Alaskan Grandparenting 101 & Minde's Great Adventure 2016: August 1

Welcome

Rambler’s Blog – Alaskan Grandparenting 101 & Minde's Great Adventure July 8 - August 31, 2016

A word about this blog…. It has been our goal in recent years’ lengthier travels to record for posterity a diary of travel stats, pictures, and personal reflections. So, when we can no longer indulge in trains, planes and automobiles we may relive fond memories. We have invited a few friends and family to ride along through this travel blog (a combo of blather and log), risking exposure to bad puns, spelling errors and sore feet complaints.

This is our first trip to Alaska as Grandparents. We sure hope we do it right! There are majestic mountains and valleys, mighty glaciers and roaring rivers but they pale in comparison with the power of baby Dean. He has filled our hearts to bursting with love and makes us speak gibberish. He is very patient with us and we're sure he thinks we're 'special' already.

Another first born, niece Minde from Buffalo, is joining us during our stay. She is celebrating high school graduation and taking a break before starting at Erie Community College in the fall. We have assured her parents, Wende and Pete, that we will take good care of her. She is already refusing to carry the bacon on hikes. Way smarter than us!

We will blog off and on. You are welcome to join us as you will. Glad to know you're out there!
Grandma and Grandpa Simons

* We may not have daily access to Internet so updates may be delayed, but once they appear they will be in sequence
* The blog includes pictures based on the day’s blog, sometimes delayed depending on schedule and access.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

August 1

Really? It’s August 1 already! Awoke to cool temps and light steady rain. Minde slept in this morning, more adjustment. We take our time and drive past the kids’ elementary school and our house to show her. Then we go over to Brenna’s and Dean is having a nap. Bren, Minde and Chuck put on hiking and rain gear and set out to climb Flat Top Mountain here in Anchorage. The most popular climb in the area at about 3500 feet. Pat packed a lunch for them to eat at the top. Minde is using her new back pack with camel water pack she got from Seth for her graduation. Pat is babysitter today. They got about 500 feet from the top but the wind and rain made the climb very difficult and somewhat dangerous. So they pulled out their flag to mark the end of the climb! As they left the parking lot Minde spotted a moose and baby. We’ve been here for 3 weeks and traveled all over and have seen none. She sees one in just less than 48 hours after her arrival! Back at Brenn’s we order Moose’s Tooth Pizza for dinner with fresh garden salad. Minde is very good with the baby, Dean likes it when she feeds him and smiles at him. Back at the apartment we start to pack up for the start of our RV trip tomorrow. Our landlord has new tenants coming in but we have lots of time to vacate. We will be returning to this apartment for the remainder of our stay. Minde will spend four more nights with us in Anchorage before she flies home. We just heard on the news there has been a huge mudslide over the wilderness road going back into Denali National park. The same route we will be taking while we are camped there. There has been record rainfall and the slide was a combination of very old volcanic ash that let loose. No one was killed and they were able to clear the road enough to rescue the stranded buses. We have decided we will only take the road to a point well before the slide even if they offer access. It still looks very unstable to us. Minde is very tired and into bed quickly. Big day tomorrow starting Day 1 of the RV trip. Night!