Alaska 1

 

Zac had Youth Conference three days before our vacation to the mainland.  We were all missing him--including Roxy.  Owen and Kate laid out Zac's shark blanket on his floor and we found Roxy lying next to it with a sad face.

Owen loves airplanes.  However, for some reason, we watched the movie Cast Away a few weeks before our trip.  Owen was a little nervous about our upcoming flight.

But get this kid a window seat and he is absolutely fascinated by planes.  Admittedly, I still get a thrill when flying through clouds and watching the small world below.

We first made a stop in Oahu and met Zac at the airport.  He really enjoyed Youth Conference and we were able to see all of the youth as they were waiting for their flight home.  We do our best to avoid red eye flights, but when going to the mainland they are typically the only reasonable option.  Anchorage was no exception.  We arrived in Alaska about 6 am (3 am Hawaii time).  I think this may have been the first time that I (Dad) got more sleep than the rest of the family.   Despite the sleepies, we were all excited about adventuring and getting our RV.  

First stop--IHOP!  Ha!  For some reason this is has be a kid favorite.  We get off a red eye flight and the kids are dying to go to IHOP.  Karen and I usually tolerate it, but this trip was actually delicious.  The moment we sat down at the restaurant, Owen shouts, "This is the best vacation ever!"

And that got us all tired again.  Karen and I took quick advantage of the RV experience.  Before our grocery grab we laid down for a morning nap in the Walmart parking lot!

We had a bunch of road to cover the first day--Anchorage to Denali.  The first day of driving the RV was by far the most difficult.  Yes, it took some getting used to, but it was a very windy morning and the RV was pitching all over the place.

The kids didn't seem to mind and they all happily caught up on their lack of sleep.

The trip time to Denali was about 5 hours.  Karen even took a turn driving for a bit.  

I love sleeping pictures.  A favorite of Kate.

We finally made it.  Denali temperatures are not the same as Hawaii temperatures.  Ha!

The obligatory entrance to the National Park picture.

I love adventures outside of Kauai because there are so many new things.  We started Denali off right with little hike near the park entrance--Horseshoe Lake.  The sun doesn't set in Denali until nearly midnight, and then it never really gets dark in the summer.  I was laughing to myself because we had talked up the abundant wildlife so much that our kids were a little spooked to be out hiking.

Hiking with my family is seriously one of my all time favorite activities!

On a whim I told Zac I'd give him $20 to fully submerse into the glacial river.  Before I knew it he was stripped down and heading in the water.  I figured he would test the water and slowly crouch down to immerse himself.  But this is Zac!  He took a couple quick steps in the river and dove.  It was epic!  

Much of the rest of the hike out was Kate and Owen exploring ways to earn $20. Ha!

After hiking we found showers at the Riley Mercantile shop and then prepped dinner in the RV.  BBQ sandwiches never tasted to good.  We started into the actual park around 10 pm.  I will never forget this moment.  All three kids had their eyes peeled to nature looking for wildlife.  Karen and I were doing the same.  We had lots of stops and reverse moments, to check what the kids thought they saw.  I was happy to it.  There was so much beauty.

We reached the Tek Campground near midnight.  The kids were spent and looked so peaceful as they slumbered.

Karen and I got situated in our bed and shut off the lights.  Above us was a skylight that looked like this at midnight.  We couldn't stop laughing.  Good thing we brought our sleeping masks!