Denali - Proud Members of the 30 Percent Club

After an uneventful flight and an overnight stay in an Anchorage hotel that we would frequent two more times on the trip, we jumped in our rented mini-van and headed north towards the must-see national park - Denali. Sarah had done a ton of research leading up to this trip, and one of the things she learned was that it is actually relatively rare to get a glimpse of the mountain, Denali, due to the fact it has its own weather system because of its elevation. And yet as we started to get closer to the different viewpoints along the drive we realized that we were about to become the newest members of the 30% percent club - those who actually get to see the mountain.

As you can see, the day could not have been more beautiful. Every place we stopped we had a great view of Denali and the surrounding mountain range. We could not believe our luck. We also shed our raincoats and took in the sunshine. After a week in mostly overcast Juneau this was an added bonus.

What better way to celebrate our arrival outside the park then going to the 49th State Brewery for food and a beer. And as it turned out this brewery was hosting a big summer solstice party with festivities lasting through the night. We have to say that we were very excited to know that we would be in Alaska for the solstice, but also a little concerned about how difficult it might be to sleep because of the extended daylight hours. Good thing we brought sleeping masks for everybody. In the end, we were so active during our days that our nights were very restful.

Our drive up from Anchorage was short enough that we were able to stop in at the Denali Visitor Center to pick up our tickets for the tour we had booked for the next day. But we didn't have to wait for any tour to get our first wildlife spotting. Right after we parked we saw our first moose! All of us had moose on our sight-seeing check list, so this got us all excited. The moose appeared far less interested in us, which is probably a good thing since Sarah kept wanting Reese to get just a little closer.

For our first full day in Denali we had booked the ultimate tour. A twelve hour bus ride that would take us 90 miles into the park, far past the point where private cars are allowed to go. Denali was created to protect wildlife and its rules continue to adhere to those origins. We were amped at the idea of what we might see, but also a bit fearful of what 12 hours on a bus might mean. So we did everything to prepare the right way - we packed a ton of snacks and charged our phones. We were ready to go at the 7:00am departure time.

Count yourself luck to not get a play by play of all the animals we saw because this post would be three times as long. We figured we would go with the highlights. The bus driver stopped any time we saw something and we saw a lot. Here's a caribou that was just strolling along the road, paying no mind to all the people inside the bus snapping photos and admiring its beauty.

Speaking of beauty, the driver also stopped at various points so we could stretch our legs and check out the scenery. This stop was along Polychrome Pass, which is a narrow road in a beautiful valley. We were able to hike a small path to a viewpoint that overlooked the valley. It was amazing to say the least.

At another stop along the way, there was a small visitor's center where they provided artifacts and hands on materials to get a sense of the size of the animals we were seeing. Although we know we got the antlers positioned incorrectly in this photo, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what Reese would look like as a male moose. Not seen here, Sarah pulled off the caribou antler look just as well.

Every direction we looked gave us another opportunity for a photo with a great backdrop. But it wasn't just about the scenery. All along the trip our driver was providing a wealth of information, so we were learning about glacier runoff streams like the one pictured here.

After passing multiple landmarks like Reflection Lake, we finally made it to the end of the road and this unassuming sign marking the turnaround point. Only 92.5 miles left to go! Honestly, all five of us would have been more than willing to go another 92.5 miles into the park if we had the option.

We had a couple of bear sightings on the drive in, but they were too far away to see very well. But on the way back we got lucky and right there along the road was a mom with her two cubs. The driver thought the cubs were probably two years old or so. We just hung out on the side of the road (from within the safety of the bus) and watched them eat for 5-10 minutes. It was awesome!

This is a picture of the cabin we called home during our time in Denali. It was only a 15 minute journey to the park entrance from here, and it worked out quite well for us. We were able to keep our rhythm of eating breakfast at home, packing lunch, and then finding a local restaurant to enjoy for dinner. We only stayed for two nights, though, and didn't spend much time inside because we wanted to get all we could out of our limited time at Denali.

One cool thing about Denali is that it is the only national park that has its own kennel of working sled dogs. When winter comes the rangers travel throughout the park using sled dogs instead of vehicles. In the summer, though, the dogs are in training by the Visitor's Center and you can go and meet them.

Without a doubt this was one of the highlights of the trip for Reese. And for the first 20 minutes that we were at the kennel the rangers allowed us to pet and hang out with all of the dogs while they ate their breakfast. Some of the dogs were more interested in getting love from us than others. Reese just wanted to take them all home.

