Family Visit

The joy of having my family visit me at my house was awesome!  It’s the first time I got to host all of my Mom’s family!  Esther and Rahab built a fire all by themselves.  They were excited to roast s’mores and carry on Uncle Mike’s tradition of roasting starbursts!  I also enjoyed all the music that was played and sung in the house.  Rahab was captivated by the aunts and their singing.  The main reason for the visit was we were the pit stop before getting on the cruise to Alaska!  They were all cruising together to celebrate my Grandma’s 85th birthday!

Before the went cruising we explored the great city of Seattle.  I was thankful to have Mack join in on the tour guiding, as she knows the city way better than me!  Now I have a few more spots I can show off to people who come for a visit.  Our tour included Kerry Park as it’s the best view in town!  We got to explored the Ballard Locks for the first time.  I love watching them move boats from the Pudget Sound to Lake Washington! From there we went to the Space Needle and my favorite the fountain!  I love watching it as the music is playing in the backgroud.  We also rode the monorail making the walk to Pikes Market much shorter.  While the family explored the market, I got the opportunity to visit with my Grandma while over looking the Pudget Sound.  The highlight for Esther and Rahab was the gum wall!   

Hope for another visit in the future!  Love hanging out with my family!

-Chris

Camp Fire
Rahab singing with her Great Aunts
Kerry Park with my Aunt Cam
Grandma Lois and Aunt Paula!

Balancing on old tracks in Ballard

Watching the Ballard Locks

Seattle Fountain

Enjoying time with my Grandma
Esther made 🙂
Ready to cruise
Gum Wall
Perks of having a room mate…thanks Mack for the curls!

Jadon’s First Communion

July 30th, 2017

Greg and I took the opportunity with my grandma, aunts, uncles and parents, all at the same location, and did Jadon’s first communion. When my Mom’s side of the family gathers we usually do church at home.  It has become one of my treasured moments with my family.  Truly an authentic time of worship.  Greg was able to serve Jadon communion.  Then Jadon served communion to the rest of the family with Greg.  Greg read to Jadon 1 Chronicles 28:9-10, 20

1Chr. 28:9 ¶ “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

1Chr. 28:10 Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

1Chr. 28:20 ¶ David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

Jadon as you walk with the Lord, be brave and courageous!

Be courageous and brave, my son
Tasting the wine
Serving Great Grandma Lois
Serving Grandma and Grandpa Ireland
Serving Grandpa Barrus
Serving Grandma Barrus
Happy First Communion!

Uncle Mike Visit

This past week we had a wonderful visit with my brother!  We used every minute with him.  The night he got in we took him rollerblading down Campbell Creek trail to find a milk shake!

Milk Shakes With Mike

The next morning we took off to Seward, AK in hopes to get a tour on the boat, but it was too windy.  Instead we enjoyed a tour of the Seward shoreline and a quick hike up to Exit Glacier.  We had our own personal tour guide, Guy and his son Jeff.  The also spoiled us with fish tacos for supper.  The kids and I headed back to ANC to meet Greg.  While Mike took the opportunity to stay and catch salmon the next day with Guy and Jeff.  Even though I missed hanging out with my brother, I’m so thankful he got the opportunity to go fishing!  What an experience!  He caught the biggest fish that day and caught his limit!

Pit stop on the side of the road
Rahab warming up to Guy!
Watching for Salmon in Seward
Exit Glacier melting over the years
Hiking up to Exit Glacier
We made it!
Trying to get a swing ride!
Fish Tacos: spoiled at Guy’s
His fish is THIS BIG!

While Mike was fishing, we headed to Russian Falls.  We hoped to see a bear feasting on salmon, but no such luck.  It was a great hike and fun to watch the salmon jump the falls!  Loving these adventures with my family!

Russian Falls hike
Salmon jumping
Russian Falls

Our last day with Mike we did two shorter hikes.  Greg was off to work so the kids and I were playing tour guides!  We did one new and one old hike for us.  Our new hike was to Thunderbird Falls.  Wow, what a beautiful hike and an amazing waterfall!  After that we headed off to Eklutna Lake.  Even though it overcast, the views were still fantastic.  I loved being able to explore with my brother and my kids!  Creating memories that will last a life time!

