Our First True Alaskan Adventure

On Saturday, Neal's work had a function, put on by the squadron's "Honorary Commander".   The gathering took place at his lake-side cabin outside of Willow, Alaska.  You can only reach the cabin by float plane or snow-mobile. 

Waiting for our ride.

So we got up early and packed up all of our layers (not having all of our stuff; the kids thought it was so funny that they had to wear pajamas as a thermal underwear layer) and drove one and half hours north to Willow.  Then we had to wait for snow mobiles to pick us up from the parking lot of the Nancy Lake state park.  From there, it was a 11 miles snow mobile ride through beautiful wooded trails and over 2 frozen lakes to arrive at the cabin.

Still waiting...

Finally our chariot arrived and the kids were so excited to ride in the "family pod".  Quinn thought it looked like something out of Star Wars.  They said it was "super fun but super bumpy" and "hot, hot".

The day was spent eating, sledding and playing in the snow.  I don't think Quinn stepped out of the snow for more than 5 minutes to have a quick snack and drink.  He was soaked to the bone by the time we got back to the car.  Good thing we had a change of clothes for everyone.  

View across the lake

View of the lake from behind the cabin

Out House...rustic, right?

Anchorage Museum/Imaginarium Discovery Center and Alaska Zoo

We are trying to see as much and do as much as we can in Alaska, just in case we have to move sooner rather than later.

We visited the Anchorage Museum that includes the Imaginarium Discovery Center for kids.  The kids had a great time touching and doing everything.  The museum also has great displays of the history of Alaska.  I think Neal and I will go back on a day without the kids to really get to explore that part.... the kids didn't want to spend time at the displays because their hands were ready to get back to the Imaginarium. 

The Alaska Zoo is a short ride from the base.    The zoo was packed with snow piles like everywhere else but it was a perfect size for a half day visit before the kids started saying they were getting cold.  It has polar bears, musk oxen, and lots of other local favorites.  

 

Quinn's First Day at American Kindergarten

Quinn started American school on March 20th and his teacher's name is Mrs. Ige.

Quinn & Mrs. Ige

Quinn was so excited to tell me about his journal and that 6th graders came into his class to read and play games.    He did have to learn what a "cafateria" was and what was "PE".

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.

Moose on the Loose

On Tuesday, we had our first moose sighting on base.  The moose were hanging out in front of the bank across from our TLF building.  So cool....

 

Alaska .... the first few days.

After another over-night flight and even less sleep, and a very bumpy flight, we arrived in Anchorage at 4:3O AM. We gathered up all our luggage including Sakie the cat and sat to wait for the car rental office to open at 6:30am.

Landing into Anchorage, AK

The weather was a bit of a shock to us at first and the piles of snow everywhere was over-whelming.  Scarlett and Quinn both complained about having to wear jackets, hats, mittens, etc.  You just have to remember Quinn wasn't allowed to wear a coat to school in Japan ... so this is a bit of a change for us all.

The first day was spent napping (of course) and then we headed to the dealership to pick up my brand new 2012 Subaru Forester.  She's s a beauty.





Over the next few days, we tried to familiarize ourselves with what the base has to offer for activities.  Lucky for us, the base was offering it's last dog sled rides for the season and we jumped at the chance.

The kids are really enjoying playing in the snow.   I just wonder if they
will ever get tired of it.