Driving to Seward

While James' family was here we took an overnight trip to Seward, AK.  There are a lot of things to do and see along the 2.5 hour drive to Seward.  We stopped at one of the hiking trails to see the view (not to hike) and take some pictures.  We all got dressed up and coordinated to get some family pictures, but the weather didn't cooperate.  It was chilly and windy!  We also stopped in Girdwood, AK to see the Alyeska Ski Resort and ride the tram up the mountain.

 

Checking out the telescope

Cousins!

Biggest and littlest

Annie, Papa, and the grandkids (Eli was not cooperating)

Growing up fast!

Waterfall at the hiking trail we stopped at

 

Along the highway

 

 

The tram at Alyeska

Hiking Mt. Baldy

This day we took the family to hike Mt. Baldy.  Now, there are several websites that list hikes and give ratings on the difficulty of the hike.  This hike is listed as easy.  We soon discovered that is was anything but easy!  Although it is only a mile each way, it quickly gets very steep and rocky.  Even though it was the middle of the summer, there were lingering patches of snow and the melting snow made it muddy as well.  Of course, James and I know lots of people who have hiked Mt. Baldy and not one of them mentioned how hard of a hike it was until after we hiked it and said it was hard.  Then EVERYONE said it was pretty hard!

 

The trail starts at the end of Skyline Drive.  So, this is the view from the bottom of the trail.

 

Uncle Blake with Lucy.  Ready to start!

James with Eli.  I started off with Eli on my back, but once it started to get steep I realized I would not be able to make it to the top with an extra 30 pounds on my back!

Ben and Will seemed to be the only ones who didn't notice how difficult the hike was.  They zipped right up!  (Well, them and the one group of really fit ladies with a three legged dog that blew past us and made us all feel really weak!)

Getting close to the top!

The boys on the top of the mountain!

Eli and Mommy at the top!  We didn't think we would all make it to the top, but everyone did!  My camera battery died, so my last few pictures were taken with my cell phone.  (Turned out pretty good too!).  Luckily, after talking to some fellow hikers we got directions for the back path that was twice as long, but much easier.  We used that to get back down and it was really nice to see a different path.

Mommies and Kids at Mirror Lake

The big boys went on a halibut fishing trip one day, so the big girls and the kids drove around and took in some of the Alaska scenery.  We got out of the car and played at Mirror Lake for awhile.

 

 

Anchorage Market/ Family Visit

In June we got a two week visit with family.  James' parents and his brother and his wife and daughter all came and stayed at our house.  We had a very wet summer, but we were lucky and the first week they were here was very warm and sunny!  On Father's Day, we went downtown to the Anchorage Market.  The market is full of local vendors selling all kinds of Alaska products.

 



The Dads on Father's Day

Aunt Val, Uncle Blake, and Lucy!

Our precious niece/cousin Lucy!  We found out the she is going to be a big sister that morning!

Sharing some funnel cake at the market

Lucy liked grabbing her Daddy's hat he bought at the market

The boys love when we go past this airplane.  When you push a button it makes noise and spits out smoke.  William is waiting for the smoke.

Black Bear Up Close!

The boys and I went driving around in the wooded back area of the base.  As we turned a corner in the road, we saw two black bears lying in the grass off to the side just munching on dandelions!  One of them immediately got up and headed off into the woods.  This guy took his time getting up.  I pulled up really close and rolled down my window to get a good picture of him.  I was so glad I had my camera with me!  He took a few seconds to look at us and then left.

 

Homemade Sprinkler

Our sprinkler broke, but the boys really wanted to play in the water (There aren't a lot of days that feel warm enough to brave the freezing cold water.  Remember, our water source is a glacier).  So, we improvised.  We poked some holes in an empty vinegar jug and duct taped it to the hose.

 

Afternoon Ice Cream

This afternoon we made a trip to the little ice cream stand around the corner from our house.

 

Tasting each other's flavors

Green Lake

This is Green Lake.  It is right on the base and not far from where James works.  We decided to run over there one day after James got off work to do a little fishing.

 

 

The dandelions in Alaska are beautiful!  They carpet the ground for just a few weeks each summer.



Ben fishing.

Will fishing

Ben quickly lost interest in fishing and started collecting little shells from the water.

The only fish we got .... He was dead and Ben picked him up out of the water.  (Yes, he washed his hand after)