As soon as Mom and Dad got there we got our RV and hit the road. We took back roads and saw things many people don't see. We camped somewhere whenever we got tired. We laughed as much as humanly possible. We looked until our eyes plopped out of heads...ok, a little graphic, but you get the point.
A couple days into the trip we got to Delta Junction where Dallen's (Holly's husband) family lives. They were awesome to us!!!!! In fact they completely spoiled us rotten. I had no idea how incredible they were. We showed up and they had chicken frying in the front yard ready for us to eat. As we were hanging out around the kitchen table Dallen's grandmother, Shirlene, asked Dad about the Huntsman line and if we had an Elmer somewhere. Dad said that he was his grandfather. Turns out Elmer was Shirlene's great-uncle! I now refer to Shirlene, respectfully, as Aunt-Grandma. So in case this hasn't jumped out at anyone, let me spell it out for you. Dallen is my cousin. Holly is my cousin. Dallen and Holly are married. hahahahahahaha. Sorry. That still gets me :) No worries though - Dallen's related to me on Dad's side, Holly is from Mom's side. Still though....hahahahahahahahaha. Oh the webs we weave indeed!
So back to the royal treatment we got from the Wrigleys. Bryce and Jan (Dallen's folks) have a friend, Carl, who has a boat so we all went fishing! Well, Carl and Bryce took out us four Huntsmans and Mallory (Dallen's sister and one of my most favourite people in the world). We all reeled in a tasty rainbow trout that we cooked up on the fire on the beach and immediately devoured.
Once we had our fishing picnic all cleaned up here comes a moose!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got ridiculously excited and took about a million pictures of her. It was awesome!! (The only sad part was the fact that along with the fish we also had foil fries......mine was moose meat.....:( )
The next day Bryce, Jan, Dad, Mom, Mallory, and me all went 4-wheeling up a mountain in the bush and had a delicious breakfast that Bryce and Jan cooked for us camp style. It was peaceful, beautiful, perfect. I was terrified, but thankful that Mallory made me drive the 4-wheeler back down the mountain. It was a blast!!!!!!
The next day Bryce, Jan, Dad, Mom, Mallory, and me all went 4-wheeling up a mountain in the bush and had a delicious breakfast that Bryce and Jan cooked for us camp style. It was peaceful, beautiful, perfect. I was terrified, but thankful that Mallory made me drive the 4-wheeler back down the mountain. It was a blast!!!!!!
Eventually we had to leave our new friends and family, but we will never forget what a incredible time we had with them. Hopefully it won't be the last (in fact I'm secretly trying to figure out a way to get back up there and help with the harvest...)
On our way to Fairbanks we had to stop at the North Pole. I couldn't help myself.....
We got to see some of Santa's reindeer!!!!
The next day we finally made it to Fairbanks. We spent the day at Pioneer Park where we got a little taste of everything. We took a train ride around the park to see the "towne", "native village", and "mining camp". I think we could have spent 3 days there to see everything we wanted to see. Mostly it was just little shops to buy different arts and crafts and trinkets, historical displays, or little stages with performers. Toward the end of the day two elderly women stopped us. "Would you like pictures of real Eskimos? We're real Eskimos. I'm Janey and this is Sarah." They were so cute!!!! I ended up buying a yo-yo from them made out beaver skin and bowhead whale baleen.
Our next "big stop" was Denali. I can't even tell you how awesome that place is. You can only drive your private vehicle in about 15 miles. If you want to go farther than that then you book a spot on one of the buses. I think this is a great way to handle a national park. That way no one has to worry about driving so everyone gets a chance to just sit back and enjoy it. Also it stops the parks from being too over crowded and affecting the ecology. LOVE that idea. We drove the RV as far as we could the night before our tour. Once we got to end Dad and I hiked up a pretty cool rock. In that short hike we saw a marmot, ptarmigan (state bird), and a killer view!
The next day on our tour I was in paradise. After the first 20 minutes we could have turned around and gone home and I would have been completely satisfied. We first came across a Great-Horned Owl's nest. There is one adult on the left and 2 fledglings on the right. Turns out last year this nest belonged to some ravens, but the owls hi-jacked it.
At our first "pit stop" people spotted some caribou down the river bed. We all craned our necks and tried to see the little specs. Lucky for us we were headed that way anyway so as we later crossed the bridge we got a great look at them. There's something very mystical about the way run. It's not wonder that we believe they can fly.
Not long after the caribou we spotted some Dall's Sheep way up in the hills. I am so grateful for a good zoom on my camera. It definitely earned its keep on this trip!
Found this little Arctic Ground Squirrel at one of our "pit stops". I love him. He loved me.
I can't even tell you about the Grizzlies we saw. I think our final count of the trip was 11. Mostly mamas with a couple cubs, but still....11 grizzlies! It was incredible! This, by far, is the best pic I got.
On our way back we stopped at the Toklat Visitors Center so I could buy some books on the natural history of the area. (What can I say, I'm a total junky and a full blown nerd hehe). But as we stepped off the bus a very familiar scene was before me. Some of you may have seen similar pictures of Devon doing this exact same thing. It was a thrill knowing he had been there too! Thanks cuz' for the photographic inspiration!
After we left Denali National Park and were driving down the road we were discussing how even though we didn't get to actually see the Denali (or Mount McKinley...which I hate refering to it as so I won't :D ) we still weren't disappointed. We had seen so many other things that we didn't expect to see. We had felt things we didn't expect to feel. We were just so grateful for it all. Then Nikki spotted it. Far off in the distance the cloud broke for just a second. While we didn't get to see the actual top of the highest peak, the South Summitt (20,320 ft high) we're pretty sure we got to still see her. If you look at this picture you'll notice that it's not the big hill in the foreground. But it's not the mountain range beyond either. Look further. Above that range you'll see a horizontal stripe that's darker in color than the sky. That's her. I still can't comprehend the size and magnifigance of that mountain. It truly is "The Great One".
So there you have it folks. And those are only the highest of the highlights. I could go on and on. I can't explain how incredible that week was. There are just not words. Thank you Mom and Dad for such an incredible opportunity. You guys really are the best. Thank you thank you.
Now, just for kicks, I want to show you the other highlights....the story behind the story. And so, without further ado, I give you TRUE ALASKA.......*drum roll please*
THE END.........finally! :D
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