End of August - Andi

Oregon Trail Visitor Center

Aug. 25, 2017

Two days ago we dropped the camper off at a workshop. Then we went to the Oregon Trail Visitor Center. I did the bingo and Junior Ranger Program. I got a bracelet, magnet and a sticker. There were fun kids’ activities and boring stuff too. Anyways we stayed there for a while and looked around. Then we picked our camper up and came back to the Visitor Center. Then we parked at a campground and went to bed.

Yesterday we did laundry and played for a while. Then in the afternoon we went to the shop and walked to the hotel and swam the whole afternoon. Then we went to dinner. Then we came back and swam and then went to bed.

Aug. 26, 2017

Yesterday we ate breakfast at the hotel. Then we swam for a while with our friends. Then we drove to our next campground and ate dinner. Then we watched Croods.

Pahoehoe - flowing lava

A, a - crumbly lava

Today we went to Craters of the Moon. It is a volcano site. There are two different lava formations. One is when the lava is smooth and flows places. That is the pahoehoe (Pa-hoy-hoy). Number two is when the lava is mounted like a pile of rubble that is crumbling off red hot pieces of ash and rock. That is called a,a (ah-ah). We also did hikes around there. Then we went home and explored the campground. Then we had dinner.

Aug. 28, 2017

Yesterday we hiked in four caves. The first three caves all had really high ceilings and were either really skinny and long or fat and short. The fourth cave had really low ceilings and we had to do army crawl to get through it. You could also see lava marks on the sides of the caves. Then we had dinner and played two games of Dominion.

August 30, 2017

Yesterday we hiked in City of Rocks National Park. We went to the Visitor Center first. Then we went to the trailhead. We climbed on a couple rocks and then kept hiking. We saw cool views at times and other times we saw pure rock cliffs. We climbed on rocks too. Then we came home, played the Wii and had dinner. Then we watched a movie with popcorn.

Today we hiked five miles. We saw super duper cool views of the mountains. We also saw lots of climbers and geckos. I learned how to read maps without turning them. We ate lunch and watched people at the same time. Then we went home, ate dinner, played games, and read.

City of Rocks

End of August - Nick

8/23/17

Yesterday we packed up in the morning and then started driving to our next site. After we had been driving for 3 or 4 hours we heard a loud clunk so we pulled over and as soon as we did the back wheel on the passenger side on the trailer just fell off. We called a towing company to fix it but when they got to us they didn’t have the right parts to fix it. They kind of half fixed it with the parts they had to get us to a pullout for the night. They were going to come back in the morning.

8/24/17

Oregon Trail

Yesterday morning the towing guys showed up in the morning again and fixed the wheel enough to get us to their shop. When we got to the shop we unhooked the trailer and went to the Oregon Trail Visitor’s Center. There was a big diorama in the middle of the Visitor’s Center. It showed the Oregon Trail with wagons, oxen, and people on it. It looked really rough. Some people didn’t even have shoes. I read that there was a grave every 80 yards. After that we got lunch at a Chinese place. It was really good. Next we went and picked up the trailer because the towing people were done. We were going to go back to the Visitor’s Center but when we got there our car was leaking coolant fluid. So we went BACK to the towing shop AGAIN, and they fixed that for us. Then we found a campsite, had dinner, and went to bed.

8/25/17

Yesterday we woke up, had breakfast, and then dad took the RV back to the shop because something still wasn’t right with the trailer, but I’ve lost track of what’s broken and what’s not. While dad took the RV in, we stayed at the site and did homework. Then dad came back with just the care and said we had to pick up the trailer in a little while. I rode my bike for a long time after I finished homework. Then we went to pick up the RV, but as we were pulling out the guy that fixed it heard a popping noise and said there was something wrong with the axle, so we got a hotel so they could fix it overnight. We swam at the pool at the hotel for a while and then went out to a pub for dinner. I got a really good fish fry. When we got back we all went swimming. I played horse. There was a basketball hoop. Then I met a kid my age who I played horse with too. Then we came up to the room and went to bed.