After some time to hang out with the dogs the rangers then had a demonstration for all of us so we could learn more about what they do. This is one of many reasons why we love visiting national parks. The ranger education experiences have never disappointed.

Denali marked one more national park visited and like every one we have gone to we need to go back and spend more time there. And it was great to be able to take it all in with Grammy Gayle.

On the drive back to Anchorage we made a stop in Talkeetna, which is a unique town right off the main road. It has a small, walkable main street with lots of retail stores and restaurants. We enjoyed checking it all out, but by this time we were also having to deal with an unsettling heat wave in the region. We did not pack for 80 degree weather when we packed for Alaska. In fact, when we got back to Anchorage we had to make a stop at Target so Grammy Gayle to get shorts and sandals. As you can see here, though, no matter what we encountered we were still smiling because we still had more of our Alaskan adventure to go.

Juneau = Alaskan Family

On June 15 we were ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. After a couple of years of talking about it we were able to realize Grammy Gayle's dream of getting her kids and their families, and her of course, to Alaska. We were excited and couldn't wait to meet up with the crew. That meet up would occur in the Seattle airport where would be together for the last leg to Juneau.

It was certainly a long trip and we didn't arrive until after dark, which is saying a lot for Alaska in June. However, we then had the opportunity to wake up to this gorgeous view off the deck of our rental for the week. The pictures don't do it justice, and this one doesn't show all of the bald eagles that flocked to this beach and marina every day.

To get our bearings we decided to take a drive to downtown Juneau, ultimately making our way to Douglas Island for a mini-hike/walk along Sandy Beach. Needless to say there were numerous photo opportunities.

And yes, we have now moved past the stage where Sarah can see clearly over Callie's head in pictures like this. And when life gives new obstacles you either get frustrated, lean into them, or lean to the right of them.

So here is the whole crew for the Juneau part of the trip. Zac and Brandi's itinerary had them staying a few days longer after we were going to be heading to Anchorage. So we were ready to make the most of our time together.

Okay, so the main reason why we started in Juneau and wanted even to go to Douglas Island is because this is where Sarah's Great Aunt Sally has lived for the past 60+ years. Sally and her husband Kenny had quite a few businesses. One of their ventures included liquor stores and delis. It became a game to spot one of these businesses so we could stop and take a picture. And since we needed some supplies anyway, it didn't hurt to support family by buying some beer.

After our mini-hike we stopped downtown to grab some lunch. Lucky for us there was a great outdoor food court which had top notch fish tacos and even some great savory crepes for the girls. Everyone enjoyed their meal and therefore was fortified for more exploring.

Although we didn't get the timing right, this is one of the coolest fountains that we have ever seen. The water sprays to make it look like the whale is breaching. We tried to hold our pose to get the big shot, but as you can imagine you can only hold it for so long, especially when a stranger is taking the picture.

Grammy Gayle's first cousin Margie served as our incredible hostess and tour guide during out time in Juneau. She coordinated tickets for us to go on the tram to the top of Mt. Roberts. Right off the tram were two Native artists who had been commissioned to carve a couple of totem poles for the area. They were both extremely talented as well as friendly, and both Reese and Margie were engaged with all they were doing.

You can take a retired teacher out of the classroom, but you can't take the teaching out of her system. In the hike we did on Mt. Roberts, Margie was a wealth of knowledge and constantly pointed out animals and plants to Callie and Reese. The rest of us learned a thing or two as well.

You might not know it, but Juneau is in the midst of a rainforest, so everything is green and your pretty much guaranteed to get rain every day. In fact, the first four days of our trip we only saw glimmers of sunlight here and there. And yet it was still an incredibly beautiful place to be.

It seemed only fitting to get a picture of Grammy Gayle and her two kids. And this trip definitely meant a lot to Grammy. She had first visited all of her cousins up here when she was a teenager, and her last trip with her mom was to Alaska as well. And now she was able to share this place with Sarah and Zac and their families.

We had to put in a picture from the tram heading down from Mt. Roberts to give a sense of the size of things. Mt. Roberts is literally in downtown Juneau and goes straight up. In the lower right of this picture you can see one of the cruise ships docked in the harbor. At any given time there could be four large cruise ships docked in Juneau. Downtown gets flooded with tourists. Therefore, Margie made sure that many of our outings were either off the beaten path or occurred when the tourists were typically still on the boats.

