Our trip started off rocky when our flight to Anchorage was delayed by 3 hours - getting us into Anchorage by 2:30am. When we went to get our rental car - we discovered that the rental counter closed at 2 am. Ugh! But after that - everything went great. We rented a cabin in Girwood & went on a pretty hike where we also had to cross a ravine with a hand tram:
Then on to the Russian River for camping, salmon fishing & bear watching! We were just a few days early for the salmon spawning season but we were still able to see some of them jumping upstream & a bear trying to fish some out.
Momma bear & cub
After camping, Rob & I headed towards Valdez for some kayaking. It was about an 8 hour drive which - without kids - was actually quite nice to enjoy the scenery. We had planned to stop 1/2 way and camp for the night, but it started POURING and the idea of setting up tents in that wasn't so appealing. Not a lot of hotels outside of major cities in Alaska, so we totally lucked out when we found a B&B along our route. It was EXACTLY the perfect Alaskan log cabin that I could have dreamed up on a beautiful spot on a lake. In the morning we could sit on our deck in big fluffy robes, drinking hot coffee, (along with M&M's from a moose dispenser in the cabin), reading bear attack stories from a book on the nightstand or looking through the owners' photo book. The owner was a character - BIG TIME hunter. When we went to the main house for breakfast he gave us a tour - and although I don't like hunting - the pictures & all of the stuffed heads/furs/horns/bones were pretty amazing. I would have liked to stay an extra night - but we had reservations for kayaking the next day.
Rob on the deck of our perfect log cabin (made entirely by hand by the owner).
View from our deck.
Alaskan pipeline which was just across the street from our B&B.
Some things are hard to find in Alaska, but definitely not Espresso huts. These huts were everywhere, even in the most remote, unlikely spots.
Fishing boats in Valdez
Kayaking was amazing. We got good weather which is lucky for the area which gets lots of rain. It was still cold, though, with the wind off the ice making it feel like you've just opened the freezer door.
Columbia Glacier Bay
After kayaking, we made the long drive back up to Fairbanks to reclaim our kids. Lukas didn't seem to have missed us much - my sister has Wii (with Lego starwars), a trampoline, a big lego table with tons of legos...
In Fairbanks/North Pole we did some hikes, went gold panning, visited the Christmas House and - finally - saw some moose just in my sister's neighborhood.
Lukas pours out his "poke" of paydirt
Rob & Lukas pan for gold. Our take? Lukas: $8, Marieke: $8, Inga: $10, Rob $16
Beautiful hike near Fairbanks, but the infamous mosquitos killed us!
Despite the nearly 11:30p.m. sunset, it wasn't too hard to get the kids to sleep at night while we were camping. They stayed up til 10p.m. and were pretty exhaused by that time anyways from all the excitement during the day. On one of the last nights at my sister's house, though we put Lukas to be around 10. When I headed up to bed after 11p.m. I heard Lukas calling my name. "I can't sleep Mom, it's too bright". I walk into his room where the sun was setting & DIRECTLY shining onto his bed - I swear it was as bright as a summer day on the beach.