8/26/17

Yesterday we had the continental breakfast at the hotel. Then we went swimming at the hotel one more time. My friend was there again and I played horse with him again. Then we started driving to our next site in the Sawtooth National Forest. It was a pretty long drive. When we got there Andi and I rode bikes for a while. Then we had dinner and watched a movie.

8/27/17

Yesterday we drove to Craters of the Moon National Park. At first I had no clue why it was called Craters of the Moon but as we were driving through I figured it out. It was a huge rocky landscape. The rock was dark black and there were craters all over and it looked like the moon. All the rock was volcanic rock. There used to be tons of volcanoes about 2,000 years ago. You could see places where the rock was really smooth. In places like that, that is where rivers of lava cooled. We did a small half a mile hike through a bunch of volcanic rock. Then we did an even shorter hike to the top of a ‘spatter cone’. Spatter cones are little mounds of volcanic rock where lava sputtered up from a crack in the earth. Then we came home, had dinner and played dominion.

Lava cave in Craters of the Moon park
We crawled on our bellies to get through

8/28/17

Yesterday we drove to Craters of the Moon again. When we got there we did a 2 mile hike. It was called tree mold hike. At the end of the trail you could see tree trunks and branches imprinted in the volcanic rock. In one spot the lava cooled around a standing tree, so there is a big, perfectly circular hole in the ground. Then we started hiking back. On the way back I started feeling weird and then my vision started blurring. After that from what I heard I fainted. Dad dragged me into some shade and poured water on my face. When I woke up I had some water. Then we just sat in the shade for a while. My mom thought the reason I fainted was a combination of hunger, heat, and dehydration. After I was feeling better we hiked back. Then we had lunch which helped a lot. Then we went and looked at some caves. Most of them were really big and had really high ceilings. But my favorite one was called Boy Scout Cave and it was tiny, but long. In some parts you had to crawl, crab walk, army crawl, and twist your body in weird ways to get through openings. Then we came home and had dinner. We also played Dominion.

8/29/17

Yesterday we started driving to our campsite in the morning. It was about 4 hours. We did a lot of education in the car. I also read a lot. When we finally got there it was raining so we sat in the camper for a while. When it was done raining I rode my bike for a while. Then we had dinner. Finally, after dinner, we all played Wii together.

8/30/17

City of Rocks

Yesterday we slept in a little and then started driving to the hike we were going on at about 11:00. The hike we did was about 3 miles. It went through the City of Rocks which is a bunch of rock formations jutting out of the ground and they look like buildings. The hike took us a really long time because you were allowed to climb on top of the rock formations and we stopped to climb a lot. One of the rock formations looked like a stack of pancakes, and I love pancakes, so that one was my favorite. I forgot to mention that the Oregon Trail went through the City of Rocks. There were some arches and small caves along the trail and they were cool. After the hike we climbed most of the way up a rock formation called Bath Rock. We didn’t go all the way up because you need special equipment. Then we came home because it started raining. When we got home Andi and I played Wii for a little while. Then we had dinner and watched a movie.

Today we got going early in the morning. We started driving to the hike we were going to do but then it started raining, so we just drove around and looked at the rock formations from our car until the rain stopped. Then we started our hike. This hike wasn’t as much through the rocks, but it was through more of a prairie. We end up hiking almost six miles. We climbed on a few rocks but not as many as the day before. We also saw a family of climbers who we watched for a while. Then after the hike we came home and had dinner.

The Solar Eclipse - Nick and Andi

Watching the eclipse

ANDI:

It started around 9:00. It moved so slowly that I weaved for a while and glanced up every now and then. At first it looked like somebody took a bite out of the sun.  Then it started to look like a crescent and it started to get colder. Then it looked like a diamond ring. Then it was the total eclipse. It was so dark that the hawks came out to hunt. Then a little while later it was doing the process over. 

