Saturday July 4th - A Day to Remember!

Up early, we were at the downtown Alaska Rail station by 9:15am, to catch the “Coastal Express” train to Whittier. Our seats were book in the upper level of the special double decker rail car that gave us a perfect view of the mountains and the sea as we rode through the morning. The tunnel into Whittier is 2.6 miles long and can only allow either the train one way, or auto traffic one way. They each take turns on a specific schedule and pray that they never meet J . Once in Whittier , we exited the train and walked across the road to the harbor. Within a few minutes, we boarded our boat for the afternoon trip into Prince William Sound. It was, as our Captain said, a “brochure “day. It was picture perfect calm seas, warm sun and crystal blue skies. As we made our way out of port we were given a brief history of the area by our on-board Chugach national ranger. And then we were given an all-you-can-eat prime rib and silver salmon lunch. By the time we cleaned out plates, we had already seen bald eagles and a “raft” of otters. Out on the top deck we could hear the cracking and popping of the glaciers and could feel the spray from the pristine waterfalls. We watched the harbor seals play and dive at the base, as the glaciers calved.
We rode the train back with new friends, & found a train car that was completely empty to claim as our own! A perfect day for the fourth of July.

Thursday & Friday July 2&3 - Anchorage!

We headed south from Wasilla to Anchorage. After settling into the “big city” we headed to the Earthquake monument – the largest earthquake to hit North America, 9.2 on the Richter scale, devastated Anchorage on Good Friday of 1964. We all decided we could live with hurricanes better than earthquakes…

Down town was a fun time to walk around and see the sites, the venders selling reindeer sausage …“Gross”- Becca… play with more husky puppies ( great advertising for more dog sled shows) and take our girls in to “pet” the beautiful fur coats of all shapes and styles at David Greene’s furrier shop (Florida born and raised it was a new experience for them!). Anchorage, Surrounded by cook’s inlet and the strange bore tides (they actually surf them as they roar in!), and dangerous mudflats of Turnagain Arm, is a neat blend of ancient culture, rugged frontier, and modern amenities. Chugach National Park and the Chugach Mountains right outside Anchorage provided a beautiful dive and a nice hike to Thunderbird Falls. The weather cooperated nicely, and we finished the day with a wonderful Alaskan salmon and halibut dinner.

July 1st - what to do in Wasilla on a slow day, or "the Rest of the Story!"

Following is from David regarding our activities on Wednesday July 1st and the national & political ramifications of those activities!

Well, no doubt you've all heard about Sarah Palin resigning, but the real story has not been told until now. It's amazing what you can find on the internet. Super cyber sleuth quinn was able to find out where the Palin’s lived on our recent trip to the booming metropolis of Wasilla, Alaska. There is absolutely nothing interesting to do in Wasilla, Ak except to look up where the Palins live & try to get your picture taken in their front yard. Well, since their driveway had "private" signs posted all over it, we decided the front yard might not be too wise. So we were able to come in from the side & set up our little tripod & get this picture from across the fence with their house in the background. Now little did we know that Sarah had made a solemn promise to her family that if one more group of tourist gets their picture taken with our house in it, then I'm resigning. Well, true to her word, within 48 hours of this picture being taken, she did in fact resign as governor of Ak. Now you have the "rest of the story"! Sound like something right out of a Seinfeld episode doesn't it? - - David

p.s. We're thinking of making this our Christmas card & maybe sending one to the Palin’s

july 31st, the Quinn-ditarod, Mush you Huskies!

Wasilla is the Official headquarters for the Iditarod dog sled race that runs over 1100 miles in 9 days. Dream a Dream Dog kennels is between Willow and Wasilla. It is a working sled dog farm with 49 dogs in training. (they have 80 during the winter!) After recommendations from the locals we booked the 3pm “private tour.” By the time we left at 6pm, we felt like pro’s and a bit like family! The education started with a film tracking the owner and the dogs on the 2002 Iditarod race, with a long Q&A session about everything from how do you and the dogs eat on the trail to each of the layers of clothing required to survive the extreme temperatures. It is a grueling experience, only for the dedicated and slightly insane! I guess those long Alaska nights give you ample opportunity to be both by March when the race is traditionally run.