Thunderbird Falls Hike
Amazing! Even in the rain 🙂
Peek-a-boo
Eklutna Lake
Last Hike with Uncle Mike

We got up early the next morning to head to SEA and Mike off to MSP.  Flying this time of year out of ANC can be quite challenging, but I’m thankful to say it only took waiting for 3 flights to get us all home.  Esther and Jadon did their first unaccompanied minor trip.  They loved it, and I’m thankful it went off without a hitch!  Rahab, Mike, and I were on the next flight about an hour behind them.

Non-reving home

Can’t wait to explore the next state with my brother and my family!

-Chris

 

Bowen visit

   I think the Bowen’s are great! We had a campfire with the Bowen’s. We roasted marshmallows. Eliana is so great because she is 5, too. Her is my best friend. She has a sister, Nadia, that is 3. Both of the sisters have a baby brother, Ivan, that is 1.   We went camping in Seward, AK. We went to the SeaLife center. We saw a baby walrus. We got to stick our fingers in the water and touch the animals that were really alive with only two fingers. The water was freezing cold. The animals felt soft or rough. One time I felt one that was actually a rock.  

   The fishes were huge that daddy caught. I didn’t like the smell.  

   Because it was raining we left Seward the day after we came. On the way home we saw a bear when we were at the restaurant.  

   I lost a tooth in Seward!  

   We watched the bears at the Wild Life Center with Eliana, Nadia, and Ivan. The bears were eating. We loved it!

Missing tooth!
We are matching!
Baby walrus
My best friend

It is fun in Alaska!

Rahab Ireland

   The Bowen’s got to our house really late. The next morning we had pancakes and we played. The mom’s went shopping and the dads took us to Lake Hood. Which had a lot of float planes on it. Then we got the RV and I got to ride in it. We went to Seward that night. We had s’mores and Jadon and I explored the campground. In the morning it was rainy outside. The dads went fishing and caught lots of fish. We did not go fishing, but we went to the SeaLife Center in Seward. There we got a smashed penny. We saw lots of fish, octopus, seals, otters, and sea lions. We got to touch starfish and other things. They were really cool. Some starfish were gooey. After the SeaLife center we went and got the dads. We saw all the fish that they caught. They each caught six silver salmon and some rockfish. Then the dads decided to go back to Anchorage, but I didn’t want to do that. On the way back from Seward, we stopped at a restaurant. There was a metal garbage can with a black bear trying to open it. I thought it was a dog, then I thought it was a bear. A dog came out of the restaurant and starting chasing the bear. Then the bear went away.  

   The next day we went to the Wildlife Conservation center. There we saw bears that were getting fed. We, also, saw moose, elk, bison, fox, wolves, and a cub black bear.  

   The next day we watched a movie and went to Eagle River. We saw lots of mountains and played. The mountains were really pretty.  

   Then the Bowen’s had to go back to their house in Washington.

Watching the seals
Feeding time
Wolves
Hiking

Esther Ireland
   
We got a camper. We took the camper back to our house. We loaded the camper to Seward. My sister, the daddy’s, and I when we got there we made a fire ?. We had s’mores and went to bed. We went to the sea life center and the dads went fishing ? for silver salmon and rockfish ?. Then we went home ? we spent three more days. With the Bowen’s we saw a black bear ?. 

Riding in the camper
Camper!
Playing in the water
A lot of fish!

Jadon ??

Unexpected Blessings

This past week the Bowen Family joined our Alaska Adventure. It was sure an adventure this past week! Our plan was to go camping for 3 nights in Seward. Greg and Ryan scheduled a fishing charter and rented an RV off of RVshare.com. We got all packed up with lots of food and a RV that well, was questionable, but we proceeded forward with the plan and adjusted as the new plans came our way. This week was filled with unexpected blessings!

1. Sunday/Monday my cousin and his wife came up for a last minute trip to watch the bears! We got to enjoy all their wonderful stories and amazing pictures of the bears eating salmon! What a special treat!

