I picked them up at the airport (their plane was late...) and came back to the apartment. Mom loved the color of the apartment while Dad kept saying, "this is cute! It's good for you!" I think that means he liked it too...They dropped off their luggage, and I took them to Cornerstone, where I work. One of the kids greeted me at the door (he knew we were coming) and said, "HI LARRY!" (Quick side-story. Two of the kids and I were playing "Hand and Foot" - a card game - a few nights ago and one of them accidentally called me Larry. They thought it was hilarious, so they started calling me Larry.) We walk in, and my boss is there to greet us. So my parents got to meet my boss, some of the kids, and some of my co-workers. I showed them around, the kids talked to us for a bit, and then we were on our way. Mom said she thought the place was a bit depressing and dark, I agreed, so I'll have to think of someway to bring up a new paint job or something...
Oh yeah, I forgot one thing. Before we left for Cornerstone, we went to meet my land lords, and we all got to talking. Mark gave us some fresh King salmon for dinner, so we looked forward to cooking that.
We left Cornerstone and drove. We drove around town, and I showed them where a lot of different things were. We went to a good view of the glacier, to the mall, showed them Fred Myers, and the like. We came home for dinner (fresh salmon - yay!). I made them a seafood pasta dish that I learned how to make at the cooking school Bri works at. They loved it and have the recipe for any of you that may want it. I have it too...
We then drovethe 42 miles to the end of the road looking for Eagle beach. Laurie has only been to Eagle beach once, and didn't really know where she was going. We missed the turn and drove another 28 miles or so until we figured out she missed the turn...oops! Dad wanted to get my picture at the end of the road, so we did. On the way back we saw a black bear cub (my first bear!) along the side of the road. It didn't like the car, so it ran along the road then up into the trees. It was cute, but all I could think was that Mama was around somewhere, and I didn't want to be around when she came out. We drove back into the Valley (where I live) and went to bed.
The next day we went to Taku Lodge. Look it up online - it's really cool and has a huge history. We got on a little tiny float plane, and flew over mountains and glaciers to get to this small little lodge. It was very cool. These glaciers were huge!!! Some were receding, and some were advancing. Some were 5 miles wide and over 80 miles long! Pretty incredible. We landed on the lake (how weird is that?!) and got out and walked up to the lodge. It is a rustic looking lodge but very homey inside. We saw a whole bunch of people standing outside by a tree, so we went to see what was up. Um, there was another baby black bear up there! Just sitting in the tree like it was a bird. Again, very cute, but I didn't stay out there long. There were tons of bugs - I got bit quite a few times. We went on a hike around the lodge, which was beautiful, but mom and I were afraid the bears would come out, so we quickly did the hike and went back to the safety of the lodge. We waited for dinner inside by a roaring fire (I'll miss fires in the winter...). Dinner was fresh king salmon (see a pattern? Salmon = Alaska), beans, coleslaw, two different kinds of roles, and this apple stuff that was amazing. We ate SO well that night! When dinner was done and we took pictures, we went back to the docks to load up on the plane. We got back to town, stuffed and completely in awe.
We shopped downtown for a few days, but nothing too thrilling happened there. Other than the fact that we saw yet another baby black bear...bear number 3 and counting...
We went up the Mt. Roberts tram while they were here too. That is incredible as well. You go from sea level to 1,800 feet in about five minutes, and the view was incredible. We went on a few hikes up there too, and saw bear #4. He was far away in the snow on the top of the mountain, right where we ended up on our hike, but we did get to see him for a bit. Here's a funny story (it's even more funny when mom tells it). We went on a long hike to try to find this cross that some pastor took up the mountain in the 1800's. We hike this steep trail, and it ends up on a landing with an incredible view. There's another trail that connected to the trail we were on, and I was sure that it was the cross trail. So I leave mom and dad at the landing (with all my stuff) and go in search for this cross. (Side note: I was hiking in Crocs...not a good idea - keep reading and you'll find out why.) I follow the trail, and soon it stops because a huge piece of snow/ice is blocking the road. I don't want to quit now, so I decide to forge on and overcome the snow...in my Crocs. I get over the first piece of ice and come to two more. I'm getting tired, and the cross is still no where in sight. I finally come across some people who are coming down from a flat part of the mountain. Great, I think to myself, I'm almost there. I keep going. I am still not there. I see more people coming down. I ask them where the trail leads, and they said to the peak of Mt. Roberts. Dang. I'm on the wrong trail. All that hard work for nothing. I realize I've been gone for quite some time, and the parents are probably worried...especially since they have all my stuff. So I turn around and go back down all the ice and snow (in my Crocs) and finally meet up with them. They're glad I'm alright and say, "don't do that again!" I told them I hadn't found the cross, and they say they have. Let's just say I went WAY too far...
We stayed home some and played games, watched movies, and just loved being together. It was sad to say goodbye, but so good to see them.
Hope you are all doing well! Love ya!
Blessings!
1 comment:
Next time you go hiking, be sure to take your cell phone, water, food and a buddy =)
We had a great time and miss you very much!
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