Goodbye Top of the World - Hello….Down Under!

So great news, folks!  We don't have to change the name of our blog!

We are happy to report all of our paperwork, interviews, forms, more interviews and more paperwork have finally gone thru.  We got the go-ahead to move to Australia!  We are now awaiting visas, which still take a bit of time (but not as much time as applying for a medical license!) We don't have an exact date, but we know we will be there well before Sept. 5th.

With this news comes a goodbye to Barrow.  Alaska has served us well.  We only have great things to say about our experience here.  We've made great friends and were fortunate to be able to watch our little Amaury hit some pretty big baby milestones.  When we arrived, he was barely rolling over.  Now, we have a walking little toddler on our hands!

We will certainly miss the laid back life.  We will also miss our friends.  If you've been following our blog, you'll know how much we loved the Aurora Borealis.  (although it is over for the season).  We've experienced 24 hours of darkness and now 24 hours of daylight.  We lived through temperatures of as much as -40 degrees Fahrenheit.  We've seen the vast tundra and a frozen ocean.  We've also seen snowy owls, caribou, (bear and moose in the Alaskan interior).  We've seen the tallest peak in North America.  Jose's eaten muktuk (whale) and we've both enjoyed caribou.  We realized that being a small, remote town does not mean it is without diversity.  There are people from all over the world who now call Barrow home.  (Philipino, Thai, Tongan, Samoan, Southerners, West Coasters, Cuban, Mexican, Trinidadian, White, Black, and mixed).  And obviously the Iñupiats have been here for thousands of years!

The excitement of Australia hasn't sunk in just yet.  It's hard to imagine at this point.  But, we know we are looking forward to an active outdoor lifestyle.  We can't wait to be outside!

The next few days will be filled with as much as possible.  My friend Luke is flying up for the weekend to celebrate his birthday!  It will be a great way for us to make sure we get everything in before we leave on July 1st.

Yay!!!!

Denali National Park, the Parks Highway and Talkeetna

Our packing list included:

Food
Water
Binoculars
Sweatshirts
Bear Spray
Rifle


Why we left all of this in the car during our short 4 mile hike - I have no idea.

We drove 15 miles into Denali National Park to the end of where the public is allowed to drive.  There is a gorgeous river between 2 small hills with a lovely hike next to the river.  The clouds were low, with a cool mist in the air.  We certainly weren't prepared for the weather, but we bundled up as much as we could.  Amaury was snug on Jose in the moby (and soon fell asleep).  The trail was relatively flat, rocky and wet.  It certainly wasn't difficult, but we did need to watch where we stepped.  There were people at the trailhead, but once we got going, we were alone.  I was a little nervous, but Jose assured me he would be on strict bear watch.  (At this point, one would think - Hey, perhaps we should bring our bear spray!!!)

About 20 minutes into the hike, Jose turns around abruptly and whispers, "Baby, don't move."  My heart started racing as I looked up and saw the most gi-normous grizzly bear.  He was about half way up the hill - probably 500 yards or so.  I started waving my hands and yelling to scare him away.  If he was aggressive, he could have been down that mountain in 5 seconds.  We were stuck.  There is no way we could have out run this thing, especially with our baby in the wet conditions.  We were both scared shitless.  Then….

the bear walked up the mountain.

Whew!

He hid his head behind a tree (with his butt hanging out - like we couldn't see him.) Then he peaked out again to check us out.  I screamed some more before he walked up and away.

I managed to get a shaky picture of this bear. 

You can't see me!

Bear stopping one more time to check us out

  Once this guy disappeared, we continued on our hike, whistling, clapping and making a fool out of ourselves around every switchback.  There were more hikers behind us, so we felt safe with more of us on the the trail.

My favorite part of the hike was talking with the others about their experience hiking in Denali.
"We did a 9 mile hike and saw Dal Sheep!"
"We got caught in a snow squal!"
Jose - "We saw a freakin BEAR!"

Finishing up our hike

At the end of our hike, we spotted some caribou

Hey guys!

Don't mind us!

We passed by the visitor center just in time to see this guy:

The following day, we continued our journey on the Parks Highway towards Anchorage.  It was a gorgeous, clear sunny morning.  It's the kind of day you live for in Alaska.  The snow capped mountains sparkled in the blue sky.  Mt. McKinley soared above all the other peaks.  I think we stopped about 10 times in an hour to take it all in.  Below are about a dozen pictures of all the beauty!

Our last stop was a cute town called Talkeetna.  It's a hunting and trapper town that has turned into a hippie hangout and starting point to climb Mt. McKinley.  A great brewery, tons of shops and good food.  Just what we needed!

Trapper cabin circa early 1900's

Mt. McKinley view from the edge of Talkeetna

So, how cold is it? 

It's TOO COLD, mom!!

 

Driving the Denali Highway in the Alaskan Interior

We just got back from a wonderful holiday, a true road trip through the interior of Alaska.  I had read about the Denali Highway a few months back, and it piqued my interest.  An unpaved road of 133 miles through true Alaskan wilderness.  There were warnings - "No Services!" "Bring multiple spare tires!"  But not to worry, we made it without incident!

The Denali Highway connects the "town" of Paxson to Cantwell.  Here was our route:

Rental car companies won't let you drive their cars on the Denali Highway, so we rented a Jeep from a special company who caters to back road drivers.  GoNorth Alaska was who we went with.  We also rented a cooler, bear spray, and we purchased an older edition of The Milepost, an absolute must for road travel in Alaska!  (even if it's just to find out where the next long drop is!)

We started out in Fairbanks, making a not-so-quick-trip to Fred Meyer.  Fred Meyer likes to suck you in and keep you, kind of like IKEA.  So many choices, so many good prices!  Jose and I wandered while Amaury slept in the cart.  Ha!

By 3pm, our road trip commenced.  We started on the Richardson Highway, winding through valleys alongside rushing rivers.  Soon into our journey, we realized we needed to be on high moose alert.  There were moose around every corner, and mostly in the MIDDLE of the road!!  Our first day moose count was 5!

We arrived at our motel on Meiers Lake.  Not the most glamorous accommodations, but there was heat and a nice bed.  It was simply a stop for the night to begin our journey.

The next day, we got up bright and early to start the drive.  We filled the tank with gas and hit the highway.  About 2 miles in, we realize how deserted this part of the country is.  The landscape changed around every bend.  Sweeping tundra, glaciers between giant mountains and low hanging clouds covering jagged peaks.  Hundreds of glacier lakes speckled the rolling hills, allowing for wildlife to flourish.  As I was following our journey in the Milepost, we read this area was covered by ice as tall at the mountains 10,000 years ago.  The glacier lakes are the remains of that ice.

Jose walking quickly back to the car - it was COLD!
 

Soaring eagle!

Can you spot the moose? 

How about now? 

Last chance to spot the moose!

Ok - the internet is super slow here today.  I'm going to leave this post for now and continue our journey in a new posting.  Stay tuned for our Denali experience and the BEAR…….