We were then taken out to the surprisingly neat & orderly yard where all the dogs are. We had a chance to play with three new 10 week old pups as we participated in their training – a hike through the woods ! They bounded and raced up and down the trails and in and out of the creeks while we laughed, and swatted enormous mosquitoes! Back at the yard Misha, the kennel master, taught Suzie and Rebecca how to harness the dogs (see the movie posted) and the three of them managed to get the team of 16 hooked up to the ATV – 4 wheeler. We rode in the back as the dogs did what they love to do - run! Working the dogs in the summer is important, but tricky. The dogs love to run so much, that they do not know when to stop and will easily overheat. We stopped and gave them a water break- with the girls dipping out bowls for each dog. We all thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon, and learned so much from the experience - you know Suzie was in heaven!

Willow, Ak…Sunshine, alpacas and bunnies everywhere!

About 30 miles north of Wasilla is a little spot on Willow Creek that is enchanted.
They say that “when the cottonwood trees blow, the ‘king’ start running.” As we pulled into Willow RV resort, it looked like a summer snow flurry with all the cottonwood fluff floating on the breeze. Apparently the King Salmon should be headed up Willow creek any day. While we haven’t seen any of the salmon, the yard was full of …bunnies! Every size and color just hanging out, munching on the beautiful soft green lawn in front of the stone and wooden lodge. After talking with the owners, we discovered the bunnies had come from an original pair about 12 years ago, there had been as many as 80 at one time, but now there were around 40 to 50 of them with free range of the RV park. As an added bonus, the pen in the back had three alpacas and a mama goat. The front porch hosted “Baxter” the bulldog, and a sweet-natured cat that were regulars. Needless, to say the girls loved it.

June 29th - What not to wear!

Souvenir shopping and some really good halibut tacos and wings in Denali village rounded out our days in the interior. David continued his tour of what (Not) to wear on your head. The addition of the Moose hat just seemed a natural fit! As a testament to what tourist will buy, there are all kinds of things made out of dried moose dropping up here-everything from "Mooseltoe" to hang at Christmas, to painted moose dropping made into earrings...hilarious!

We tried in vain to see McKinley at the southern view point, but still no luck. We have however, seen sunshine for the first time in a week.

June 28th - Into Denali

Restricted access to the park compels the Denali visitor to hop aboard one of the famous tan & green shuttle busses. Saturday we took the Tundra Wilderness tour, but never saw the “Great One” due to the clouds and rain. They say Denali is so big it makes its own weather. We believe it! The caribou and coyotes were out, but not the tops of the mountains. The 2 mile hike back to our car was windy and cold as the temps dropped to 46 deg. This effectively killed any chance I had to get the family excited about a hike on Sunday …although I have to say the guys rafting down the Nenana River looked a lot colder than we were!

Quote of the Day: (after hour and a half of Tundra Wilderness tour on the bus) "Rocks and trees, rocks and trees, is this all there is?" Yes, Suzie this is it.

June 26th - Into the Interior

Leaving Fairbanks and most of civilization behind, we headed to the “Interior”. This area of Alaska is known for Denali National park, the Home of Denali or Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in the northern hemisphere at 20,320 ft. The Drive south on Parks Hwy took us further and further into the tundra wilderness of the Alaskan Mountain range. The cold and rain seemed to emanate from the mountains themselves; we felt like we experienced a bit of true Alaskan weather. No, you can't see the tops of the mountains in this picture. Those are clouds...

June 25th - The Pipeline

We checked out the Alaskan Pipe line, and have learned quite a bit about the difficulties of engineering roads and pipelines over the permafrost of the tundra an arctic. The oil coming out of the earth is so warm (183 degree F) it can actually melt the permafrost ground the pipeline travels over, creating all kinds of issues.

Ask David about the pipeline "boots, and pigs and radiators." He found all this fascinating, the girls a little less so. But hey, it was a good occasion to wear their new boots and sweaters!

June 24th - Winter in Alaska?...No thanks!