NICK:

It started out at about nine in the morning. In the beginning the moon only covered a tiny bit of the sun. With the solar glasses you could stare right at the sun. It was kind of red. You could also see the moon as it covered the sun. It was really cool. As the eclipse was going on it was getting colder and darker. My favorite state that wasn’t totality was the diamond ring stage. The diamond ring stage was where one tiny dot of sun was showing and it looked like the diamond on a ring. Next was the totality. It was so cool. I don’t really know how to describe it but the corona around the moon was a light blue color and the rays jutted out and then looped back to the moon and repeated that pattern on the inside of the loop. The totality lasted about two minutes and it was not what I expected. During totality it was so dark that nocturnal animals came out like hawks.

This is a stock picture from the internet - our camera wouldn't
capture the actual beauty. This is the closest approximation
we could find to what we saw. It was a bit more blue for us.

Aug 7-20 - Andi

8/7/17

Getting my Junior Ranger badge with Daphne at
Wrangell St. Elias

Yesterday we drove all day. Then we got to our campsite and did a campfire. Then we went to bed. We also went to Wrangell St. Elias. It is the largest National Park in the U.S.

Aug. 10, 2017

Three days ago we went to Tetlin Visitor Center. Mrs. Carrie bought me a bead thing. Then we drove to a restaurant and had dinner. Then we went on the ferry. Once we got on we went to bed.

Eating crab legs for dinner in Juneau

Two days ago we woke up early on the ferry. Then we went to our new campsite. We slept for a while. Then we went to the Mendenhall Glacier with Aunt Lisa. She bought me a pretty necklace. Then we brought her to the airport. Then we went into town and shopped, got ice cream, shopped some more. Then we had crab legs for dinner. Then we looked at cool yachts and cruise ships. Then we went to bed.

Yesterday we did a hike to a nice swimming area. We swam and found seashells. Then we went home and rode bikes. Then I had lasagna and I read for a while.

Aug. 12, 2017

Two days ago we went on the Mt. Roberts Tramway. We went up the mountain and looked around. We saw the nature center, visitor center and we saw a bald eagle. Then we went on a hike. Then we came down the tram and went home. We rode bikes. Then we came back to the tram and saw the sunset and a cruise ship leave. Then we came home and had ice cream.

Yesterday we dropped mom off at the airport. Then we went on the ferry. We played and read on the ferry. Then we got off at Skagway and drove for a while. Then we had dinner and played.

Aug. 17

We drove for two days. Then we got to the Rutter’s we jumped on the trampoline and played with the cats. The next day we went to the wave pool; it was fun. We had pizza and ice cream. The next day we left with mommy.

Aug. 18

We also played at our campsite when we got there. There was a playground that we played on and we rode our bikes.

Aug. 19

leaf fossil in the rock

Yesterday I read in the morning. Then I played outside. Then we went to the lake with my friends. It was fun. Then we watched a movie with pizza.

Aug. 20, 2017

Yesterday we went to town to get internet. Then we hiked in the painted hills. It looked like someone painted it red. Then we looked at the John Day Visitor Center. Then we did a hike that had fossils. Then we went to a Sonic for dinner.

Aug 10-20 - Nick

8/10/17

Three days ago we drove to the Tetlin Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. There was some stuff about bear and moose. There were also some models of prints that were cool. Then we drove to the ferry that took you from Haines, Alaska to Juneau, Alaska. The car ride was really long. When we got to the ferry we had to wait in line and it was moving so slow, we actually got out of the car. By the time we got on the ferry, it was almost 12:00 at night. We went to our room and went to bed.

Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau with Aunt Lisa

Two days ago, we woke up at 4:15 on the ferry. Then we got off the ferry and drove to our next site. Then we slept for a while. After we got up we went on a little hike to Mendenhall Glacier. There was also a waterfall that was cool. We did the hike with just Aunt Lisa. The glacier was really big. Then we went and dropped Aunt Lisa off at the airport. I had a ton of fun with her and am going to miss her a lot. Then we went downtown. We met up with the Rutters at a mall and looked around for a while. Then we got some really good ice cream at the ice cream shop. Then we walked around downtown for a while and looked at some cruise ships and some private yachts. Then we got dinner at a crab place. I got one crab leg. It was huge. Then we looked at the boats some more. The Rutters dropped Mrs. Carrie off at the airport. Then we came home and went to bed.

