Day 3

Well, we knew the perfect plan couldn't last forever...so tonight when we 'checked in' to the Alaska 7 Motel, which should be called the Alaska 70's Motel, they said 'oh my husband took your reservations and screwed it up so there is only one room available'. By the way the whole town, which means BOTH motels, are sold out due to construction crews. So here we are, all 6 of us in one room with wood paneling, shag carpet, musty 70's smell etc... Awesome! But the rest of the day went great! We started with a great nights sleep in a very nice B%B. Then we went on a really cool hike along a ridge down to the Tonsina River Gorge. We even were able to take the owners dog with us. His name was Birdoc, which stands for Because I Really DO Care, however the dog has interpreted that to be Because I Really DOn't Care. He was hilarious and the kids loved him. Then it was off to Copper Center and the Princess Lodge which would've had fantastic views on a clear day. But it wasn't clear so we went on to Glennallen and ate at the Caribou Cafe. Then it was a gorgeous drive north following the Alaska Pipeline and several amazing rivers. The views were wild. Tonight we are about 90 miles from Fairbanks in this 'cozy' little room. Tomorrow its off to North Pole AK and then continuing on to Fairbanks. The weather has been okay with a few rain showers here and there and broken clouds with sun and great temps. Here are some pics of our hike, drive and sights we've seen. Yes, the mosquitos are HUGE. Talk to you later, Storm
Okay, it turns out I'm having some uploading issues with the pictures so these will have to do for now.

Day 2

Hello Friends. Well day 2 went well. First we spent the morning in Valdez checking out the museums and watching a film on the Earthquake that wrecked the town. Then we headed through Thompson Pass. Even with some fog and clouds the views were amazing. I would love to see it in the winter with almost 900 inches of snow!! Then it was off to Worthington Glacier for a hike and some sightseeing. The kids had a blast hiking up to the glacier. After that it was an incredibly scenic drive to Kenny Lake just outside of Copper Center where we are spending the night at another B&B. Its a very nice place. The plan was for a hike tonight down to the river, but a quick thunderstorm and heavy rain for an hour or two put a halt to that plan. Tomorrow its off to Delta Junction. With some sight seeing along the way. Enjoy the pics. There are more on KM's camera but we don't have the download cord until we get home. See Ya, Storm

Day One

Well we made it through the first day. We started this morning around 0830 to make the 1030 tunnel to Whittier. On the way we stopped at Portage Lake and took a few pictures of some of the little icebergs near shore. Then we went through the tunnel and caught the M/V Chenega which was going from Whittier to Valdez. The ferry is homeported in Cordova which is why you see Cordova on the boat in the picture. The Ferry was awesome. Very nice inside, a smooth, quiet and fast ride. Plus we had perfect weather. I highly recommend this trip, it took about 2:45 to get to Valdez. Then in Valdez we saw the town, which is quite nice, and hit every playground in sight to wear the boys out. We are spending the first night in a bed and breakfast here in Valdez. So far so good. Tomorrow is Thompson Pass, Worthington Glacier, and Copper Center. Talk to you all soon. Storm

St. Louis Visit

This was Max's first big trip going "solo"...no brothers, just Mom and Max heading to the great Midwest to see Great Grandma Burroughs, Mema & Papa, Aunt Kim and Uncle John, and his cousins Gabby & "Deuce"! :) We had two super nice visits with GG, she loved just watching Max do anything. She was in good spirits and seemed to really enjoy our time together. Mema & Papa also took us to the Zoo, Magic House, Ted Drews, mini-golf, and some crazy Jumpy Monkey inflatable playground place. Max went NUTS!!! Oh, and strawberry picking...man, those were g-o-o-o-o-d!

Alyeska Hand Tram

Hello readers. Today we went to Alyeska and hiked to the hand tram over Winner Creek. Its a very family friendly hike and the tram is a blast. The kids loved it, and the dogs hated it. Its about 30 ft in the air with a see through floor. We also came across another bridge that the kids thought was very 'daring'. A fun day and on the list for our visitors from now on. See Ya, Storm

more pics

Here are the rest of the pics. They show the view from the top and what our house looks like through KM's new 500mm lense. Also a picture showing the old NIKE missle site in the background. The kids did great, the only one not exhausted by the end was Max and that's because he gets to ride on Dad's shoulders during the steep stuff. Even the dogs were wiped out!! In the last pic of KM if you look closely you can see the boys spread out up the ridge and the dogs are near the top. We gave the boys a lot free reign where it was safe to do so, which made it seem like even more of an adventure for them. About 6 miles round trip and boys cannot stop talking about it!! See Ya, Storm

May Hike

Hello Again. Yesterday was beautiful so we went on a hike. If you look at the picture taken off of our deck, our goal was the peak on the left called Mt Gordon Lyon. We were successful and had a great time. No wind and no one else up there. Plenty of snow for the kids and dogs to play in, lots of sunscreen and no bugs! What a day. I'm having some internet issues so I'll put the rest of the pics up later. Storm