The University of Alaska at Fairbanks has a wonderful Museum that was a great place to spend a rainy, cold afternoon. It provides an excellent introduction to so much of Alaska’s natural resources, cultural history, and wildlife. The movie on the Alaskan winters, how people and animals cope with the extremes in temperature and darkness was mind boggling. Most Alaskan’s consider the weather “not so bad” until it gets to 30 deg below 0 – then it’s a “bit cold.” In Fairbanks by December, there are only a 3-5 hours of daylight. You have to be very creative with your activities… moonlight cross country skiing, anyone!?! The Northern lights, the native cultures and customs, and the unique flora and fauna is all so different for us lower 48 inhabitants, especially our Florida born girls, it helped to get a good feel for it all. Look closely, the girls are standing next to a 9 ft stuffed grizzly bear...there are a lot of bears up here! We have seen two form the road.

David had some work to catch up on, and the girls and I spent an afternoon shopping for boots and sweaters, stocking up on books and sipping coffee at the local Barnes and Nobles.

June 23rd - Fairbanks, finally...and Santa Claus!

We finally arrived in Fairbanks to cold and rain. It took a couple of days just to recover from the trip across the Yukon. Our entire motor home and truck were covered in mud, dirt and gravel from the rough dirt roads of Northern Canada; the cleaning and washing was epic. We were not the only travelers cleaning up – there was a line at the campground RV wash station everyday!

Our first stop in Alaska was actually 12 miles east of Fairbanks at the North Pole! Yes, Rebecca was thrilled. Everything was Christmas and Santa! There were real reindeer living at our campground,aptly named "Santaland" and a 40 ft. tall Santa statue –so big we could get it in the picture!

June 21, 2009 The “Real” Father’s Day -in the Yukon!

As we push on and finally hit the Alaskan Highway Sunday, the sun came out and the vistas were beautiful. We stayed at Destruction Bay, on Lake Kluane, the largest lake in the Yukon, in sitting atop 165 feet worth of permafrost…the campground just got their running water defrosted and working last week! We arrived in time for the Father’s day cook out and summer solstice celebration on the lake. The food was great. RE It is a good thing we celebrated Father’s Day last week –David drove all day! Happy Father’s day to all you amazing Dad’s out there!
Rebecca is still struggling with the fact that there are only 37 people who live in Destruction Bay, Suzie was thrilled that the dog population is at 52!

Quote of the day: “As far as we driven in the past few days, Sarah Palin might be right – you probably can see Russia from there!”

June 19th & 20th

Friday and Saturday were long traveling days. We took the Cassair’s Hwy north through some of the most remote territory we have ever been in! Saturday was pretty miserable. It was rainy, gray and cold all day as we trudged through the worst road conditions yet trying to cover some of the 1200 miles to Fairbanks. When we finally stopped, we had the "Season One" marathon of “24.” We watched 3 episodes back to back, and still had to pry the remote out of Suzie’s hand to go to bed. The full daylight at 10:30pm made it hard to take “bedtime” seriously.

June 18th - Gold Rush!

Today we went to Barkerville, a restored 1860’s gold rush town complete with stage coach, original church, smithy, general store (check out the name–any kin in Canada, Mason’s?) theater, and much more. We were pleasantly surprised as townspeople in period dress gave great history lessons and showed authentic activities typical for Barkerville during its heyday. The girls and I attended a lesson in the original school house and received instruction on everything from the proper way to address someone in public (curtsy and bow with Ma’am and M’ lord), to how to write properly and only right handed ( everyone wrote right handed, lefties would smear the ink as their hand move across the page…) We even had to wear bonnets as one did not go uncovered to church or school.

We ate in the Barkerville china town café…and learned about the oppression and discrimination against the Chinese during this time. The theater hosted a “Gold Rush review” that was a real treat. The singing, costumes, comedy and dancing were all very professional and greatly enjoyed. They even got David and several other s on stage for a hilarious number we got on video!
Both moose and bear have been spotted on the side of the road – wild, really.

June 18th - Jack of Clubs lake

Canada 1 took us to route 97. A detour east off 97 on route 26, led us out to the most beautiful and remote rest stop next to “Jack of Clubs” lake in the heart of BC “gold rush “ territory. It was pristine and so peaceful. The only drawback was “no service” on our phones. This was cause for near panic in Becca’s book! David wasn’t too worried as he tested out the satellite phone, unfortunately for the girls there is no text plan on it!

June 17th...from Wet to Dry...

