Alaska Days 1-2

So we had a great time on our trip and can't wait to go back and do more as the boys get older! The boys did well on the flight and loved the take off and landing. Our flight left early in the morning so we got to Anchorage about 2pm, which was nice because we were able to get our car and get checked into the hotel with plenty of time to go visit my brother in Wasilla (about 45 min north of Anchorage). When we got into town the boys kept asking where Alaska was, because the only thing they had seen about Alaska was the nature videos that show bears and wolves and moose. But instead here we were in a city. They were also sure that every tree had a bear or wolf lurking in it. It took a lot of convincing the first two days for them to realize that there wasn't actually a dangerous animal around every corner.

The next day we headed out to go see some recommended sites. We only did kid friendly sightseeing on this trip. I figure there will be more trips in the future and we will get to see more alaska when they are older and more able. The first stop was Potters Marsh which is a mixed fresh/salt water marsh when the tides are high. It freezes through the winter and the frogs have adapted and produce their own antifreeze so that when they freeze their cells don't die and in the spring once they thaw out the frogs start moving and breathing again- bizarre! It was a pretty place with boardwalks extending quite a ways over the marsh.
The air was clean and crisp, and once we got here and out of Anchorage, the boys decided we were finally in Alaska.

It was toward the end of salmon season, but we still got to see salmon spawning in one of the streams.

We then continued south on the Seward Highway and stopped and watched beluga whales playing in the water. They were hard to catch on camera, so eventually I stopped trying and just enjoyed it.

Our next stop was the Wildlife Conservation Center, where they try to rehab animals that are injured or orphaned. Some cannot be returned to the wild and live at the conservation center. So we saw elk, caribou, moose, muskox, brown bears, and a few others that I can't remember right now. Elk weren't a big deal because we had those back home, and I had seen moose in my brothers backyard before. But I did like the caribou because the look like they could pull Santa's sleigh and we got to see the bears at feeding time so they were right up close to the fence, not more than 4-5 feet away.

The bears themselves have 18 acres to roam, so we were fortunate that we got there at the right time so they were easy to see.

After spending some time exploring there we got back in the car. These toys were my best purchase for their backpacks I put together for the trip. They could build and take apart, build and take apart, over and over and over again.

We decided to stop at Alyeska Resort/ski area and take a tram up the mountain to have lunch and see the view. It was raining pretty good while we were up on the mountain.

But the view was lovely.
We saw plenty of eagles on our way.

And glaciers seemed to be around every turn.

We eventually headed back to Anchorage and my brother had recommended we eat at Glacier Brewhouse. They brew their own rootbeer and cream soda, in addition to ales, and the cream soda was fabulous. But I took a picture of my delicious salmon, which was caught fresh that day. As were Mark's crab legs. It was so good that Jacob ended up eating over half of it, which was impressive for a boy who has never had salmon, but sad for me because I would really have liked to have eaten it all myself. The mushrooms were local and delicious too. And the seafood chowder was amazing. If you are ever in Anchorage, please go eat there.
We spent the rest of the night taking a dip in the pool and vegging out in the hotel room. And I have to thank my uncle for getting us a killer deal at the Hampton Inn which gave us a nice room to come back to and a comfy bed. (Hey Jena, we had crepes at the crepe place you went to and it was fabulous!)

Well that is all for now, I'll probably finish posting about our adventures tomorrow. We had such a great time together as our own little family, on a family vacation.