Well, it's been a long time indeed since I last blogged. And it's high time I did again. We moved back to SC, had a lot of adjustments (some more than others - ME!!), and got back into the swing of things. I am now employed full-time, thank goodness, and the boys and hubby are all doing well in school and job. Both boys have grown a lot over the last year, and the oldest past that milestone of a birthday - Sweet 16. He has his learners and will be getting the real deal in about a month. Scary!!
Spring Break 2011 sent us on an adventure to Alaska to visit my brother, his wife and cutie of a son (and soon to be daughter!!). It was a great trip with lots of beautiful scenery, as one would expect.
Our handsome chauffeur ...
At the Talkeetna Lodge ... a site for Cicely, the famed town in the 1990s show of Northern Exposure. Let me just say this town is rather different from the show. But it was still an interestingly quirky place.
Hard to see it, but Mt. McKinley is in the background. Mt. McKinley is the tallest peak in North America and is actually taller than Mt. Everest from base to peak. Due to the time of year we were visiting, though, we couldn't get very close.
Even though we couldn't get close, we really enjoyed the drive up, seeing all the variations of landscape and small-town "architecture". Lots of utilitarian buildings, but given the harsh conditions, it is totally understandable, if not quite what a tourist would like to see. (Notice I never said "junky" or "dumpy".)
Although the wildlife was still scare since most animals are still holed up from the long winter, we did get to see bears, bald eagles, musk oxen, moose, and bison - all animals found in the wild in Alaska. These animals were at the Wildlife Conservation Area that rescues animals that have been injured or orphaned. Usually, these animals cannot be reintroduced into the wild, but they do have people to care for them while serving a purpose of helping to protect animals in the wild.
This was a very interesting site showing the effects of the 1964 earthquake. In this area, the land experienced liquefaction - meaning the land turned to liquid. In some places, whole towns were completely abandoned or relocated due to the unique nature of the damages suffered there.
This area is called Turnagain Arm, which is the northern portion of the Cook Inlet as it bends into the Kenai Peninsula. It was very beautiful, and in the summer, beluga whales can sometimes be seen here. We had no such luck, being there in April; however, we did get to see a rather unusual site that not too many people get a chance to witness. On our return trip from Seward, we got to see a tidal bore. This happens when the returning tide actually rides in as a wave on the outgoing water. Only a few places in the world have the right geography combined with a large difference in height from low to high tide levels. In our case, there was the Turnagain Arm waterway, that is narrow and channeled, combined with a 37 ft. tidal difference (as told to us by a local). It is the only location in the US where this can be seen. Although the wave was not so impressive to the kids, it was still a neat thing to experience. Apparently, in this area, this only happens around twice a year, and the next time it would happen would be in the middle of the night, so we felt especially lucky to have happened upon this. LOTS of locals were also out to witness this phenomenon.
Our trip to Seward included a visit to the local aquarium. It's no Atlanta Aquarium, but it was definitely enjoyable, and seeing the giant seal, puffins, harbor seals, sea lions as well as other arctic sea life was a real treat.
This is the lovely marina area of Seward. In the summer, cruise ships come here. I can't imagine how busy it must be as a whole ship plops into this tiny town. Boy was I glad we were there in the off-season.
As an extra treat to our wonderful meal by the water, an adorable sea otter happened to swim by. Again, we felt lucky in that he is seen only a couple of times per week.
We had intended to drive to nearby Exit Glacier, but the road was closed to the glacier, so instead, we stopped at the Resurrection River that flows from the base of the glacier to skip some rocks in the river. The boys were in heaven since almost every rock was shaped for skipping due to the wear and tear of glacier, river, and weather erosion.
Alaska is absolutely covered in glaciers. Here is a lovely view of one on our drive back.
Turnagain Arm in panoramic view. Just beautiful!
Another great day out in nature - my brother led us on a great hike through the woods. We were aiming for an easy, level hike since we were a bit out of shape from our Alp climbing days. The hike was just right in terms of steepness, but it hadn't quite melted on the trail yet. In places, it was very icy, but in others, the snow was just plain deep. Thankfully, I had my hand-made scarf with me, courtesy of my dear friend from Germany.
Taking off through the woods - this is the icy section.
As you can imagine, I was in heaven with the snow and cool weather. Boy do I miss that from Germany!!
In places, the river was still completely covered in snow and ice.
This is about when we turned around. Between my knees twisting on the snow and ice and the trail getting harder to follow, it was becoming a bit of a challenge for me.
My bro and my bud...
We really enjoyed the scenery on this hike. It was a great day!
Another day took us to downtown Anchorage, to the Science Museum. As always, we really enjoy visiting places like this.
There were lots of neat hands-on sections. Here, you can see the bubble displays. In another room, there was a slow-motion camera that filmed you while you jumped up and then came back down. It sounds simple, but it provided LOTS of laughs for everyone who wasn't camera shy.
The museum was hosting a special display on mammoths and other animals of the ice age. Although we were hoping to see bears, we were glad this one would not be out in the wild with us!
On the last day, my brother treated our boys to a special day out on his Polaris to see a glacier up close and personal. After a long journey traipsing across rivers and riverbeds, seeing mountain goats, moose, rabbits, and I think a couple of elk, they finally made it to the glacier.
At the glacier's edge...
My guys on the glacier - they definitely had fun!
We hope to get back there again in either the summer to see more animals and some of the areas closed off due to snow or instead in the dead of winter. We would really love to get a chance to see the Northern Lights, which even at this time of year is hard to do due to the long days. But as you can tell, it was a great trip, and we are really thankful we could take this time to visit and see family while having such a great time.
Our next getaway will likely be the beach, but until then, we hope everyone has a magnificent Mother's Day, and memorable Memorial Day, and maybe even a fantastic Father's Day.
Love to you all,
Amie