Watching the tide come in - the piles of
stones marked where the tide had been.

Yesterday we went on a hike to Berners Bay. It was a 3 ½ mile hike out and 3 ½ miles back. The hike was through an actual rain forest. It was really cool. When we got to the bay we went swimming in our clothes. It was really fun. We also watched the tide come in. It was coming in so fast you could watch it come in inch by inch. Then we came back to the campsite and the kids rode bikes for a really long time. Then we had dinner.

8/11/17

Yesterday we slept in kind of late and then had breakfast. Then we drove into town and took a tram up to almost the top of a mountain. We looked at the Visitor’s Center and we looked at a bald eagle the refuge saved. It got shot. It was really big. Then we did a little hike the rest of the way up the mountain. When we were done we took the tram back down and went to our campsite. Then the kids rode bikes for a while. Then my family went back to the tram to ride it so we could see the sunset. It was really cool. Then we came back to the camper and went to bed.

8/12/17

Yesterday we got up really early and dropped Mom off at the airport. Then we got on the ferry to Skagway, Alaska. The ferry ride was six hours long. We sat in the front of the boat. I explored the ship for a while. There wasn’t much. A cafeteria, a little lobby, bathrooms, a big sitting area, a movie with a  bunch of chairs, and two outside decks. I saw four whales on the deck. When we got off the ferry, we drove two hours and then pulled over for the night.

8/13/17

Yesterday we drove all day. The drive was pretty and we saw like five black bears. They were really cool. We also did math in the car. We stopped at about 9:00 to pull off and sleep.

8/14/17

Yesterday we got up really early and then started driving. We did math and journal in the car. We also saw a black bear. We ended up driving 16 hours. It was so boring. We pulled over to sleep at about 9:00.

8/17/17

Three days ago we drove three hours and then arrived at the Rutters house. It was about the same size as our house. We played on their trampoline for a long time. We played Dead Man on it also. We also played with their two baby cats. We had fish for dinner. Then we played in their hot tub for a while. Then the parents went to bed and we watched a movie.

Two days ago the kids stayed home all day while the dads ran a bunch of errands. We played on the trampoline and put the sprinkler under it. It was really fun. We also played dodgeball on the trampoline. We also played with their cats. I went in the hot tub by myself. Then the parents went to bed an dwe watched another movie.

Yesterday we slept in and then did a couple chores. Then we had lunch. After lunch we went to the wave pool. The waves in the pool were about five feet tall. They were really cool and the water was super warm. We stayed at the pool for about 3 and a half hours. Then we went out for dinner at a pizza place. It was really good. Then we got ice cream, came home, and watched a movie.

8/18/17

Yesterday we had waffles for breakfast at the Rutters house. They were really good. Then my Mom and Dad came back from the airport. Next we said good bye to the Rutters and started driving to our next campsite. It was really fun having them with us for a month and I am going to miss them. The drive to our next site was about 4 hours long. We are going to watch the eclipse from this site.  It is in the path of totality which is the area where you see the full eclipse. When we got there Andi and I rode bikes for a while. Then me and Dad walked around to find a good place to watch the eclipse. We decided that right from our picnic table was the best place. Then we had dinner and went to bed.

8/19/17

Petroglyphs at Cove Palisades

Yesterday we woke up in the morning and did our homework. Then Mom and I went to a program about petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are carvings in the rocks that either tell a story or give a warning. They are also carved by Indians thousands of years ago. The one we saw was giving a warning about some kind of water rapids but they’re not sure yet. Then we came back to the camper and Andi met a girl named Zahara. She liked to be called Z. Z told us about a beach on the river that was really fun. We went to the beach with Z’s family. It was really fun. We jumped off the pier, did races, and went on their jet ski. Their uncle was also throwing us around in the water. It was really fun. Then we came home and had pizza for dinner and watched a movie.

