This past week we took a trip to the Katmai National Park. We stayed at Brooks Lodge www.bear-viewing.com and spent 3 days watching Grizzly Bears catch Red Salmon.

We flew on a PenAir flight from Anchorage to King Salmon. At King Salmon, we were taken to the Katmai Air dock for our float plane ride to Naknek Lake. Brooks Lodge is located at the entrance of Brooks River; a 1.5 mile river that claims to have the highest concentration of Grizzly Bears per square mile of any national park.

Were were briefed on proper bear etiquette by the Local Parks Service and then we were on our own to view the bears. They were huge and walking around through the lodge, on the paths and up/down the river. It is a little unnerving when you hear someone yell bear just as you turn a corner only to find a grizzly standing in the middle of your path. They didn't seem to mind our watching them as they were busy catching fish and fighting for a prime spot at the falls.

Hope you enjoy the photos.

We took a quick trip to Talkeetna this weekend in hopes of showing Mamie Mt. McKinley. The trip up was very nice and we stayed at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge. They say that only about 1 in 3 people who go to see Mt. McKinley actually get a chance to see it. Normally it is covered with clouds.

At the lodge you can put in a wake-up request if the mountain clears. We were lucky enough to receive a call about 5am that next morning and had a beautiful view of Mt. McKinley.

We spent the next morning 4-wheeling in the mud. Afterwards we cleaned up and took a walk through Talkeetna. As you can see from the photos, mamie seemed to enjoy herself. Talkeetna has 2 main streets each about 3 blocks long. Talk about blink and you miss it.

Our last morning at the lodge, we watched the clouds clear again to give us a 2nd beautiful view of Mt. McKinley and the Denali Mountain Range.

Mamie has finally had a chance to get out and about. She and Spencer decided to see how they compared to a Grizzle Bear (Hope they don't see one in the wild). Mamie found the statue of the wanderer. This pole represents the "Air" crossroads of the world. It gives milage to major cities around the world (Frankfurt is 4370 Air Miles) from Anchorage.

On the way to the Musk Ox farm, we stopped at a scenic overlook. We had a beautiful view of the Knik Valley all the way to the Glacier.

I few pictures from our visit to the Musk Ox Farm today. We finally had a sunny day and took advantage of it to get out. Mamie and everyone enjoyed the visit with the Musk Ox. They look like something from prehistoric days.

Mamie arrived today, from Germany, to spend a month with us. I have attached a few photos showing her arrival. She said the flight was good and she had an open seat next to her so she could stretch out and rest. Enjoy the photos.

Moose Sightings

A couple of Moose sightings. The one on the left greeted us in our apartment parking spot as we were getting ready to leave. The Moose on the right decided to join us while we were talking to our builder. He just came strolling out of the front yard. We were told that he is a small Moose(I would hate to run into a big one).

My apologies for the delay in posting. We have been without internet service for a few days while we settle into our temporary living quarters.

As you can see from the photos, we have picked up some new toys and the family has been enjoying them. Today we went to Jim's Creek.

The riding was great and the whole family had a wonderful time. Spencer is doing much better on his. He is getting more adventurous and starting to speed up some. We just picked up Nancy's toy yesterday and today is her first day to try it out. Connor continues to try new trails and bumps. All in all, it was a beautiful day.