Our Life in Alaska and Beyond

Father's Day looked a little different this year. We decided to celebrate by taking a trip to Seward for a couple nights. (Also for Ruby's birthday too.) We left on Sunday (Father's Day) and before going into Seward we took a little detour over to Cooper Landing to try out a beautiful hike I had heard about. It was pretty steep, but the girls did great! We only went up about a mile (about all the girls could handle) but it was still so pretty! I think we gained about 1400 feet in that mile and the views definitely paid off. Enjoy these beautiful pics!

Ruby took this pic! She did a great job!

A couple of Sundays ago we met our friends, the Heaslets, and hiked the McHugh Lake trail. Everything was so much greener than when we hiked it about a month ago. It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day and we had a great time! We took some sandwiches and had a little picnic at the top, which was so fun! We didn't see any moose or dall sheep this time, but we still had so much fun. Alaska is so beautiful!

Lupine is blooming! I made sure to get lots and lots of pics!

A few weeks ago we were having some beautiful sunny and clear weather so Scott decided to take the day off and we went hiking along Turnagain Arm. We hiked the McHugh Lake trail up to Table Rock which had the most beautiful views of the inlet. These pictures just don't do it justice. It was so pretty! The girls were great little hikers and we saw quite a bit of wildlife too! We saw six moose on the trail, which was a little scary (one was laying down in the shade right by the trail and we didn't notice it until we were pretty close), but for the most part we kept our distance and we were good! We also saw some Dall sheep high up on the mountain which was so cool. Noelle, our little flower child, noticed some forget-me-nots, lots of dandelions, and some lupine (almost blooming). We will definitely be hiking this one again, hopefully soon!


I checked out this book from the library and it's been so helpful with great tips and finding new hikes that we haven't done yet.

These past few weeks have been pretty crazy, but we're loving all the extra family time. Scott has been working from home a bit, and will start doing more from home. The girls won't be going back to school this school year, and I'm not sure when I'll be back to work. The girls are missing their friends and teachers, but we're dong good and making the most of all this time we have together.

A couple weeks ago we decided to take a drive down Turnagain Arm to go to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. They are still open at this time. (It's big enough you can pretty much just drive from animal to animal, and if you do get out, just practice social distancing with the few others there.) It was so nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful outdoors and see all the amazing animals. I don't think we've ever been here in the winter before so it was fun to see all the animals in the snow. The drive was also beautiful and we saw a few dall sheep along Turnagain Arm. I didn't get any pics because we couldn't really stop where we saw them, but it was still cool to see. We love Alaska!

This pic cracks me up, haha. I love the musk ox!

Last Saturday we were able to go on the Alaska Railroad's Holiday Train! It was our first time on the train and we had so much fun! We got on the train in Anchorage, then rode for about an hour along Turnagain Arm before reversing and going back the other way. We had our own little table and plenty of things to keep us busy and entertained. There were carolers, Santa and Mrs. Claus, treats, a coloring contest, crafts, and more. Noelle won a container of toys and candy by guessing the right number, and Ruby won a prize for her coloring page too. We had a lot of fun and would love to go on the train again!

At the depot before getting on the train

We spent Monday night in Girdwood. We stayed at an Air B&B, and the girls absolutely loved it! Our room had bunk beds, which they really liked, and it was a nice, clean place too. On Tuesday morning we hiked the Winner Creek Trail to the hand tram. It is such a pretty hike (one of our favorites), and we had the hand tram all to ourselves! It was so fun! After the hike we headed home, but stopped at Kincaid Park in Anchorage to let the girls run around. Scott had been here with the girls before, but it was my first time. It's such a pretty park, and the girls loved the playground. The moose is so fun! We also loved the sunshine!

This hand tram is so cool!

View from the hand tram :)

Scott pretty much did all the work in getting all of us across :)

On Scott's day off yesterday we decided to drive down Turnagain Arm to Beluga Point. It's been kind of rainy lately so we didn't really want do a big hike were we might get stuck in the rain, so we just explored the beach around Beluga Point, and then on the way home we decided to stop at a fun park in Anchorage. It ended up being a really nice day, and we even got some sunshine. :) We can definitely tell that fall is in the air though, so we're trying to enjoy the rest of summer as much as we can. :)

A few days before Mike and Kay left we decided to go on a little overnighter to Girdwood! We went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, then we drove out to Whittier, then we spent the night at Alyeska before heading home the next day. So fun! I took a ton of pics so I'll do each event as a separate blog post.

First of all, the AWCC: It was amazing! It's always so fun to see the animals, and the scenery is just beautiful, almost unreal. The girls loved it and we had perfect weather! No mosquitoes and no wind (problems we've had there in the past.) Ruby came home with a little stuffed brown bear, and Noelle picked a baby fawn. So cute! :)

From the drive down, along Turnagain Arm

At the AWCC

Scott had last Thursday off so we decided to hike part of the Turnagain Arm trail in Anchorage. It was beautiful! We've driven along Turnagain Arm many times, but this was the first time we stopped to get out and hike and walk around. I'm so glad we did! We had a picnic at the McHugh Creek trailhead, and then hiked a short distance on the trail. We also stopped at Beluga Point to look for some belugas. (This is the right time of year to see them, but unfortunately we didn't see any.) On our way home we also stopped at Earthquake Park. It was a fun little informational trail about the 1964 earthquake. I love how we're getting to do so many fun things this summer. We've had gorgeous weather and I love spending time with our sweet little family. :) Enjoy the pics!

Bear spray, just in case. Also, an older couple gave us this walking stick that had a pointy end on the top (I think to defend ourselves from the bears?) that we ended up giving to another family when we left, haha.