One of the coolest activities that we did while we were in Juneau was a family picnic at a state park north of downtown. The guest of honor was definitely Great Aunt Sally, pictured here with Grammy. It was so wonderful to spend time with her. She has an amazing disposition and the smile on her face never left.

We had a sizable crew and it was great to meet them all. They all brought some tasty food, and Margie led us in a rousing, and surprising, rendition of God Bless America in place of grace. Later we found out that this is a typical gathering spot for all the families on the 4th of July. In any case, we had such a great time and it was an absolutely gorgeous setting. And yes, it rained a bit, but we tried to act just like the locals and didn't let it stop the fun.

We didn't stay away from all of the tourist traps, though. One night Grammy looked after the girls so that we could join Zac and Brandi for a drink or two at the Red Dog Saloon. The place was packed and the entertainer provided a great deal of humor and harmony. But like clockwork, the place emptied out in a flash when everyone had to be back on their cruise ship for departure. It was quite a sight to see.

Another group adventure we had was a private whale watching trip out of Auke Bay. Although we didn't have a great deal of success in the whale spotting department, we did see some cool sea lions and just enjoyed the time on the water looking at the beautiful mountains all around us. However, we couldn't really tell how far they went up since there was always a layer of clouds obscuring the full view.

June 18, which marked our 14th wedding anniversary, happened to fall within our time in Juneau. So we decided to take a hike, and Reese was willing to join us. The goal was to take a trail that would allow us to see the Mendenhall Glacier from the side opposite where the state park view is. It was an adventure, which means that we didn't get the view we wanted but we had a lot of fun. Reese provided some excitement by falling in a creek on the latter part of the hike which meant she had to go for about a mile in soaking wet jeans. Good things she's a trooper.

The next day Margie and Sally took us to the local salmon hatchery. It had a mini-aquarium inside, and none of us can resist a good touch tank. The hatchery is a substantial operation, and it was fun to see how it all works, even though we were early in the spawning season so the action was not as happening as it would be later in the summer.

However we were able to get another family picture, and this one is another keeper. We really can't say enough how much we appreciated the way that Margie took care of us while we were in town. Her generosity will always be remembered.

This sign was in the Devil's Club Brewing Co. in downtown Juneau and provided one of the funnier moments of the trip. While Grammy was hanging out with Margie and Sally, the rest of us decided to go downtown to have a beer and a snack. Now this is not the girls first time in a brewery, so they were ready with a pack of cards to entertain themselves. They had only been playing for a minute when one of the staff came over with an apologetic look on his face. We thought they were too young to be there, but apparently the problem was the cards. That's right, no card playing in the brewery. From what we understand, this is a statewide law. Either way, it was a first for us.

Because we just needed to take in more beauty we took a drive up to the arboretum. Although it had beautiful flowers and plants, we gravitated toward the coast line to go bouldering. Everywhere you looked was a breathtaking view. You can only imagine that Sarah was going picture crazy.

Now we offer up the latest in our series of pictures titled, John looks pensive in natural settings. You can see that Callie is trying to get the hang of it, but she is still a novice. This kind of thinking takes practice.

The next stop on the tour was St. Terese's shrine, where the marmots were prolific and relatively unafraid. In fact, many times they seemed to be posing for our pictures. The marmots certainly entertained the girls while the rest of us yet again marveled in the beauty that surrounded us.

We had to include this picture for several reasons. First, that evening we went to watch the Thibodeau softball team play. And even on a frigid night we support family. We were pretty taken though with the setting. First of all, the field was all dirt because they can't keep the grass. Second, if you look past the outfield you can see the Mendenhall Glacier in the distance. Caroline, another one of Grammy's cousins, recommended that after the game would be a great time to hike near the glacier and possibly see a bear. We'll give you one guess as to who among the four of us was definitely into that idea. The good news is that she got her wish to go on the hike. The bad news was that we did not see a bear. Of course, bad news is relative in this instance.

Here is a closer view of the Mendenhall Glacier on our last day in Juneau. This happened to be the only sunny day of our visit, and OMG, it was incredible. The mountains do have tops and it's possible to walk around Juneau without a raincoat.

