We only have limited access to a computer, but wanted to get some pics up on the web for folks to see what we have been up to! We arrived on February 2 and have been staying at a vacation rental in Kailua (on the windward side of Oahu). The first 5 or so days in Kailua were pretty rainy. Since then Oahu has given us some beautiful weather! We spent Feb 10 - 14 in Hilo on the Big Island (Hawaii). Bill was working and the girls did their best to see the sights. We're back on Oahu now, searching [View Full Entry]

---

---

Wow! Here is the home stretch, we are really winding down. I’ve spent some time reflecting on our time here. It seems like we’ve packed a year’s worth of adventure into 6 weeks. When I think all the way back to our first days here, it seems like ages ago and yet I can’t believe that it’s time to go already. We really were fortunate to have received good advice about places to visit. We certainly didn’t hit them all. The other thing that I am amazed by is the people that we met and that welcomed us into their lives. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Since we’ll be traveling all day (and night) on Friday, I switched my flex day to today. We woke up, had a delicious oatmeal breakfast and started packing. Rob and I took a load of gear to the cars. When we got back, we all loaded the second round of gear into the canoe. Danielle, Gabbi, Jacqui, and I hike back to the car. It was so fantastic that Rob, Estrella, and Carina invited us to the cabin and shared all of their gear (stove, lantern, cookware, etc.) with us! We really had a wonderful time and were sad to say [View Full Entry]

---

---

When we awoke, Rob and Estrella were out for a canoe ride. It had rained during the night, but was a beautiful morning. When they got back, Danielle and I paddled around a bit and said good morning to some loons (an adult pair and 2 juveniles). We paddled to the car and got the sleeping bag that I had left behind. After we paddled back, we fixed up a lunch and got ready to hike the seven lakes trail. The girls were off and running along the trail with Carina and we had to remind them that we could easily [View Full Entry]

---

---

We’re off to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge! My friend and co-worker Rob and his family invited us to join them at the Engineer Lake Cabin, which is a fairly remote public use cabin on the refuge. We got directions and planned to meet them there. We stopped on the way to hike the Skyline Trail. The guidebook and trail sign said that it was a one mile trail. The trail started steep and the girls enjoyed the rock scrambling and counting steps. Well, it may have been one mile to some landmark, but the trail kept going and so did [View Full Entry]

---

---

After work on Thursday, Danielle and the girls picked me up for a hike at Falls Creek, about a half hour south of Anchorage. We had read about the hike in a number of different guidebooks and also in the Anchorage Press (similar to the Advocate). From the size of the parking lot it is obvious that the trail is not over used. The trail started alongside the creek, which cascaded down and sounded beautiful. Danielle finally spotted baneberry. Baneberry is the most poisonous berry in Alaska. Its berries can vary from red to white or even black. Gabbi was very [View Full Entry]

---

---

Our homeschool friends invited us to dinner! We went to Kim, Nelson, and Matthew Isada’s house. Our friends Bernadette, Kara, and James were there as well. We had a wonderful meal and lots of good conversation. Unfortunately, Bernadette and family had to leave early. Gabbi, Jacqui, and Matthew played great together! They enjoyed Twister and Matthew introduced the girls to WickSticks. We learned some more about life in Anchorage, when Kim and Nelson told us stories about encounters with moose, bears, and neighbors…. On Tuesday, I had a chance to take a work trip to McGrat [View Full Entry]

---

---

We woke up to more sunshine! After filling up on homemade pancakes, we decided to head north to Independence Mine State Historical Site. It is the remains of an old mine about an hour and a half north of Anchorage. As we were headed out of town, we noticed that the top of the mountains had a layer of termination dust. It is the middle of September, so the snow on the surrounding mountains signals the end of summer! As we drove north, the skies got darker and darker. We did catch a glimpse of Mt. Foraker (17,000 foot mountain), of [View Full Entry]

---

---

We didn’t spend much time hanging out at the cabin this morning (what else would you expect). I had read about an International Coastal Cleanup Day that was being organized out of the Alaska SeaLife Center. We were ready to help out in exchange for free admission to the Center. We went to the front desk to find out what we could do to help… Not only did no one at the front desk not know about it, but no one on staff knew about it. It was actually pretty comical to hear the staff radioing back and forth trying to [View Full Entry]

---

---

We got up early and hit the road, with a quick stop at Fred Meyer (everything store) for motion sickness bracelets and medicine. We were off to Seward for a wildlife cruise. Well, we were barely out of downtown before we had our first wildlife sighting. A mama and baby moose crossed the Seward highway in front of us as we were leaving town (right near Potter’s Marsh). The sun was shining and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day (at least in Anchorage). As we drove south, we were once again awed by the beautiful views of the [View Full Entry]

---

---