Alaskan Clucks: September 2014

Paddling Picnic spot

Summer came and went so quickly, we didn’t even get a chance to record the highlights. I’ll do my best at a brief recap. First, the Clarks win the award of being the first visitors to our new house! Last year you may recall the “Epic Summer” posts full of sunshine and blue sky…well, this summer the rain was back with a vengeance! But as usual, this didn’t dampen the Clark’s spirits and we still hiked, biked, and kayaked! Highlights included a picnic dinner (made by Charli) on a nearby island after an evening paddle, biking to Medvejie Lake, and a beach stroll at HPR Rec surrounded by the most vibrant rainbow and at least a dozen eagles. We were all mesmerized by the combination of the eagle activity and nature’s brilliant display of color! Hopefully the Clarks will return again soon!

Mary learning how to properly brown marshmallows from Smore Master, Amy

Next, we traveled to Coeur d' Alene, Idaho to cheer on my big bro completing his first Ironman. Ben and I thought it looked like a whole lot of fun while we watched the finish line…runners were coming in smiling, pumping their fists in the air in victory while the stands went wild with enthusiasm. Ben and I admitted that this actually looked fun, despite the insane distance. Thankfully, we decided to check out the other side of the finish line to meet my brother. There were no pumping of fists and definitely more groans, aches, and grimaces than smiles. It was a healthy does of reality for Ben and me. Ben still seems interested in the idea of a half Ironman, though, so nice job Ryan….you made it look pretty darn good!

Liesl loving those smores!

We spent the rest of the week relaxing at the rental house with lakefront property, and making sure to get in plenty of games of Water Wars on the lake with our nieces. Turns out, these girls are pretty tough, but since they have the Buck genes, it is not surprising that they are overly competitive. I always thought Mary was a little more on the reserved side, until I saw her full personality unleashed in Water Wars. She was the ringleader and willing to scream, shout, and fight with all her might. I must admit, she was intimidating to be up against. Thankfully we stuck together on the same team and dominated the waters. During one war, Megan joined our team and abandoned ship to swim over to the enemy raft in a mission to steal our squirt guns back. She was victorious in her impressive solo mission (we know where Mary gets it from), confirming that we were the dream team of Water Wars. That was, until Uncle Ryan had to come and throw a wrench in our world domination plans, anyway. But we don't need to go into those details. Apparently Lucy and Chiara in the enemy raft were a little too good at fiercely spraying me in the face with the lake water, because my good friend giardia came back to visit while I was on our next trip to visit the Clarks in Colorado. Fortunately, the Clarks were amazing as always, changing plans to accommodate my sickness and helping me recover! I still brought back great memories despite the “not so fun times.”

Sweet Pascal, starting preparation early for when he's old enough for Water Wars

Doesn't get any cuter than these cousins....

With that transition, our trip to Colorado is up next. We got in some family hiking, visited a new brewery, helped celebrate Abby’s birthday a little early, road tripped through southern and western Colorado, and ended up in Flagstaff for Zach and Jess’ wedding.

Ma and Pa Clark at Great Sand Dunes National Park

Hiking on the Sangrio de Cristo Trail

Grand Canyon

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The precipitous Black Canyon behind us

The Clarks tearing up the mountain bike trails in Telluride

We had a great time seeing the family and loved getting to see our nieces and nephews and all the changes in them since our last visit. Abby, Cade, and Molly are just too cute to handle. Example story: one morning Ben and I were woken up by Cade who came into our bedroom early in the morning saying, “You want to go with me to ride a bulldozer?” Bekah laughed and said, “That’s not what you were supposed to ask.” She whispered in Cade’s ear, and again, Cade asked us about wanting to join him in riding a bulldozer. It wasn’t until we actually arrived in BOULDER for a family hike, and Cade asked where the bulldozer was that it all made sense. Poor guy... turns out going for a ride to Boulder and taking a ride on a Bulldozer sounds very similar to a 3 year old. What a disappointment.

Chena and Otter

We ended our summer with a trip back to our old interior stomping grounds—Fairbanks! We stayed with Nellie and Pete and even splurged to bring Chena with us so she could hang out with her BFF, Otter. Although it wasn’t as sunny as we were hoping, we had a great time (how can you NOT have a fun time hanging out with Nellie and Pete?). Nellie and Pete were watching a friend’s dog as well, who we are sure is Chena’s Grampa. You’ll see in the pictures. Chena and Gramps were very similar to each other in looks as well as in mannerisms! Grampa dog was 11 years old and yet was able to hike the 15 miles Granite Tors hike with us, no problem! Good news, Chena has great genes!

One of the many tors on the Granite Tors hike

Chena and Gramps

Which dog is Chena?

I have included some other pictures of outdoor adventures in Sitka that we were able to squeeze in during the limited days of sunshine. When the sun shines here, the pictures are proof that the beauty is unbelievable!