We knew it would be beautiful, but we didn't quite expect this kind of expanse. The kind of epic that transcends the time/space continuum - literally; The land of the midnight sun. It was all so disorienting, to have light at midnight, and to measure space by mountain peaks and depth of glaciers.
We landed in Anchorage, and my old college roommate, Patrick Matthew picked us up at 5 am. Because their house was under renovation, we were relegated to sleep in the camper in their driveway. It's all good, because we are all about adventure, not luxury!
The first day, we went to breakfast downtown in Anchorage at The Snow City Cafe, and then we drove north to Hatcher Pass. We explored the abandoned Gold Mine at Independence Mine (ghost town), and then drove the pass through the mountain range back to Anchorage. It was all so breathtakingly beautiful!
The next few days were spent exploring glaciers, hiking mountains, and seeing incredible wildlife. We walked beside rivers and in the forest. We camped the Kenai Peninsula and saw bears, moose, a lynx, and other wildlife!
We camped with the Matthew Family and we all sat around the fire, telling stories and laughing. One of my favorite things is to hear you giggling with your sisters, usually inside jokes that are inappropriate! Patrick kept us laughing, and Jack just went fishing solo. At one point you sprayed the Bear Spray (Pepper Spray) and Mariah and Teresa almost threw up, coughing!One of my favorite moments was the White Water Rafting excursion through NOVA at the 6- Mile Creek, literally 4-5 class rapids. Sign a waiver, you might die - kind of rafting! The whole family climbed into the dry suits provided, despite the rain. We had to do a swim test in the frigid glacier water to be approved, then we were on our way!
The whole family went 2/3 of the way down the rapids with a handful of serious moments. At one point, we hit a rock and the raft spun around, launching almost everyone into the rapids! All three of you girls went headfirst into the river, and I followed too! We all scrambled to climb back into the raft, and then laughed uncontrollably! It was epic!
But then... the others chose to exit. You thought about the remaining mile... 4 different rapids that were ahead were listed as "Class Five", meaning very extreme and rare. Our raft guide was legitimately nervous, but agreed to take us! I could see the look of adrenaline in your eyes as we chose to continue - JUST ME AND YOU!We finished. Because of course we did. You chose to accept the challenge because YOLO! You are always up for the challenges of life, and you embrace each opportunity! Fearless and Carpe Diem! That's my Ambria... I've missed you.
We ate dinner in a tiny town (all the towns are literally two buildings) called "Hope, Alaska" where we ate an awesome dinner with live music at The Dirty Skillet. Overall, it was probably the funnest day of the trip!
The rest of the week was complete with a visit to Denali National Park, where Teresa and I took Mariah up on a private airplane tour to the very top of the Mount Denali! It felt like we were on the moon! You and Ashlyn stayed behind to take a run through the town of Talkeetna. Afterwards we all went shopping and ate lunch.
Each day was something new... a different adventure! We climbed up the insane ice glaciers of Matanuska, and explored canyons and caves and cliffs and glacial lakes! Of course you girls had to stop and take a million photo shoots because #influencersorwhatever.
Another day we drove all the way south to Seward, Alaska to take a boat tour through the Fjords! We watched out for wales, dolphins, and sea lions! It was cold and windy, but beautiful! We continued to shop and ate a big dinner at The Salmon Bake restaurant.
Each night we would return to the Mathew's House and tell them all about our adventures. Patrick would have some hilarious comments, and snarky stories. (Who would have ever guessed that he is a federal agent for the office of Criminal Investigations!) It was always a blast to talk with them.
On another day, Patrick took us on a guided rafting tour through the Russian River, for three hours. We saw Grizzly Bears and tons of fly fishing and eagles. It was another beautiful day! Every day was something new to explore, another trail to take, another corner to explore... I could see your eyes were full of awe and wonder and shock and curiosity and joy. This moment, these memories... this is what I live for! On the airplane home from Alaska I listened to an audio book about Christopher McCandless and his inspirational/tragic story of the Alaskan wilderness. One of the quotes of the book said something to the effect of: Our duty as parents is to give children two things - roots, and wings.
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