Our Life in Alaska and Beyond

It was so fun to have Grandma and Grandpa Hadley here for Robyn's birthday! We were in Whittier on her actual birthday so we celebrated a couple days later at home with cake and presents. Robyn loves Ferrero Rocher chocolates so she requested a Ferrero Rocher cake. We made a yummy chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut filling and frosting, with Ferrero Rochers on top. It was delicious! Happy Birthday Robyn! 🥳🎂

7️⃣❗️

On Sunday we went with Mike and Kay up Hatcher Pass to Summit Lake. It was a beautiful day and we had fun skipping rocks into the lake and Scott even got all the way in the water! (He has a goal to get in the water of every lake he visits, haha.) Enjoy these fun pics!

After spending some time at the AWCC, we went over to the BBVC. It's a really nice visitor center with some really cool displays and exhibits. Also, the girls had been working on their Jr. Ranger booklets and they were able to turn those in and get some really cool patches. Great job girls! Enjoy these pics from this beautiful Alaska summer day! 

Both of these patches are so cool! The BBVC Jr. Ranger patch, and the Chugach National Forest Jr. Ranger patch.

After going on the glacier cruise, we spent the night at an Air B&B in Girdwood, and then before coming home the next day we stopped at the AWCC. We've loved having a season pass here. It's always so fun to see all the cool animals, and it's in such a gorgeous location! Enjoy the pics!

Black bear!

The next day (which was also Robyn's 7th birthday! We celebrated with cake a few days later.) we drove with Mike and Kay to Whittier and went on a glacier cruise. It was fun driving through the tunnel, and then we had a gorgeous day on the water. We did the glacier quest cruise with Phillips Cruises & Tours and we saw so many beautiful glaciers and actually quite a bit of wildlife too! It was a fun time! Enjoy these pretty pics!

😍

The next day Scott took his dad on a salmon fishing charter on Knik River. They lucked out with beautiful weather, and they caught their limit! I was working and Kay watched the girls, but that evening we all made some delicious salmon tacos for dinner! We figured the fish made it from river to table in about two hours, haha! Can't get much fresher than that! Yum! 🐟

Living the dream! 😁

Mike and Kay came to visit us at the end of July/early August and we had so much fun with them! The day after they arrived we decided to go to Eklutna Lake. It was so beautiful and we had the most perfect weather! We first had a yummy campfire lunch with quickie pies and s'mores, and then we walked down to the water and played on the shore for a bit. Another family offered to let the girls use their kayaks and they loved it! So nice of them! Enjoy these pics of beautiful Eklutna Lake! 🩵

This post is dedicated to the many pics I took of the beautiful, blooming fireweed while running outside in July, lol. Enjoy! 💗

I got Ruby to run with me a few times! (Love the daisies here too!) 🌼 7/15/24

These are all the pics I took with my big camera at Lake Clark National Park. We saw several bears, with an experienced guide with us at all times. I never felt in danger at all, and absolutely loved the time we got to spend here. It was an amazing experience, and I hope I'll be able to visit again someday! 🐻❤️🐻

Crimp Ear

The main reason Chrissy came to visit us was so that we could visit Lake Clark National Park. This trip took several months of planning, and was so, so worth it! It was short (only 24 hours), but probably the best 24 hours of my life, no joke! It truly couldn't have been better and I loved every second. We took Ruby (part of her 12th birthday present) and Scott stayed home with Noelle and Robyn. It was very expensive, but in my opinion, definitely worth it, and definitely something I want to do again. 

We stayed at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, which I highly, highly recommend. We flew from Anchorage on the morning of July 4th on a little float plane, and landed on a lake near the lodge. We then got on a little boat, and then we were taken on a 4-wheeler to our cabin and the lodge. From there we started our bear viewing (with a very experienced guide), with breaks for lunch and dinner, and then out again after dinner for more bear viewing. We slept very well in our cabin that night, and the next morning we got to do more bear viewing, followed by breakfast, and then sadly it was already time to go home. The next time I visit I would love to stay longer. But I have no complaints about this trip and really feel that we just lucked out with beautiful weather, lots of bears (no cubs, but that's ok), an incredibly knowledgeable and kind guide, amazing food (I don't think I've ever eaten as well as I did on this trip), and super comfortable accommodations. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This first post will be all of my cell pics, and then I'll do a separate post with all the pics I took from my big camera. I also have some great videos on my IG! Enjoy the bears and the beauty of Lake Clark NP! 🐻🏔️

About to get on our float plane at the Lake Hood Floatplane Base in Anchorage. We learned this is the busiest and biggest seaplane base in the world!

The next day we decided to go to Eklutna Lake, again, lol. It truly is one of our very favorite places. Scott and Chrissy went on a big bike ride all along the lakeside trail, and I stayed back with the girls at the lakeshore. They loved playing in the mud and enjoying the sunshine. After Scott and Chrissy got back we made a campfire and had hotdogs and s'mores. Such a fun day!

Thanks to AK's midnight sun, after dinner and getting the kids ready for bed, Scott, Chrissy, and I were able to do a late night hike up to BBK. It was a very pretty evening and we had a good time. 😊

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The next day Scott was working, but Chrissy and I took the girls up Hatcher Pass and we hiked April Bowl. It was a little chilly, but still so beautiful. I love AK summers! When we were back at home that evening we made pizzas in the Ooni. So yummy! 🍕

While Chrissy was still here we decided to do a little hike around Reflections Lake, and then we went into Anchorage and got Moose's Tooth pizza to go, and then ate it at a park. Yummm! It was a fun day. 😊

After spending time at the AWCC, we made our way over to Williwaw Campground. It was kind of rainy, so we didn't set up our tent just yet, and we decided to walk to the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center, explore there, and then walk back. When we got back we made a campfire and had quickie pies, but it was still pretty rainy, so we decided to just drive home rather than camp in the rain, lol. Luckily it wasn't too far of a drive, haha. This was pretty much the only rainy weather we had, so I can't complain too much, and we still had a great day!

Walking on the Trail of Blue Ice, on our way to the BBVC.

On Sunday we drove down to Portage and went to the AWCC. It was a little rainy, but still fun to see all the animals. Enjoy these pics!

Elk

On Saturday we met up with the Heaslet's and went up to Hatcher Pass. We hiked to Gold Cord Lake, and then we also walked around Independence Mine a bit. It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and we had a great time!

Cutest kids 🥰

We spent the next day (Friday) up at Eklutna Lake with Chrissy. We all hiked the Twin Peaks trail to the first bench, and then Scott took Robyn and Noelle back down while Chrissy, Ruby, and I hiked up further, past the second bench to the next viewpoint. This was my first time hiking up this high, and it was worth it! The views of the lake from even higher are so amazing! 

We then hiked back down and met Scott and the littles at the campsite, where we had a yummy hot dog roast, and then we finished the day off by going back down to the lake and letting the girls play in the water and mud. They had so much fun, haha. Enjoy these beautiful pics!

View from first bench.

Scott and I both worked during the day on Thursday (thanks so much Chrissy for watching the girls and taking them to the trampoline park!), and then that evening Chrissy, Scott, and I hiked Lazy Mountain. It was a beautiful evening and so nice to get out and hike! We did the steep side up and down, and we did it pretty fast, too! Enjoy these pretty pics! 🏔️☀️

After hiking the Butte we went to the Reindeer Farm. It was so fun! The girls loved feeding the animals and playing in the new kids play area with giant bubbles and farm toys. (I have some cute videos on my IG!) Their favorite animal this time was a new baby alpaca, but somehow I didn't get any pics of it, lol! Still lots of other great pics. Enjoy! 🦌🦌