King River ATV

June 28, 2009

Zach and I met Dustin, Cecile and their two kids Ian and Lucas early Sunday to head out to King River to go ATVing.  The forecast was for partly cloudy with a chance of thunder storms.  

I've past the King River trail pull out numerous times on the drive North.  I always wondered why there were people with ATV's camping along the river.  Well, today we had a chance to explore some of the trails heading up along the King River valley.  The above picture shows where the clear King River and the silty Matanuska River meet.

The trek up to King River is an easy hour and a half drive north of Anchorage.  We got to the parking lot around 11, unloaded the vehicles and headed for the hills.

Our first stop was a medium sized pond about three miles back.  The trail to this point is pretty mild.  The boys were anxious to throw rocks in the pond, and were eagerly looking for frogs (no amphibians in Alaska).  It started raining at this stop, so we got out our rain gear and then decided to keep exploring for a while.

From the lily pond the trail got a bit more wild.  The trail was a variety of steep rocky sections mixed with challenging mud holes.  I would definitely call the trail  "VDL" (vehicle damage likely).  Zach had fun running through the big mud puddles on the back of the ATV.  The above puddle was small compared to the many we encountered that day.  This trail is a lot more challenging and fun than the ride back to Eklutna Glacier.  

Dustin and his crew were having a lot of fun in their Rhino.  The Rhino is a good compromise between a 4-wheeler and a Jeep.  While his rig wasn't nearly as maneuverable as my 4-wheeler, it kept up pretty well, and has the advantage of taking his whole family along.

We had a lunch stop at a lake above the tree line about 9.8 miles back.  Renee had packed Zach and I a nice lunch.  The weather started looking iffy at this point and Dustin was not sure how much fuel he had, so we decided that this would be our turn around point.  It started raining pretty good after we finished our sandwiches, further reinforcing our decision to head back after lunch.  

Somehow the trail seemed different on the way back.  I easily rode through this puddle earlier, but ended up getting stuck in it on the way back.  I got to use my winch to get out of this otherwise sticky situation.  I am glad that I re-wrapped my winch with the longer cable for the ride.  Before we headed out I changed out the 4' of winch cable I use for my  snowplow for the 50' that is used for winching out of sticky situations.  While the 4' is handy to lift the plow up and down, it would have done little to help me out of this puddle.  Luckily, this was the only real challenge I had on the way back.  We got through the rest of it fairly easy.

Zach was quickly getting covered from head to toe with mud, but he was having a blast.  His seat worked out extremely well, even on this challenging trail.

Mud or Rock??  We were faced with several decisions on the way back as we tried to retrace our steps back to the car.  This stretch of mud looked fairly easy, but we remembered that on the other end there were some pretty sizable boulders we had to get across.  We went up the hill instead and around the real tough stuff.  Despite taking the easy way, the trail was steep and rocky enough that we had Cecile walk the boys around this section.

The boys didn't mind walking around on the trail for a few minutes.  The trails were steep enough however that it was a bit difficult to walk up.  Luckily the hard stuff wasn't too long.  This was the last of the tricky part of the trail and it was easy riding from here to the car.

It was a great day of exploring King River.  I really enjoy going somewhere I previously had not been.  The trail was really cool and I hope to get back here with Dustin before summers end.  Zach had a really good time as well.  King River trail proved to be an excellent activity for a Sunday afternoon.

50th Statehood Celebration

June 27, 2009
Guest blogger: Renee

Happy Anniversary Alaska! 2009 is the big 50th anniversary of Alaska's statehood. Alaskan's are quite proud of their state, so we celebrated such an exciting event in style! The Alaska Statehood Celebration and Hero Games downtown on Fourth Avenue was part of the main celebration. We started off the day watching the hero games. The Hero Games is a friendly competition between the police, troopers, each military branch and fire department with entertaining and challenging games such as the obstacle course, a “rescue the cat” climb, a bucket brigade and tricycle races.

We stopped to take a "ride" on the pack moose.

Zach enjoyed the stages with events that lined the street. The Mickey Mouse show kept him entertained while we waited in line for the free face painting.

Zach was the best looking Spiderman around! He sure does love to have his face painted.

We were walking around when a woman approached us to ask if she and her husband could take pictures of us for the 50th Anniversary picture "time capsule". They had a professional camera "studio" set-up under a local tree. Sure.....very fun. You can see us at http://www.atalaska.com/statehood/ We are on the front page.

