EAGLE RIVER HIKE

As you may have noticed, our page hasn't been updated lately. Jon finally took some much needed time off. We have hiked trails, climbed mountains, been sightseeing and still have big plans for this weekend. Bear (pun intended) with me as I try to bring you up to speed. We decided to pay a visit to the Eagle River Nature Center. This is not only a great place for hiking but you can learn all about salmon cycling (similar to a hatchery) and enjoy the majesty of Alaskan wildlife. In case you wondered... yes, we were in bear country... and yes, we were completely unprepared. Jade is very good at alerting us but the entire time we were hiking bears were on our mind. In several areas we were the only humans in sight. We found out a week after we were there, a woman was mauled by a grizzly in the same area. She is in critical condition and hopefully will recover. Let's just say we won't be going back without firearms. Gotta love Alaska. Here are pics from our day in the country.

Stop to smell the daisies

Just the other day we noticed a patch of wild daisies growing near our house. We decided to go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine. Finally it's beginning to look like summer and thank heavens for that.

Alaska turns 50

The state of Alaska put together a celebration commemorating its 50th year of statehood. We attended a free Wynonna Judd concert and had the opportunity to attend a Thunderbird Air Show. If you've never been it's a fantastic event. The show began with Paratroopers jumping out of a plane with banners and smoke. The day continued with trick planes, historical planes, military planes and races. At one point an P-38raced a rocket powered car. Oh, and did I mention we were able to climb in planes, helicopters and jets all day? We had a great time exploring and strolling from vendor to vendor. The pictures don't do justice to the amazing things we experienced. Here are some pictures from our incredible day.

Canoeing 101

Life preservers... check, sunblock... check, oars... check, 2 squirmy kids in a easily tipped canoe... check check. Jon finally convinced me to take the kids canoeing. The Holt family accompanied us to Otter Lake. The scenery was beautiful (although very overcast). I was paranoid the entire time. Gavin kept leaning over the edge trying to touch the water. Reagan wanted to row. Neither of them could sit still for more than 5 seconds and I was sure the day would end with all of us swimming back to shore. Jon found my paranoia entertaining and had great fun in rocking the boat. Eventually he decided that was NOT a good idea. We covered most of the lake and Gavin was ready to move on to something else. We pulled up to the dock long enough to let Gavin and I head to the playground. Reagan and Jon stayed on the lake with some of the Holt's for a little while longer. The boys went to work making the fire while we got all the fix'ns ready for hot dogs and smores YUM! It was a great trip. No one fell in the lake, caught on fire or was eaten by a bear. Maybe canoeing isn't quite so bad.

Ready To Roll

Big, small, fast or slow we love our bikes. Hopefully the Alaskan summer will cooperate so we can ride often. Here is the gang ready to hit the road... well, maybe the kids will stick with the sidewalk.

Camping

When you have the privilege of spending the summer in Alaska, you must embrace the great outdoors. Camping is something Jon and I loved before our kids were around. I am a wee bit paranoid (fire, rivers, wild animals... the list goes on). Jon convinced me that we could go, have a great time and above all survive. Most people who camp here are smart enough to have an R-V. Not the Graves, nope, we roughed it. The last time we set our tent up was 2002. I kept reminding Jon how small our tent was. He kept assuring me everything would be fine. We arrived at our campsite around 4pm on Friday. Jon had the tent set up by 4:30 and came to the conclusion that our tent was indeed too small. Determined to make the best of it we started our fire and had delicious tin-foil dinners, hot dogs and of course SMORES! Daylight is a tricky thing here. The days are long in the summer and the sun begins to set around 11pm. Most the pictures taken were at 6am or 10pm and you can see how light it is. Once we finally got the kids to sleep (near midnight) we woke to the blinding morning rays. I asked Jon what time it was... only 4:30 AM. Well, we tried to go back to sleep and finally got up around 6. The forecast showed a chance of rain so we packed up early and were home by 9. Even though it was a short trip, it was fun. We made memories our family will forever cherish. Hopefully next time we can do it in a larger tent. Here are pics from our latest adventure.

Service Project

Jon's ALS class was asked to volunteer service for the Palmer baseball field. Months of snow took a toll on the field and surrounding areas. The dugouts were filled with mud, the field was flooded and all the concession areas needed a good cleaning. Rather than spend another Saturday away from his family, Jon suggested we all participate. The kids were happy to stomp in puddles and help Daddy shovel mud. After a few hours of work we were treated with hot chili and hot dogs. Hopefully this summer we can attend a game and appreciate the clean park. Here are some pics from our eventful Saturday.