Week Two in Anchorage

Our TLF "home"

During our second week in Alaska,  the kids and I headed out the back door to the playground buried in snow(but with beautiful mountain views).  What we didn't realize until it was too late was just how deep the snow was in most sections.    I went to take a step and sunk in up to the middle of my thigh...crazy deep.  Everyone keeps telling us that this has been a record breaking year for snowfall.  The kids were able to walk in some sections and crawl on top of the snow in other sections.  We played out for an hour and everyone starting getting cold and it was time to head back in for some warmth and hot cocoa.

 Lucky for Quinn, the school was on Spring Break last week.  We spent a lot of time at the Artic oasis community center.  It has an indoor playground, rock climbing walls, mini-golf, and so much more.  This all translates into a great energy releaser for the kids which means good and tired at bedtime.  Also the local zoo brought a new animal each day for the kids to learn about and see.

 During the weekend, we drove an hour south to visit the Wildlife Conservatory.  We got up close to musk oxen, buffalo, lynx, bald eagles, and 2 bears.  The bears were 2 years old and had just woken up from hibernation one week ago.  They were very playful with each other.  The female was Shaguyik and the male was Taquka and they are both orphans but not related.  The bears are moving to Sweden this summer to live at a bear park.
All of the stories of the animals are a bit sad, many had been shot, or caught in traps or orphaned because their mothers had been killed.  The kids enjoyed seeing the animals but they were still getting used to being out in the cold and having to wear so many layers of clothes.