In addition to the antique car show in front of the historic 4th Avenue theater, the festival included three stages, the G Street Artists Fair, outdoor cafes and sidewalk sales, kids area with 1950’s science fun with the Imaginarium, a street dance, skateboard demonstrations - and one block over the weekend market! So many thing to see and the weather was flawless!

We walked to the market which is full of Alaska crafts and food vendors. We located our favorite stand - the keddle corn! We sat on a bench in the middle of the activity and had fun people watching while munching on our big bag of popcorn.

Sam loves popcorn! He wants to do everything that Zach does!

Clamming Weekend

June 22 - 23, 2009
Guest blogger: Renee


It is clamming time!! We went two year ago with my co-worker, Charlie and his son, and had a great time. As we had eaten up all the clams from that trip, it was time to head out again and start digging. This clam tide (the water goes way out) happened to be on a Tuesday. We took a couple of days off from work and headed down on Monday. The weekdays are a good time to go as it wasn't too crowded.

Two years ago we camped across the main highway at a public rest area. It was a nice spot, but since 4-wheelers can't be on the road, we had to load them on a trailer, drive them to the beach and unload them. This time we were hoping for a spot right on the beach. We were bummed to see the "Campground Full" sign at the public campground. We checked the private camp ground down the road, it too was full. Doug went back to the State (public) campground and talked to the campground host, a crusty and rough around the edges older man. He was super nice and told us to park in the spot prior to the official campground in the "over flow". $10 for the night, a good deal. The best part, we are 40 feet from the beach.

We got the camper all situated with the "buzz" of Zach in our ear wanting to ride his 4-wheeler on the beach. It was a great place for him to ride. We took a long walk to a small creek - lots of eagles and beautiful cliffs to look at.

Zach is really getting good on his 4-wheeler. He understands to look ahead and has good control over where he wants to go and his speed. He has a great time with the 4-wheeler but doesn't feel the need to ride it all the time. Doug laughs; he says if had one of these as a kid he would have requested dinner be served while he sat on it and that he probably would have taken it to bed with him.

Sam's favorite place to ride is the backpack. We think he enjoys being up high and seeing what we see. He is very content and happy when riding there.

Dinner time! Alfredo noodles with sausage; Laurie had made this last weekend in Portage and we really liked it. I have gotten smart on our camping trips and make all the meals at home. Leave the mess to the dishwasher! We get to location and dinner is heat and eat!

We were up fairly early as the clamming tide was to begin at 9 am. We were ready!

For clamming, you are looking for a little "dimple" in the shape and size of a quarter in the sand. Doug uses a clam gun which he pushes into the sand over the dimple. A suction is created by placing a finger over the air hole on the top of the gun. A sand core is then pulled out, and hopefully there is a nice big clam too!

A big clam? Not much eating on this one! We were too impatient in our search. We needed to wait about 30 minutes when the dimples from the large clams started showing. Throw this one back!

Now that one is a keeper! It was Zach's job to pick up the clam and take it to our bucket. He wasn't too sure about the first few, but after that was excited about picking them up. He kept letting everyone on the beach know about our good clam grounds as he screamed "we got one". Notice in the picture Zach's gloves. The Easter bunny (Grandma Rubendall) brought these kids garden gloves for him. Zach calls them his 4-wheeler gloves. It is cute to see him riding his 4-wheeler with little gloves that have smiling vegetables on them! Next time we willl bring Zach gloves that are water proof; his fingers started to get cold once they were wet.

Sam and I were on "dimple" patrol. We would find the big ones and Doug would go in for the clam!

We dug up 40 or so clams. They are large and will make 3-4 pots of clam chowder. It is fun to get them, but as we learned last time, they all need to be cleaned before use. 40 is about all I was wanting to process.

Doug and the clam gun! Charlie gave Doug a hard time about using the clam gun 2 years ago. "All you need is a good clam shovel" Charlie said. Then he saw us popping them out of the ground without digging and reaching in a hole to try to grab a clam that is digging deep in the sand. Funny, we noticed Charlie had one this year - we made sure to give him a hard time.