We are traveling up Canada Hwy 1. The southern part is so different - it is dry, often referred to as the “Arizona” of Canada in climate. There are steep bare slopes down to the Frasier River, providing beautiful barren landscapes. It is getting pretty remote, and the travel guides recommend you watch your gas gage and plan your fuel stops, as not to get stranded. To Susannah’s great joy we spotted a Dairy Queen and had to stop for a blizzard before lunch– honestly, you just don’t know when you will see another one! We pasted the Resort area of “Horsefly Likely.” As David said, “I’m not sure that would be our first pick of vacation spots!”

Quote of the day: "Wow, everyone is so nice here! Oh, I forgot we aren’t in south Florida anymore…" Suzie

Strawberries, Cherries and Swans...June 15th

Up for an early run around Stanley Park, I managed to get lost on the trails only to find my way down to (ironically) “Lost Lagoon Lake.” There, a couple of yards, off the shore was a huge nest with a beautiful mama trumpeter swan resting on it, Papa Swan was swimming lazily within a few feet , and 4 little baby cygnets were clambering all over mom. I eventually found my way home. We had to wait for the arrival by ups of our sim card for the satellite phone so we did not leave Vancouver until Tuesday. That was all good for Rebecca as she needed to be able to get the Jonas brothers latest release due out Tuesday, before leaving for the wilderness of Northern BC.
We have arrived at the height of strawberry season and every corner seems to have a table with fresh picked berries and produce on it. Of course, I have to stop at all of them. I have been fortunate to discover Mt. Rainer cherries which come in season a little before the typical red cherries. They are a pale yellow with an orange blush and they are wonderfully sweet… The only comparison are the ones right off the tree at the Mason’s NC cabin!

June 14th, Father's Day in Victoria, BC

Sunday, we were up with the dawn for another early morning ferry ride as we celebrated father’s day in Victoria, BC. We spent a beautiful morning at Butchart Gardens (more of a Mother’s day treat for Laura, but David was a good sport and enjoyed it, too). Becca’s favorites were the sunken gardens, while Susannah really enjoyed the Japanese garden. Laura loved it all and wanted pictures and names of every flower, tree and shrub. She almost went over the edge of the wall chasing a green speckled newt. David’s favorite was the magnificent “huge” copper beech tree.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking Victoria’s shop lined inner harbor streets and China town, where we had a great dinner.

Quote of the day: “Buddha has man-boobs” (thank you, Seinfeld). A chinatown observation of all the many Buddha’ s on display…

June 13th, Vancouver, BC

A trip into down town Vancouver landed us at Granville Island, under the Granville street bridge. Street performers and funky little shops entertained while we strolled, and eventually led us to a wonderful steak and seafood dinner at “The Keg.” The girls said they could get used to the Fine dining experience, but I am not sure the trip budget could stand it. After dinner, we wandered through the Granville public market, boasting everything from fresh local berries, Chinese specialty fruits, exotic spices, more amazing fresh flowers, and of course, whole fresh local octopus (he was a beauty!). We stocked up on fruit and pastries for our day trip tomorrow, and headed home to get to bed early.

June 12th, Travel to Vancouver, BC

Thursday was spent servicing the motor home and then moving on up to Vancouver. The Canadian Customs seemed very serious and decided they wanted to search the motor home. At this point , we were really glad we did not try smuggle the parrot in as we had considered.

We are staying in North Vancouver, along the Capilano River, within walking distance of the Lions Gate bridge. The bridge leads south to Stanley Park, a beautiful peninsula area with everything from a 10km bike and running path along its perimeter sea wall complete with tidal pools at low tide; dense forest trails, beaches, restaurants, play grounds and rose gardens. David declares this is his new favorite city; I would consider moving just to have access to the park!

June 11th, Seattle WA and Friends

Wednesday, we met up with Kristin and Michael Noblin in Seattle. For all you CCA types, Kristin (formerly Mulhern) was a member of the CCA English department 5 years ago. The last time we saw Mike and Kristin was three summers ago at their wedding in Portland, OR. We honored Susannah’s request for a trip to the original Starbucks on Pike street. Once there, of course, we had to go to the Pike street market and watch the fish mongers throw the huge pacific salmon across the counter. I managed to get my finger caught in a crawfish claw, and the monkfish “puppet” scared the girls. They had a hard time dragging me away from rows and rows of the fresh cut flowers- peonies in every color! The local marionberry jam and homemade pumpkin butter just seemed to jump off the shelves and into my shopping bag. Afterwards, Mike and Kristin took us around the corner to a unique Pan African restaurant. The piri piri salmon and the company were equally good!