8/20/17

Yesterday we drove into town in the morning so we had internet and we could figure out what we were going to do. We decided to do a hike through Painted Hills. The soil and rocks were red, blue, and green and they looked like someone painted them. They were mostly deep red. It was really neat. Then we went to the John Day Visitor Center. They had a lot of fossils. One fossil I liked was the Hell pig. It was a giant pig that ate meat and had a mouth full of sharp teeth. The skull was two feet long. There was also a saber toothed tiger the size of a house cat and it was full grown. Then we did the Trail of Fossils. It was a really short hike but we saw some fossils of leaves, sticks, vines, and logs. It was really cool. Then we got sonic for dinner.

Alaska - Nick

7/20/17

Yesterday we drove most of the day to the next campsite. We did a lot of education. When we got there we met up with our friends the Rutters. They have two girls. Sibyl is 11 and Daphne is 8. We haven’t seen them in three years. Their dad is here and their mom is coming in a little later. It is nice to have some kids to play with. Then the dads went shopping and the kids stayed home. The adults also picked up my mom from the airport. When they got back the kids all played together outside. Then we all had dinner together.

7/21/17

Yesterday we drove seven hours. We were trying to get as far as we could. We drove until noon and then had lunch. After lunch, we switched seating. Sibyl rode with me in our car and Andi rode with Daphne in the Rutter's car. It was fun riding with Sibyl. We finally chose a little pullout to spend the night. We had hot dogs for dinner and the kids played Cover Your A$$ets.

7/22/17

Yesterday we drove 8 hours. We were still trying to get as far as we could. We stopped at noon for lunch. We also switched seating. I rode with Sibyl and Andi rode with Daphne. When we got to our next site we rode bikes. Then we had chicken for dinner and played Cover Your A$$ets again. We also did a 1 mile hike down to a lake nearby. Then we came back and went to bed.

7/23/17

Yesterday we drove most of the day again. We stopped at noon again for lunch. Then we switched cars again. Sibyl rode with me again. When we got to the site we were spending the night at, we went looking for geodes, which are hollow rocks with crystals in the middle. We were looking on the river bed. We smashed a ton of rocks looking for geodes. We had to jump across the river a bunch of times. When we came home after we were done, we went to bed.

7/25/17

Two days ago we drove a long time again. We drove until lunch and then had lunch. We also did a lot of school work. We switched cars after lunch. Sibyl rode with me and Daphne rode with Andi. When we were almost to our destination there was a river with no bridge and we had to drive onto a boat and go across on that. Then we drove into Dawson city. We did laundry there. We also went to the Jack London Museum. He is an author. I have read his book Call of the Wild. It is a good book. The museum was very small but interesting. There were a lot of photographs of Jack London’s life. We also saw a cabin he lived in for a year. It was cool. Then we had dinner at a Greek restaurant. I got a lamb gyro. It was really good. Then we picked a campsite to stay at. The kids played outside in the woods for a while. Then I went on a very short hike with the dads. When we got back Mr. Matt showed me his machete. It was really cool.

Top of the World Highway

Yesterday we drove the Top Of The World Highway. It was a really pretty drive. About 3 hours into the drive we crossed the border into Alaska. It was my first time in Alaska. 

Sourdough pancake toss

Then we got to our campsite. We rode bikes and went off two big jumps for a while. Then at 7:30 we did a pancake toss. That is where you try to throw a pancake into a five gallon bucket. It was harder than it looked. There were about 40 people and only about 5 people made it. I didn’t make it. If you got it in, you won a free breakfast. Then we came home and went to bed.

7/26/17

Yesterday we had breakfast at the campground café. I got blueberry pancakes and reindeer sausage. It was really good. Then we drove 3 hours to a place where you pan for gold. We got a bag of dirt and rocks and we had to find the gold flakes in it. I found 22 dollars worth of gold. It was really cool. Then we kept driving to our next campsite. When we got there we rode bikes for a long time. Then we had loaded baked potatoes for dinner. Then my mom picked up my Aunt Lisa from the airport. She is staying with us for two weeks. I really missed her a ton. Then since it was really late we went to bed.