2. Our new friends up here in AK, offered us their Excursion while the Bowen family was here. This seriously was a need we really had no idea we needed until we took off to Seward. Love when God provides for us when we didn’t even know our need. Blessed! Thank you Ness Family!

3. The questionable RV, yes it was that bad-Greg confirmed bad, was a blessing. It poured in Seward and forecasted to rain our entire trip there. Image 6 kids (10, 7, 5, 5, 3, & 1) all in two RV’s (the one we rented and another one we borrowed from my cousin!). The one we rented leaked from the pull out, result sopping, wet, dirty, carpet. We didn’t find the wet carpet until we were getting ready for bed on Monday night, night one. Greg and Ryan were getting up at 5am to go fishing on Tuesday. We preserved through night one, and that was all! Because the camper was not functioning well, we were able to return to Anchorage the next day and get a refund for the RV. Now if you want to hear the refund story talk to Greg or Ryan! Thankful for how God provided again!

We did get s’mores!
Leaky camper…
Breakfast!
 

4. Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, AK is amazing! Definitely worth the trip. Side note if you do come and have a zoo or aquarium membership bring it you could get half off! Dana and I were thankful for a dry spot that kept all the kid’s interest. My favorite was seeing all the different kinds of Salmon.

Jelly Fish!
Different types of Salmon!
Silver salmons: what we were hoping the boys would bring home
Watching the seal earn fish!
Our kids!
 

5. Silver Salmon and Rockfish a plenty! Greg and Ryan caught their limit 6 salmon! Rockfish was a bonus. It’s an ugly fish, but very tasty! The 4 oldest kids and I met Greg and Ryan on the pier with all the fish from the charter. They hung up the fish, to capture the exciting moment! We also watched them fillet the fish. We were soaking wet when we left, but worth the trip. The fish was awesome!  

Unloading all the fish
Barrel of fish
All the fish!
Wow!
Yay for catching fish!
One step closer to eating
 

6. Trash bear sighting! Since we left Seward Tuesday night we found a place in Girwood to have supper. When we arrived we spotted a black bear trying to get in the dumpster. Pretty cool to see the bears this close. Not too worry no one was hurt, in fact we were all pretty excited at our bear sighting!

7. Exploring new spots! Even though we planned to explore Seward and I do hope we can go back. We went off to explore the Alaska Wild Life Conservation Center near Portage, AK. We arrived just as there were feeding the bears, 3 grizzly bears and 2 black bears! What a sight to see them eat so close. We also spotted a black cub high up in a tree! Crazy to think they can really climb trees! We all enjoyed watching the different animals! 

Bears are not eating us!
Bear in the tree! Look in the circle
Wild Crew
In the danger zone

 

The second place we got to explore was Eagle River. Praise the Lord it wasn’t raining! We even saw the sun! We did a 3 mile flat, loop hike, called Albert Loop. The scenery was suburb and the hike was perfect for our group! 

Watch out for the moose!
Playing ‘Pooh sticks’
Majestic!
Moose print
The boys
The gals
Best Mountain Pose
 

Love my family!

8. This blessing wasn’t necessarily unexpected, but an appreciated blessing. Our visit with the Bowen family. We don’t often gather together for more than one night at a time. This trip we got four days in a row! Blessed to really get to know them more this trip.    

Bowen Family
Chris Ireland

Trip to Nome, AK

We woke up early to go to Nome. When we got to Nome we decided to go hike to a waterfall called Dorthy Falls. The waterfall was really pretty it was about 20ft high and 10ft wide. To get to the waterfall we had to climb over the White Mountains and there was no trail either but it was really fun. After hiking to the waterfall we went to a ghost town and a hot springs. The old ghost town had a old orphanage, church, a school, and some houses. The hot springs was 170 degrees fahrenheit it was very hot and I swam in the water. On the way to the hotel we stopped to get some fresh spring water strait out of the ground it was very good water. The next day we went to the place were the Iditarod race ends. Then we went to dredge #5 (the biggest dredge ever built). We climbed all over it and saw lots of different parts of the dredge it was really cool. Then we went to White Alice Radar Station. It was made for the Cold War. Then we went to the beach with all the gold in it we swam and panned for gold we got some gold but it was really small it was just dust. Then we went to the airport (the airport is so small it is just a room) we got on the airplane and went home.
Esther Ireland