June 10th, Olympic Pennisula part 2

Returning to Port Angeles for lunch, we headed west on 101 for Sol Duc Falls. Lake Crescent’s south shore made for “beautiful drive #3.” Turning off at the Sol Duc river, we were awed by the dense forest with giant cedars and firs. The moisture (an additional 30 inches of moisture is added by just condensation) creates a dense undergrowth that for that lush “rainforest” feel . The hike to the falls was gentle and fun under the canopy of firs. David gave the girls a lesson on counting tree rings on the giant cut logs, some as wide as Suzie is tall. The walk was cool, damp and green in the most wonderful of ways - a perfect contrast to this morning’s majestic mountain top views. Right by the falls I spotted several trillium in bloom…as white and delicate as the spray from the falls. Dinner in historic Port Townsend and a late ferry ride, brought us back to Anacortes.

Quote of the day: “It really isn’t t he bears on the trail you need to be worried about, but the serial killers in disguise. “ –David to the girls on the Sol Duc falls trail. He was so very helpful when, as he walked by the other hikers (all potential serial killers) he would use his fingers to rank them 0-10 as to the probability that they were actually a serial killer! We have laughed for days on that on…

June 10th, Olympic Pennisula part 1

This morning we were up early to make the 8:45 ferry. We headed out on the first of the “Beautiful drives.” The farmlands nestled between the Strait of Juan del Fuca and Skagit Bay with the Olympic Mountains in the background, make Whidbey Island a special little part of the world. After landing at Port Townsend, A short drive took us to the Olympic Park visitor center where Josh, the ranger, introduced us to Beaver wear (see above) and helped us plan our day.

“Beautiful Drive #2” led us 17 miles up Hurricane Ridge. Each bend in the road revealed increasingly breathtaking views as we wound our way up into the Olympic mountain range. God’s timing is perfect, as this was the first day the road was open for the summer season to go all the way out to Hurricane Hill. Driving out to the trail we knew we were in for a treat. Snow topped the mountains and wild flowers dotted the slopes where the sun had released the ground from winter’s grip. This part is for flower our lovers ...Indian paint brush in scarlet, spreading pink phlox, tiny yellow mountain lomatium, and the deep blues and purples of the broad leaf lupine; all mixed with a healthy growth of white daisies and yellow broad leaf arnica, made for a heady sight as we walked across the top of the ridge. Snow covered parts of the trail and I seemed to be the favorite target for snowballs!

Suzie and I headed to the top as David and Rebecca turned back (the cold and the altitude starting to affect Becca’s breathing as she was recovering from a post-final exam cold). A doe black tail deer and her fawn came strolling down the trail, as curious about us as we were about them. They were the first of eight black tails, some sporting early summer antler growth, that came surprisingly close as we hiked. Majestic views were our reward as made our way up –God is truly in this place.

June 8th, Monday

Thanks to my internal east coast clock, I was up with the dawn Monday morning.
Hugging my hot tea, I picked my way over giant pieces of drift wood to the shore, and enjoyed the view of the San Juan Islands rising out of the mist across the straights. Our first destination, however, was a bit further south - the Olympic Peninsula.
It is all so beautiful and different; I believe the Pacific even smells different from the Atlantic!

June 7th, Sunday

Where do I begin? David left May 29th and drove across country to Seattle, WA. A quick stop in St. Louis, MO for business also allowed for a great visit with dear friends Todd and Keri . Their Farm is prospering and so are they, with the addition of their 8th little one this past December. They have committed their ways to the Lord and He is blessing them – Abundantly!

The girls-Laura, Rebecca and Suzie- finished the whirlwind of final exams, dance performances and last good-byes for the summer, to make our flight on Sunday June 7th to Seattle. After a full day of air travel, we were grateful to see David as we debarked the plane. He was quite a sight in his Crocodile Dundee hat he wore just for the girls – he knows how much they love it! Inspired, David planned our first two nights at Anacortes, WA; the last place we stayed before we turned around to head home three summers ago. It is a primary “jumping off” place for the Washington Ferry System, and is only a short drive to the Keystone – Port Townsend ferry for the Olympic Peninsula.