This is a real gold nugget worth $75,000!
Unfortunately, I didn't find this!

7/30/17

Four days ago we left our campsite and started driving to our next site. We stopped at a bus stop and took the bus to a place where you watch a dog sled presentation. We got to pet a bunch of dogs. They were all Alaskan Huskies which are bred for pulling sleds. My favorite dog was a really friendly dog named Disco. He had bright blue eyes and he was all dark black. I pet him for a long time. Then we got to watch a presentation where a bunch of dogs pulled a wheeled sled. There was no snow. It was really cool. Then we finished driving to our campsites. When we got there, we set up camp and the kids rode bikes for a while. Then we packed our backpacks for the next day. We are going to go tent camping for one night the next day.

Denali Park rest stop

Three days ago we took a bus to Wonder Lake. On the bus ride we saw tons of caribou. It was so cool. But best of all we saw a grizzly bear with two small cubs. One of the cubs was running towards its mom and it tripped and did a somersault. It was so funny. Then we did a probably half a mile hike to the campsite. When we got there we set up our tents. Then we did a little hike down to wonder lake. We waded into the water, and we just relaxed on the benches for a while. Then we came back to the tents because it started to rain. When we got back we had freeze dried Chicken A La King and Noodles and freeze dried beef stew for dinner. Then we played some card games and talked. Then all the kids slept in a 6 person tent with Aunt Lisa. It was fun.

View of Denali peak from Wonder Lake Campground

Two days ago we packed up our tents and took the bus back to our camper. We saw a ton of caribou and a few bears. It was a lot of fun. Then we stopped at the visitor center and did a hike. The hike we did was 0.8 of a mile but there was an elevation change of 1000 feet. Aunt Lisa, Sibyl, and I all ran down the mountain. It was a fun hike. Since we were so far ahead of everyone else, we did another small hike. Then we got back on the bus and went home. We rode bikes and had dinner before bed.

Yesterday we went to the visitor center to do a hike, but when we got there it was raining and foggy. We looked around at the visitor center for a while instead. When we got back to the camper we rode bikes and had dinner. I forgot to mention that when we were tent camping at Wonder Lake we got a great view of Denali. It was so cool. It was so much higher than everything else.

7/31/17

Close encounter with a moose and one of her yearlings

Yesterday we did a small hike while dad dumped the RV tank. We got to walk down to the riverbed. We also got to go over a big suspension bridge. The bridge was cool. On the last part of the hike we saw 3 moose right on the trail. There was one full grown female and 2 babies. The full grown female was at least 10 feet at the shoulders and the head and neck probably added another 2 feet! The babies were just a little smaller than full grown horses. We watched them for about 15 minutes before they went off the trail. They were eating most of the time. We were about 30 yards away from them. After we finished the hike we met my dad at the visitor center. Then we drove to our next site. On the road we saw a full view of Denali. It was really cool. On the drive we stopped at the salmon museum which was more of an art gallery. We also got some really good homemade ice cream. Then when we got to our campsite we started watching a movie and had dinner.

8/1/17

Rock climbing

Yesterday we went to the Iditarod Museum. The Iditarod is a 1,000 mile race. You do it on a sled pulled by a team of dogs, usually 10 or 12 dogs. The record for speed was just over 8 days. We got to hold some baby dogs. One of them pooped on me. We also got to pet a grown dog named Dandelion. She was really nice. We also got to get pulled around a quarter mile by dogs on a sled. They were really fast. 

