We haven't left Cordova as a family during the summer, and with Dustin not fishing Bristol Bay... this was our chance. We packed up the car for 3 weeks.. and took the ferry over to Whittier.
Looking back at these pictures, I realize how many different sides of summer Alaska-life we saw, and I was reminded about how much is accessible from the road system. Life-times of wilderness to explore.
Our first stop was Kenai Keys, staying at Dave and George's fish cabin. Hot sun, swimming, fishing, and time on the water. It was a deep plunge into a real summer vacation; easy, fun, and hot. Thanks for being such a great host Dave-- the boys still talk about painting with you, the catamaran, and our boat trip!
We then switched gear from idyllic vacation to a gritty Alaskan adventure, taking a tender over to visit a setnet site.
After recovering from the tender ride, doing laundry, and finding a shower.. we drove to Hope and stayed at Angela and Julian's cabin for a few days of recharge.
We coincided with the Wagon Trail Run, and Hope was humming with a hip crowd of athletes. Another side of Alaska we don't see that often in Cordova. Peter ran the race, and came in 2nd in the under 10s. So happy to see him doing something he clearly loves to do, and he enjoyed being surrounded by other passionate runners
On to Anchorage, and time to connect with some of our wonderful community there
Then, Northwards. After a night staying with Jerry and Gail in Palmer, we headed up towards Denali. I'd never passed through Talkeetna in summer tourist season, so that was another totally different Alaska-experience.
We'd been dreaming of a family backpack, and chose Kesugi Ridge trail. We lucked out with incredible weather, and views of the Mountain daily. We ended up taking 4 days. It was almost too hot sometimes (but we tried not to complain..). Incredible views, open space, diverse habitat, and magical places to pitch our tent.
The boys rocked the trail, and had more energy at the end of each day than Dustin and I. It might have been 80 degrees, but we still carried all the gear needed incase weather turned on us, and an extra 2 days of food etc. We tried to pack light, but we had heavy packs!
Such a happy adventure, and I'm excited for more treks together in the future. Maybe with the boys carrying more gear!
Onto Denali, and we took the green bus in for a day hike and explore. Great spaces, and fun to be surrounded by people reveling in the beauty of the Park.
Parka squirrel; our favorite animal on Kesugi Ridge and in the Park
And, driving home across the Denali Highway. A full car (packed with fishing gear, camp gear, and backpacking stuff...).. and gravel roads... We ended up with 2 flat tires -- a rock the size of a domino went through one tire. We also met some great people, like Bruce here, who helped us trade and fix tires to get us home. Probably a fitting end to an adventure-packed trip.
We also reconfirmed that road trips are not for us.. We're just about OK using the car to get from A to B, but everyone is much happier on foot or bike.
Taking turns running ahead of the car over the Denali Highway
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