We went to Nome we hiked to dorthy falls. We also hiked to the pilgrims hot springs. We also hiked to an old town. It was overgrown. It was not hot. There was an old church that was empty. I didn’t want to stay there forever. There was a really hot hot springs there. We changed into our swimsuits and tried it out. It was really hot. The next day we drove up to White Alice Radar Station. It was on a high mountain. After that we walked on the Nome beach. I went swimming. We also panned for gold and built a sand castle. My favorite part of the whole trip was dredge number 5. Because we got to go on the dredge. It was really old and falling apart. We went high and low on it.  

Jadon Ireland

So… I went to Nome for a trip and my name is Rahab. We went to a gold beach and played there. And we were there for two days! We hiked to a waterfall, I got to take my shoes off and play in the water but the pictures we had to take was so boring. The waterfalls name was Dorothy. We had to hike over the mountains and a river to get there. After, we went to a hot springs. I stuck my foot in and got a burn on my foot. I wasn’t tired all the time. After that we went to bed. The next day we went to number 5 dredge… so cool. At first Jadon thought we couldn’t get in but then we went in. There were some missing steps. Daddy went first cause he needed to help us but he got grease on his hands and then I didn’t want to hold his hand cause I didn’t want grease on my hand. At the hot springs we saw an orphanage. I definitely didn’t want to live in that orphanage. One more thing, we lived in a hotel for two days. It was fancy but we still had to go to the grocery store to get our donuts for breakfast.

Love,  Rahab

Nome, AK Trip

   On July 11th and 12th we made a trip to Nome, AK. What is there to see in Nome, AK? Plenty! I loved visiting this quaint town. It’s charm is not your usually tourist spot, but that is why I loved it. It’s vastness is quite amazing.  


   Our first adventure, when we arrived in Nome, was to find Dorothy Falls. There are no signs to follow. The directions went something like this. Follow the road out of town, yes there is only one! Take a right before you get to the baseball field. Really its a dirt field with dugouts and a fence around it. Continue on till around mile marker 26 there is a red building. Cross the creek, follow the ridge line 1.5 miles or so to find Dorothy Falls. The first feat was actually finding the right spot, but not really knowing if we did until we found Dorothy Falls. We only say about 3 cars on the whole drive to the falls, which took about 45 minutes. Then on the way back from the falls we ran into a man who was mining his claim on the creek. He took some time to show us how to mine with a pan and where to look for gold on the river. He was able to show us a speck of gold! I was thankful for him because he gave me a ride on his quad so I didn’t have to cross the frigid creek again barefoot. It was mighty cold! The hike was totally worth it! Dorothy Falls was spectacular! We loved playing around on the falls. We had it all to our selves!

Frigid feet
Crossing the Creek
Found the red building
   
Panning for Gold
Dorothy Falls!
Hiking down the ridge
View from the ridge

After this hike we headed down the road to find Pilgrim Hot Springs. The road was rough and the locals warned us to have plenty of bug dope. The gravel road was only 7 miles long, but it took 45 minutes to drive it. Yes, the mosquitos were horrendous, I was thankful for the ‘good’ dope! At Pilgrim Hot Springs there was a ghost town. About 100 years ago, there was a mission there that run an orphanage. This place was remote! Hard to imagine how they survived, even with the hot springs there. The church building was quaint in the vastness. A humbling picture to see.

Walking to find the ghost town
Toilet! Yes!
An old building
God’s Beauty

   

We also put our feet in the Pilgrim Hot Springs. Unless you Greg and Esther who went all the way in! It was really hot!

Vastness is amazing!
Hot!!!
Testing the waters

   

One of my favorite parts on this first day was hunting for the spring water on the side of the road. Again the directions were, look for a pipe coming out of the hill around Salmon Lake. Right, we can find that! On the drive up we missed it, imagine that! At the Hot Springs we asked another local, he gave us the added directions: “look on the right for a white/black pipe, with orange cones…I think….and if you past Salmon Lake you have gone too far.” I’ve never drank water from the side of the road, but this water was amazing! We were all excited to fill our water bottles!  