Then we met my Aunt Lisa’s friend Ross at a rock climbing place called Boy Scout Rocks. Ross was really nice. He put us in harnesses. We also got to use climbing shoes. There were a few climbing routes. My favorite one was straight up the whole way. It was really hard. It was sixty feet tall. There was one big crack up the rock we were climbing that was easy to climb. The climbing shoes made it a lot easier to climb. You could step on stuff you couldn’t even see. When you were coming down you could just walk down the side. When we were done we ordered pizza. I rode to their house with Sarah, Ross’s wife. She was nice too. We stayed at their house for a while and then went home.

Sibyl and I on the hand tram

8/5/17

Four days ago we drove to the Kenai Peninsula. We did a pretty long hike on the Winner Creek Trail. At the end was a hand-operated tram over a river. The view was really cool. Then we hiked back. The hike was pretty. Then we drove to our next site. When we got there, we rode bikes and the kids played on the beach. It was really fun.

Three days ago we had breakfast and then we drove to the Whittier Tunnel. It is a two mile tunnel, one of the longest in the USA. It was really cool. On the other side there was a town called Whittier. It was a really small town. We got some ice cream that was really good. Then we saw what used to be the biggest building in Alaska. It was pretty big. Then we came home and watched a movie with the Rutters.

Two days ago we left really early in the morning to go on an all day long kayaking trip right up to a glacier. We took a three hour ferry ride to the spot where we started kayaking. On the ride we saw two whales, which were awesome, a bunch of bald eagles, a few otters and my favorite was a ton of jellyfish. We had two guides named Bobby and Chelsea. They were super nice. I kept trying to call Bobby Matt for some reason. When we got to the spot where we started kayaking we got off the boat and got on the kayaks. I went with Mom. We kayaked three miles to get to the Glacier. It was really hard. When we got to our stopping spot we were only half a mile away from the glacier. We could see big chunks of ice falling off the glacier. The noise they made was called white thunder. It was so cool. The name of the glacier was Aialik Glacier. They we kayaked back to the boat. Then we came home and had dinner.

kayaking to the Aialik Glacier

Yesterday we did a hike to the Exit Glacier with Daphne. Sibyl, Mrs. Carrie, and Mr. Matt were going fishing. We got to get really close to the glacier. It wasn’t as big as the Aialik Glacier. Then we came home and played on the beach for a while. After that we went to a restaurant that will cook fish that you caught. We ate the fish that the Rutters caught. It was so good. Sibyl caught a fish that was bigger than my dad. Then we came home and went to bed.

8/6/17

Yesterday we drove into town to do laundry. Aunt Lisa, Andi and I did laundry while Mom and Dad ran some other errands. Then we kept driving. We stopped at a restaurant for dinner. It was called Pita Pit. It was good. Then we finally found a site. We had ice cream and went to bed.

8/7/17

Yesterday we drove most of the day again. We stopped at the Visitor’s Center for Wrangell-St. Elias. It is the largest National Park in North America. It is the size of Vermont and New Hampshire. There was also a glacier the size of Rhode Island in Wrangell-St. Elias. Then when we got to our site, Sibyl, Daphne, Mrs. Carrie and I all swam in the lake that was right by our site. It was pretty warm. Then we had a campfire and roasted marshmallows for s’mores.

Alaska - Andi

July 20, 2017

A stop on the road to Alaska

Yesterday we drove almost 7 hours to get to our new campsite. Then Sibyl and Daphne got here. Then Mr. Matt and Daddy went to pick Mommy up. The kids stayed home. Then we went biking. Then we had dinner. Then we went to bed.

July 21, 2017

Yesterday we had breakfast with the Rutters. Then we did our math in the car and we did the journal in the car, then we had lunch. Then I rode with Daphne. We watched two movies. Then we colored for a while. Then we watched another half a movie. Then we got to a gas station and played Cover Your A$$ets. Then we had hot dogs. Then we got to our new campsite.

July 22, 2017

Yesterday we had breakfast with the Rutters. Then we drove all day. Then we got to our new campsite and had dinner and took a walk. Then we went to bed.

July 23, 2017

Yesterday we had breakfast with the Rutters. Then we drove most of the day. Then we had dinner and looked for geodes. Then we went to bed. We looked in a river bed. We didn’t find any geodes. It was a river bed with lots of rocks to jump on. There were also trees to climb on.

