the Niednagel family at Crow Creek Mine
Jonathan, Peter, John Mark and Ben heading out to bear hunt
husky pups at the Iditarod Museum
sledding in the few patches of snow that were left
hiking at Hatcher's Pass
paddle boat races at a friend's cabin in Big Lake
Stephanie, Annie, Benjamin and Daniel at the glacier
Luke's bear
The end of May and beginning of June was a fun filled busy time with guests, guests and more guests. After my cousin Beth left to go back to Seattle to prep for her deployment some friends of ours, the Niednagels, from Los Angeles came up for nine days to visit.
This trip originally started as three fathers and their oldest sons coming up for a week to bear hunt with Ben. We talked the Niednagel crew in to an entire family vacation though! Soooo, The Niednagels came for 9 days and crashed with us at our place. It worked perfect, the parents took our spare bedroom and their 5 awesome kiddos crashed up stairs in the youth room that is filled with 12+ couches. They loved it!
Jonathan (the dad) and his two oldest sons spent a good part of their time out in Willow bear hunting baits Ben set up weeks prior. Stephanie and I took the younger three kiddos and toured around the area hitting Matanuska Glacier, Sutton fossil mines, Hatchers sledding and hiking, and the Iditorod Museum. The bummer part for the Niednagels is they did not end up getting a bear but two other groups that came up did. We did sneak in some family trips one to Crow Creek Mine, one to the AK Wilderness Center out past Girdwood and a day out fishing.
Rick Holland another friend from LA and a Rick G. from Kansas both came with their sons as well during the same week (arriving and leaving at various times). Rick G., his son and Rick Holland's son Luke all got bears so they were pretty pumped! Ben and I also got to take Rick H. and Luke out on a successful King fishing trip the day they flew out. It was a whirlwind couple of weeks but we loved having time with everybody! Hopefully they will come again and soak up even more of AK!