Drinking from the hose!
Found it!

  

 Day 2 we stayed more local to Nome. We found dredge number 5. Apparently this is the largest dredge made! It was mammoth! Crazy thing is we could walk right into this old, abandoned machine. Last time it was operated was in the 1950’s. Let just say my Mom heart was thumping. It was pretty cool to walk around in it and get a close look at it, though. Thankfully I have watched many times the Gold Rush with my Dad and actually know how it operates and how dangerous this equipment can be! Dad next time you should come with! Oh, and the locals use this as a swim spot in the summer! Crazy!  

Dredge #5
Walking up the dredge
Engine!
Exploring the dredge
Controls!
Dirt conveyor belt!
My boys & their Adventures

   

Next we went to check out ‘White Alice.’ Never heard of it? Yep me either! Apparently it was a radar station used it to defend Alaska, well the US, in the Cold War from Russia. Who knew! What impressed me was the view of Nome from up there! You see the whole town and the Bering Sea. God’s beauty never ceases to amaze me! Oh, fun fact, and we FaceTimed with our friends who live in Haiti from ‘White Alice.’    

The White Alice
Jadon & Greg on the Rock
Esther & Greg on the rock
Rahab & Greg on the rock
Climbing White Alice

   

The view of Nome

We ended our trip on the Nome beach. It was a sunny 65*F afternoon, couldn’t ask for better weather! We had a great afternoon panning for gold, building sand castles, making sand angels, and swimming in the Bering Sea. Well, do toes count?!? It’s cold!  

Burying them in the sand
See my toes curling up? It’s cold!
They swam
Greg searching for gold, kids playing, and I’m soaking in the Nome rays
Sand angel
Better sure we see gold
Nome Beach!
Fun Facts:

*A watermelon in Nome cost $17.99

*Cherries were $5.99lb

*The history of the Gold Rush in Nome was really 3 Swede dudes who took all the good gold claims


*End of the Iditarod 


*Two radio stations: one operated by Covenant Church


*Dredge buckets were used as planters!

*Greg was based in Nome for a month!

The two airplanes Greg has flown into Nome: Caravan & 737

Chris Ireland

Last Weeks Adventures

July 4th:   We went up to Glacier View, AK to celebrate America’s Birthday. This is how I would have imaged small town America honoring America over thirty years ago across the country. We gathered for the day with a 5k and Kids fun run, delicious food (they cooked over a 1,000 pounds of chicken and pork!) , bluegrass music, metal rodeo, parade, prayed together, honored America, and launched cars off the cliff. Before the meal they gathered the community and honored America and thanked God for this great country. We even prayed before the meal as a community! It really felt like this community was honoring the roots of America! I loved it!  

   All of the kids ran the 1 mile fun run! It was awesome to see them participate. Jadon was the first in our group. And I think he was in the top 5 of all the kids. He did amazing! Esther raced with the boys Keanan and Bristol. They had quite the finish making sure not to get beat by a girl ;). Rahab ran with Bella and Kyla. They were quite little troopers and fun to see them cross the finish line at the same time. I was so impressed with all of the kids running their hearts out. Although they still had lots of energy after the race.  

Listening to music in line for food!
Metal Rodeo!
Throwing Rocks in the Matanuska River
Girls coming! Greg cheering them on!
Esther trying to beat the boys at the finish line
Jadon leading the crowd
the Runners!

   We also enjoyed watching metal rodeo. Using an excavator to put rocks into tires and then take them out. Stack the tires, catch a ball in the excavator’s bucket while sitting on a cone. It was quite entertaining!   

