Yes, I know I have not updated our blog for a while. Sorry about that; will try to do better in the future.

We did recently take a nice trip to Hawaii and everyone had a wonderful time. Nancy got her warm weather, Connor and Spencer took surfing leasons and I got to Scuba Dive. We had a fantastic time. We stayed in Maui and Alaska Air makes the trip nice with direct fights from Anchorage to Maui. Interesting how 5 hours can make such a difference in your outlook.

I am attaching some photos of the boys surfing. Connor was doing really good by the time we left and Spencer will do better once he gets a little bigger.

Shanghai, China

Had a wonderful trip to Shanghai, China this past week. This was my first visit to what has now become the worlds largest city (20million+ people). I explained the view as stacking 50 New York Long Islands side by side. Our ride from the airport to the hotel took approximately an hour and a half and at no time were we out of view of sky scrappers.

The cultural variations are amazing. You have high-priced autos mixing in with people powered tricycles. You have 50-60 story sky scrappers standing next to historic temples. The one observation I found the most interesting is the lack of people smiling or laughing. Setting in a sidewalk cafe, we observed people walking by for almost an hour. During that time we did not see a single person smile or laughing.

We did get a good look at where our government is headed if things continue. We experience crosswalk police on every corner telling people when the walk light was green or red. Yes, that is 4 police officers on every street corner. In addition, we saw workers painting garbage cans, one person per can or rail. Thats a lot of painters. Anyway, the visit was well worth it.

Mt. Redoubt Volcano Blows

Well, they have been predicting an eruption for weeks. They finally got it right a few days ago; however, we in Anchorage have been lucky with the winds. The first ash clouds were carried north then southeast. Today, we weren't so lucky. As we were driving back from Bow Shooting in Eagle River, we noticed a ugly looking dark haze moving our way. As you can see from the photos the volcanic ash sure makes a mess on things. Our snow is no longer pretty and white. It looks like someone threw there fireplace ashes on the snow.

Mount Redoubt

Well - less than 24 hours after being downgraded, Mount Redoubt lets off a little steam. You can see the Ash Cloud which erupted late Sunday Afternoon. The cloud eventually reached an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet or roughly 5,000 feet above the peak of Mount Redoubt.

Springbreak - Alaska Style: We spent most of our time at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. Both boys had a great time. Spencer spent the week in ski camp leaning to work the moguls and intermediate slopes. I think he enjoyed the morning ride the most. Nothing like a motorized sled ride to start your day.

Connor enjoyed the challenge of a "Real" mountain. He participated in a "Freestyle" snowboard camp. In the photo below, Connor is lining up for his run at a rail in the Terrain Park.

Nancy hit the slopes and was showing much improvement by the weeks end.

The view from the top of Chair 4 is fantastic in all directions. The photo above is the view looking up Turnigan Arm towards Anchorage. The photo below is a view of the Upper Mountain Lodge with Chair 6 riders heading to the top.

Once you get to the top there are few easy choices. It is always nice to see a "Warning Sign" associated with the run selection directory. After 3 days of skiing there were no bad choices.

Everyone had a good time and look forward to returning as often as we can.

Iditarod Weekend

Spring break in Alaska also means Iditarod Season. This past weekend was the official start of Iditarod 37. We took the opportunity to view the festivities both downtown Anchorage and the official start in Willow, Alaska (90 miles north of Anchorage). The weather both days was beautiful with some sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid-20's.

Saturday there was a ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage. This gives everyone an opportunity to see the teams and partake in the excitement. Some photos from the downtown start:

Sunday marked the official start in Willow, Alaska. We met with a local photography group and went to get some shots of the official start. We had to walk about a mile to get to a spot that wasn't over-crowded. I think about half the population of Alaska showed up for the start.

Some photos of the official start. You will notice the lack of buildings in these. Enjoy.

It is an incredible feeling to be lying on the snow, camera ready and have a team of 16 dogs running directly at you. All yapping and having a ball running in the cold snow.

Fur Rondy

Leading up to the Iditarod, Anchorage has a huge festival downtown. Nancy and the boys enjoyed the festivities with some of our friends. Events included a Outhouse Race, a Snowmobile race, a Carnival, a Fur Auction and a Dog Sled Race. The weather was cold but that doesn't keep Alaskans from showing up in full force. Connor enjoyed the snowmobile race and the snowboarders. Spencer loved the rides and the ice slide.

An Alaskan tradition.

Spencer: Ready for the weather and coming down the ice slide.