It was hard to believe, but our six days in Juneau had come to and end and it was time to leave. We packed our bags, went to the airport to catcher our evening flight, and welcomed the sight of an extremely short security line. Then the TSA folks got to Sarah's carry-on suitcase full of food and the fun began. Long story short, the whole bag had to be unpacked while Sarah had to reassure one of the agents that the graham cracker box was so heavy because it also had chocolate inside for s'mores. A lot of explaining, swabbing for bomb residue, and fortunately a lot of smiles and laughter later, we made it through. Next stop, Anchorage. And looking out the window during the flight, it was pretty much this view on repeat for four hours. Alaska is enormous.

Summer, Music, Arts, and Friends

We had some exciting plans for some fun travel over the summer, but before we got on any plane there were a few tried and true activities to complete. When you have neighbors like the Chrismans you get to benefit from their hard work. This year's strawberry crop was extremely tasty, especially since they were out of town and we had to make sure the strawberries didn't go to waste.

We also arranged to kick off summer well with the Abrahams and some back porch time. They are always busy over the summer, therefore we have to cram in the quality time before we all go our separate ways.

For the fourth year the end of May and beginning of June has also meant soccer tryouts. Last year's season for Callie was a driving force as she headed into this year's tryouts. Her hard work paid off when she made the Blue team for her age group. She was over the moon and couldn't wait for practice to start. Reese's tryouts were a couple of days earlier, and this would be the first year that her age group would be divided into teams. She was very excited to learn that she made the White team. But more importantly, the nine other girls selected for the team were friendships she had developed over the past year in the academy.

Reese also had the opportunity to participate in the Lil' Generals soccer camp run by the Lafayette HS Girls' Soccer team. It doesn't get any better than a soccer camp where two of the girls running the camp are Ella and Claire Abraham.

This picture captures something of a summer miracle, where the Abrahams, Bowes, and Johnsons are all at church and all the kids are dressed to impress. We obviously write a lot about these two particular families, but we never get tired of talking about how much their friendship means to us.

Summer also meant a couple more lazy mornings, which is a nice change from the rat race of the school year. Fortunately Callie and Reese can find fun and laughter in most situations. It's not always sunshine and rainbows, but we are pretty fortunate to have these two girls.

This year marked Callie's last year as a participant in Music and Arts Camp. Next year she will be old enough to be a counselor. The play was a return to the story of Noah and the show was titled, 100% Chance of Rain. Year after year we are always impressed by the show the kids put on under the guidance of the FPC staff and volunteers. This year was no different.

The set captured the spirit of the musical and the performance of the 60-70 kids kept the crowd of proud parents engaged. Reese, Callie, and their friends had been singing all week in preparation and put on a great show.

And for the third year in a row Libby Gipe spent the week with Birdy and Pop so she could participate as well. Lucy didn't come this year, and her presence was missed. The girls absolutely loved the time they got with Libby, and they filled every morning with activities to make the most of her being around. We kicked off Summer 2019 right.

Canoeing with the Johnson's on Elkhorn Creek

We do love getting outside and we are big fans of the Johnsons, so it only made sense that when the weather got nice we arranged for a half-day canoe trip down the Elkhorn Creek for the two families. It was easy enough to rent three canoes, divide up the crew, and get out on the water.

Each boat had three people in it, and the navigation strategies reflected each group's personality. John piloted the U.S.S. Caution with Callie and Vivie Ann, who shared his responsible ways. Sarah, Jessica, and Emerson were ready to barrel into whatever came their way regardless of what any sign said. Seth led Mason and Reese with the calm, cool, and collected demeanor that would expect from a firefighter, but also with just a hint of joy with danger.

These five kids love hanging out together, and during the school year it doesn't happen as often as they all would like. There are too many activities pulling everyone in different directions. So a day like this is perfect for them to reconnect and enjoy each other. And they are a fun bunch to be around.

Although all the kids have special connections, these two picture here share an inner spirit. The fire and feistiness of Emerson may even take Reese by surprise at times, but she cannot get enough of this kid. They are going to be fun to watch growing up.

Everyone got treats at the end of our trip, and per usual, it was Seth sneaking them in. You can't let him out of your sight, especially if he has just asked if you are thirsty and he has Jessica's wallet. The only problem with adventures like these is that they don't last long enough.

Canoe Kentucky was a great family run business where we had a nine-year-old directing us where to park our car and got our safety instructions from a 16-year-old. They know what they are doing. We have been wanting to do this for a while, and we are glad this was the way we kicked off our summer. That was especially true when we heard on the news later that afternoon that a sewage spill that occurred only hours after we completed our trip had ended canoeing on the Elkhorn for a while. Talk about good timing on our part.