   The highlight of the day was the cars being launched about 300 feet off the cliff! To be honest I wasn’t quite sure if I would enjoy this or not. BUT it was awesome! They launched 6 cars and one snow machine! I don’t think you would ever see anything like this in the lower 48. And if we did there would have been more restrictions of where to sit, how close, etc. The attitude of this event was you are responsible for your own actions. Perfect! After all the cars were launched the crowd rush up the hill side to see the crushed cars. I recommend you find so YouTube Videos! Try Googling Glacier View car launch 4th of July! But here is the first one launched in slow motion!  

Off she goes!

   It was an amazing day with amazing friends and amazing scenery! As the day went on God’s majesty was displayed. The fog rolled away and the magnificent mountains were revealed next to the rushing Matanuska River. Spectacular!  

July 5th & 6th: 

 We headed up to the Cold Creek Mine trail north of Girwood, AK. We did the Hand tram and the ATV bridge with the Vawter’s family. We had a lot of fun playing on the creek. Throwing rocks, boulders, logs, and sticks into the creek. We wanted to explore the Cold Creek Mine but the price to enter was too high. We adventured up further up the road and saw some spectacular views and waterfalls. Greg, Zac, Esther, Keanan and Jadon came back and explored up here the next day. While the Kyla, Rahab, Jen and I enjoyed a restful afternoon watching a movie and a walk to Taku Lake. We saw a calf on the way home, but didn’t see the mama moose! 


July 7th:  

 We went on a bear hunt. We took a drive to Soldonta, AK. We looked for any wildlife we could find. Stopping several times along the road looking with not much success. As we were driving we came across a moose eating grass in the water. Fun to see this large animal enjoying herself in the water. She would dive her head under the water then come up with a mouth full of grass. She would shake her head while the rest of her was completely submerged underwater. It was amazing to see this moose in such a natural setting up close, in the car! We also saw two grizzly bears. I’m very thankful we saw them from our car on the side of the road and not while we were hiking. These bears are quite a sight! Again amazing to watch from my car as they searched the area for food.  

 The drive home late at night was unforgettable. The moon was rising as the sun was setting at 11pm. To experience the midnight sun has been quite an adjustment. I must admit I don’t think I will ever get use to it. I really have no sense of time. But pure beauty.


July 8th:  

 We explored the Anchorage Museum on a rainy day.  

Highlights of the museum:

*Seeing the $7.2 Million dollar check that was used to purchase Alaska

*Display of natives artifacts. They were similar but yet so different. You could tell which tribes were north and inland versus which were on the coast and rainy by the clothes they made. Their artistic ability was quite detailed it was hard to take it all in.  

*Playing in bubbles


July 9th:  

 Our last day with the Vawter’s we started off with church at the Chapel by the Sea. I’m loving experiencing different churches up here in Anchorage for the summer. God is moving in all His churches. What a blessing it is to pray along with these churches this summer!

 Our last hike and adventure was up to Independence Mine. Seeing this spot for a second time really allowed the history of the mine to sink in for me. WWII really affected all the mines in the area. As they were shut down for the war, deemed non-essential. After the war ended, the price of gold was fixed at $35 an ounce. Really not making it profitable for the miners to come back. This is one of the reasons why we see the abandoned mines in the state of Alaska.  


 What a jammed packed week we had with the Vatwer’s. Wouldn’t want it any other way! I’m thankful for the visit. It was much needed! I’m also very thankful that Greg was only used one day on reserve. This is the main reason we joined him this summer up in ANC. If we were still in Yelm, we would have missed out on these days with him. Instead we explored together! What a blessing we have been given this summer!        

Chris Ireland

Vawter’s Visit

America’s Birthday

Today is the 4th of July, we went to Glacier View, AK. We had a awesome lunch and watched cars launching from a cliff. It was awesome! We also got our face painted. I, Jadon, painted a giant American flag on my face. I, Keanan, painted a small American flag on my cheek. I also had fun throwing rocks into the water. We a rolled a tire down a gravel mound. We also did a 1mile fun run.

I, Keanan, also had fun dropping rocks into tires with an excavator. They called it the metal rodeo.  

We also had fun throwing rocks at sticks rushing down the river. There was a zip line.  

