then cold we were throughout our trip. You see a beautiful green mountain next to a mountain that has snow and a glacier on top of it. 

We had a nice little tour of the conservation center. The first day we were there I ate a reindeer and the next day I got to touch one. :)

Here's Robert at the bottom of the tram at the Alyeskan Resort. The resort looked awesome. It'd be a great place to stay. They say the skiing is awesome in the winter.

A picture from inside the tram. You could see the bottom of these water holes.

Some pictures from the top of the tram.

We hiked down a mountain biking trail to this water running down the mountain.

To Be Continued...

Alaskan Vacation Part 1

Robert and I had the opportunity to go to Alaska! We took the opportunity without kids to have a lot of fun together and it was great to be able to laugh and enjoy our week. However, everywhere we went I thought about how much the kids would love everything we were seeing. I missed them a ton by the end of the week. They were in good hands though. 

We flew in to Anchorage, Alaska around 1:30 am, headed to the hotel to get a little sleep and then we were off adventuring. Our first stop was to rent bikes down by the Cook Inlet in Anchorage. The ride was 11 miles each way. It was so beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. My legs burned and I could barely walk that night, but it was worth it. :)

The bald eagle was the animal we saw the most. They're magnificent. It looks small in the picture but it was over 5 feet tall. I spotted it flying and Robert was able to see where it landed. The kids were so excited that we got to see bald eagles, especially Claire.

 We did our best to take some pictures, but when you're riding a bike and there are only two of you it makes it difficult. 

 Timer and a picnic table. :)

 Some kind soul agreed to take a good picture of us when we were at the half way point of the trail.

Anchorage is in the background to the left.

After our loooong bike ride we walked around 4th Street and looked at the shops. We also tried reindeer hot dogs. Yes, they're a thing. The look on Robert's face should tell you how they taste. The city of Anchorage reminded us a lot of Albuquerque, where I grew up. In fact, Robert kept calling it Albuquerque the entire trip.

Vacation From Mom & Dad

While Robert and I went on a vacation, the kids all took turns staying with their Aunt Suzanne and with Grandma Linda. They had a great time in Palm Desert. We're so grateful that they would watch the kids. The kids loved their vacation from us. :) 

The big kids did an Apple Camp at the Apple Store. Bruce made a movie and Linda and Jane made books. Robert and I were able to see the finished product on their last day.

 Bruce's movie was cool. He used miniatures to create a movie.

 Jane's presentation was on sports.

 Linda's was on a story about a girl coming to the United States.

Claire did Shark Week camp at the gymnastics school.

They also went to a movie, the girls each did a gymnastics class, they were able to go swimming, and have a lot of fun.

They had a great time. 

Claire's 7th Birthday!

Claire turned 7 years old on July 9th. We had a fun party with some family and a couple friends to celebrate. Claire had such a fun time playing with everyone. She had an owl themed party. She loved each of her gifts and hugged me after the party and said, "Thanks for  great day, Mom." 

 They spelled her name wrong on the cake. :)

Linda headed up the fishing station. Jane was in charge of the kids jumping on the trampoline with balloons on it, and Claire was thrilled to finally have a pinata at her party!

We love Claire very much. She is a a happy person that finds joy in every situation. It's hard to believe that our youngest is 7!