Watching Call of the Wild at the Jack London Museum

July 25, 2017

Two days ago, we drove 5 hours to get to Dawson. We saw the Jack London Museum. There were pictures all over the wall with descriptions of what they were. In the middle there were benches and a TV. Then we had Greek food. It was great. Then we crossed the river and got to our new campsite.

The town of Chicken

Yesterday, we did the Top of the World Highway. It was very high and it was cool. We crossed the border to Alaska and that was most of our drive. Then we got to Chicken, Alaska and got a penny crusher and had lunch. Then we got to our campsite and rode bikes. Then we did the pancake toss. It was where you threw a pancake in a bucket and if you made it in you got a free breakfast. I didn’t make it in.

July 26, 2017

Yesterday we had breakfast at Sourdough Campground. It was good. Then we drove 3 hours to Fairbanks. We went gold panning. We rode on the train to get there. They taught us how to pan. I got $6 worth of gold. Then we kept driving to our new campsite. We played while Mommy went to get Aunt Lisa.

Panning for gold

July 30, 2017

I'm pretending to crack a whip, even
though they don't use whips on the dogs!

We are staying with the Rutters and Aunt Lisa for four days. We hurried to a dog sled show. It was cool. There were huskies. They were so excited to pull the cart. Then we kept going to the new campsite. We slept there for one night and then took the bus to Wonder Lake and tent camped for one night and then went back to our camper. Then the next day we took the bus to Eilson Visitor Center. It was really foggy. We saw bears, ptarmigan, and caribou. I didn’t see a bear doing a somersault but everybody told me. We also picked blueberries.

July 31, 2107

Yesterday we split up with the Rutters. We went hiking and saw three moose – 2 babies and the momma moose. Then we looked at the visitor center. When we were driving we saw all of Denali. It was so COOL!! Then we had dinner and started Boss Baby. We also went to the Salmon Museum and got homemade ice cream.

Rock climbing barefoot

 Aug 1, 2017

Yesterday we went to the Iditarod Museum. We got to pet pups. Then we got to go on a dog sled ride. Then we went climbing with Aunt Lisa’s friend Ross. There were four different climbing routes. I climbed barefoot. It was awesome! Then we had pizza at Ross’s house. And we played with their dog Seamus. Then we finished Boss Baby and had ice cream.

Aug 5, 2017

On the hand tram with Daphne

Four days ago we went to Girdwood so we could go on the Winner Creek Trail. We did the hand tram. It was fun. Then we got back and had Italian sodas. They were good. Then we got to our new campsite and played on the beach.

Three days ago we drove to Whittier through the longest tunnel in North America. It was going right through a mountain. We drove to the fudge shop and got fudge. Then we got ice cream from The Ice Cream Shop. Then we checked out what used to be the biggest building in Alaska. Then we had a down day and watched Boss Baby with the Rutters. Then we went to bed.

Two days ago we did the Kayaking adventures. We rode a boat to a beach. We saw a whale on the boat. We saw bald eagles. Then we kayaked up to the Aialik Glacier. We got so close! Then we went back to the boat. We saw another whale. Then we saw an otter. Then we came home and had pulled pork.

Kayaking to the Aialik Glacier

The face of the Aialik Glacier was one mile wide and about 300 feet high
This picture is taken about 1/2 mile away

Yesterday we went hiking at the Exit Glacier while Sibyl, Mr. Matt and Mrs. Carrie went fishing. Then we came home and had lunch then we played on the beach.  Then we had the fish that they caught. It was good.

Aug 6, 2017

Yesterday we drove to town and did laundry. Then we went to Pita Pit for lunch. Then we kept driving. We found a campsite for the night and stayed there. We had ice cream and went to bed.

8/7/17

Yesterday we drove all day. Then we got to our campsite and did a campfire. Then we went to bed. We also went to Wrangell St. Elias. It is the largest National Park in the U.S.