*Jadon and Keanan

Keanan & Kyla came for a visit. We went to a glacier. We didn’t get to go on the glacier, but on the lake. With lots of sand fleas. We hiked to the glacier. It was a hard hike with lots of mud and we had to cross a trail river. They had a slug bug that was their car. Sometimes the girls went in WASSABE and the boys went in the slug bug. 

We loved hanging out with the Vawter’s. 

Mom had a birthday when the Vawter’s were here. 

We just loved having the Vawter’s here.
We went to the hand tram. The Daddy’s had to haul us over. 

We went to a museum and had lunch at a restaurant. We also saw the float planes while eating dinner. We saw an airplane on the grass by the restaurant. Keanan tried to turn the propellers. He almost did it. 

*Rahab Ireland  (It never gets dark here)

We just had our friends the Vawters come from CA to visit us in AK. We had a really fun time playing and exploring AK. We saw cars fly off a cliff on Fourth of July. I also ran a race. But I did not win but it was really fun. I really liked seeing a glacier which is call Portage Glacier it was really pretty and there is a lake in front of the glacier. We went to Hatcher pass and looked at a lot of old gold mines. I think that one of my favorite things that we did with the Vawters, was seeing a bear ? on the side of the road. It was a grizzly bear we thought we saw three bears. During the Vawter’s visit we also saw lots of moose.

*Esther Ireland

We went to portage glacier. We went to independence mine. We went to the anchorage museum. We went to the hand tram. We saw a moose and a ?. We went to monarch mine. 

The end 

*Jadon Ireland

Mom’s Birthday

I went to go on a trail with the Vawter’s in AK. It was called Portage Trail. On the trail it was really cool because we saw a glacier. It looked huge, but smaller than some glaciers. Glaciers can be really big. In front of the glacier was Portage Lake. I kind of did not like it because there was some many sand fleas. There were everywhere, but the view was amazing! On the way back we saw some moose footprints, but we didn’t see and moose or bears. After we finished the trail we went home and had crab for Mommy’s birthday. For breakfast we had pancakes. We gave her her present. It was an ‘I’ that held jewelry. I think Mommy had a really fun birthday.  Esther Ireland

I think Mommy had a great time. I think Mommy loved breakfast. I wanted to hike. I was very tired from the hike. I hiked with the Vawter’s. I thank God for Mommy’s birthday in Anchorage. I love that Mom got her present that I made. She can hang jewelry on it. I just love my Mommy. Rahab Ireland

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday with my family and the Vawter’s. It was a unique birthday because it was celebrated in Alaska. It was cold and rainy. Most of my birthdays thus far have been celebrated in hot summer weather. I enjoy the heat and often associate the weather of making or breaking my birthday. Not this year. We went for a 5 mile hike up to Portage Lake to see Portage Glacier. What spectacular views all through this hike. This hike was considered easy to moderate. I have decided AK has a different scale of intensity. This hike in the lower 48 would be considered moderate to extreme. The first 3/4 mile we hiked had a 1000ft elevation gain. It kicked my butt! It did level off but we had to get to the top of the ridge. We saw several waterfalls! Amazing how much water is flowing down the mountains.  

   Watching my kids hike this trail was amazing. They loved every minute of it! Jadon didn’t look back the whole time, just focused on keeping us moving forward. Rahab jumped from rock to rock. Using her ballet balance skills, while trying to keep her shoes from getting too muddy. Some of those jumps can make my Mom heart stop! Esther takes in all the beauty and wants to explore everything. Thankful for Greg for finding this hike to explore and providing the opportunity to explore it!

   Greg cooked an amazing Birthday supper for me! Crab Pot style: potatoes, corn on the cob, reindeer sausage, shrimp, and King Crab. It was amazing! Great supper after an intense hike!

   Thankful for the Vawter’s to be able to celebrate with me. Also, that they enjoy hiking with us! God sure has blessed this birthday!  

My personal chef! Yummy!
Ready for this hike!…so I thought…
Warming up after the hike 🙂
The Crew
We made it! Beautiful!
Portage Glacier and Lake!
The view…to keep us going
Hiking with my love
Inside the tunnel to Whittier
The tunnel…I felt like I was in a James Bond movie
 

Chris Ireland