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.