Parents visit Septamber, 2014

We were so excited to have my parents come visit us this September for 10 days especially considering that if not then it would be about six months until we would see them again.  I'm so lucky to have an adventurous mom and dad that can get out and play with us.  The first thing we did was head to the Alaska state fair the first day where we gorged ourselves on giant hand dipped corn dogs and chocolate dipped bacon.  We loved the lumberjack show, singers, cabbage weigh off, crafts, acrobats and just walking around with pioneer peak in the background, wish I would have taken pictures now.  

The next day we drove up the Glenn highway which is a scenic byway to the Matanuska glacier, it follows the river the whole way and I could tell my mom was wanting to pull off at every pullout just to enjoy the views.  We took them in all day as we explored the glacier.  Our friends loaned us their ice trekkers which were great and we made sure we ate lunch before we left the truck.  We could have easily spent all day here. 

 

These girls wore their ice crampons for quite awhile on dirt, Dave was kind of giggling about it, better safe than sorry.

Fun to see the fall colors start to pop out, enjoy them while they last because it's only for a few short weeks.

 

I think this would make such a cute Christmas card, notice my dad splurged and got a pair of extra tuffs, we think he will love them back on the farm to irrigate with.

 

The next day we hit the road and headed to Seward where we first went to the sea life center there where they help rehabilitate sea life animals and introduce them into the wild.  We stayed at a bed and breakfast across the street from the ocean and after breakfast my mom and I headed into town.  Dave and my dad had to be at their fishing boat early that morning where they were doing a combo trip for rock fish and halibut.   They both limited out and my dad loved it.  He had missed a rung on a ladder and fallen a couple weeks before and had a couple cracked ribs so this trip could have been more comfortable for him but he was a really good sport and of course never complained.  

 

The trail up the mountainside is for mount marathon which takes place here every July 4th.  Participants run to the top and then try not to fall on the way down, I think it's something like one of the oldest races in America.

The cruise was about 5 hours long which allowed for a lot of relaxation time on the deck soaking in the sun. 

I can't believe my mom is 62, she looks amazing for her age and is still super hip and cool too.

One night my mom and I walked around town after dark and swung in some playground swings for awhile right there by the water.  I am pretty sure I could live in Seward, it is such a cute town with a lot of character.  I miss walks with my mom, she was always up for getting out of the house. 

After Seward we headed back to Palmer for a couple days where my dad and Dave went four wheeling and did a pretty big river crossing from what he said and my mom and I checked out some stores in downtown palmer.  We also went up the road about 10 miles to Hatcher pass where Independence Mince is located.  It was so fun to walk around and visit all the historic sites and catch a glimpse of what life was like for the mining families and men that lived there. 

For the last few days we decided to head to Denali where we did a bus tour because that is all that is allowed.  Once a year they will let a certain amount of people drive through in their own vehicle on a lottery basis.  We stayed at an RV park with full beds in Healy, my dad had a broken rib on this trip so between all the pain killers and crappy sleep he was a champ.  I love that he bought a pair of xtra tuffs, he will love them for irrigating his fields back in Utah. 

This is probably one of the most unflattering and awkward pictures of ourselves and I thought about not putting it in but it's not like we have a lot of us together because I am usually the one taking the pictures.

Denali is right behind the antlers, at least it wasn't totally in the crowd and we are not part of the 30% club that never gets to see it at all.

You can see a bear in the background at one point we were all looking at it from inside the visitor center to see what it's reaction would be to a couple hikers out on the trail nearby.  The rangers had us wait inside until the coast was clear but then closed down all the hiking trails around there for the afternoon.

Visiting the dog sled kennels was a highlight of our trip to Denali and I'm glad my parents thought of the idea.  These guys were pretty mellow until they brought the sled out and started hand picking what dogs got to take it for a run that morning.  I have never seen dogs so excited and anxious in my life, they were all howling and jumping up and down on their houses hoping to get picked.  I looked over during the whole demonstration and tears are coming down Dave's cheeks, he will always have a soft spot in his heart for dogs!

We dropped my parents off at the airport and I cried for twenty minutes on the way home off and on.  I am so glad they came up and look forward to many more visits from them.  We are so lucky to have such amazing family.  It has been hard being so far from them but I know I definitely appreciate them more now and visits in the future will be more meaningful and memorable.