It was a breezy, sunny, blue bird day and we were fortunate to have had a kite in the camper. Zach got the kite up and let out all the string. He did a great job controlling it. While he flew his kite, Doug and I got his 4-wheeler back into the camper.

Yes, back into the camper......I guess we actually have a toy hauler! Doug also had his 4-wheeler which was in the back of the truck. By taking the wheels off Zach's and tipping it sideways just right, we are able to get it through the camper door. Boys and their toys, I am out numbered!

After saying good-bye to Charlie and getting a chocolate bar from Charlie's wife, Louisa, we were off. It had been a wonderful and fun couple of days. Zach was asleep in the car before we got too far down the road. Off to home to clean the clams and get ready for work tomorrow.....at least it is a short week as tomorrow is Wednesday!

Bouncin' Sam

June 20, 2009
Guest blogger: Renee


Zach and Sam got invited to Raleigh's birthday party. Raleigh is a friend of Zach's from Camai, he and his family also go to our church. The party was at their house and they had rented a large bouncy castle. The kids all ate chicken nuggets and party food, jumped, enjoyed the Sponge Bob pinata before having cake. While the kids were in the back yard with the pinata, Sam and I sneaked a few minutes in the bouncy castle. From the big smile on his face you can tell he is having a good time!

Rocket Fun

June 18, 2009
Guest blogger: Renee


One of Doug's co-workers gave Zach a rocket blaster. The rockets go on the end of a long tube and are lauched by air when you step/jump on the foot peddle. Many hours of fun launching it from the back patio. It is amazing how far Zach and Doug can get it to go!

Z-man at the Dentist

June 17, 2009
Guest blogger: Renee

It was time for the Huntman's to head to the dentist for our 6 month check-ups. This was Zach's second time to the dentist. He was so excited to go there, we think it has something to do with a cool new Power Ranger toothbrush and the opportunity to select a toy from the toy chest. Doug, Zach and I were all due, so I made us all appointments on the same day. Doug was going to collect Zach from school for his appointment and I would then pick up Zach to take him back to school while Doug had his appointment. I would then return for mine. I was surprised to show up to find Zach in one room and Doug in the other. They were able to accomodate both at one time which worked out really well. Zach was grinning ear to ear and chatting away to the pretty hygienist who had cleaned his teeth. We are well known at the dentist after Doug showed up with nasty fake teeth from Halloween at an appointment a year ago. The dentist had come to check Doug and said he noticed Doug's lip moving ackwardly. Doug flashed a big smile and made the dentist and assistant jump. I can only wonder what they thought when 3 Huntman's were scheduled for one day.

Zach tries Gum

June 15, 2009
Guest blogger: Renee


Zach was given a plastic watch and spin top at birthday parties that contained gum. We had never let him have the gum figuring that he would just swallow it. The day had come, the gum question came up again so we figured it was time to give it a try. Doug and Zach laid out the gum on the counter and put several of the small pieces into their mouths. Zach didn't understand that he should chew all the little pieces into one larger piece. He got that figured out and was happily chewing away. About 5 minutes later I turned around and asked where the gum was. Yep, you guessed it, he had swallowed it. He said it just "slid down"! I think we will wait a while before trying that again. Besides I don't really need gum in the carpet, kid's hair or car.

Tunnel Walk

June 14, 2009
Guest blogger: Renee


The Whittier tunnel has a facinating history which can be read at http://www.dot.state.ak.us/creg/whittiertunnel/history.shtml. When I first moved up to Alaska in 1998 the only way to Whittier in the tunnel was by train. My Dad and I went to Whittier on one cold, VERY snowy winter day to see what was there. There wasn't much. The library was closed as the librarian had a medical issue, so Dad and I sat for about 8 hours in the local cafe. Not a real adventure in the scheme of all the things we have done, but a great bonding time, an adventure that Dad and I still talk about. The tunnel has changed in the past years when the tunnel was modified to accommodate vehicles. There is a schedule that keeps the train and one way at a time vehicle traffic in order. We met at 2 pm for the big walk. We had our hard hats on and were ready to venture inside!

We met up with Kevin, Andrea and their two kids at the entrance. Kevin and Doug worked together at Channel 11 years ago, we had just seen them at the party at our house. It was fun to have them to chat with.

The entrance is close. Zach was so excited.

Near the tunnel entrance was a tunnel police officer, fire fighter and tunnel fire truck! We made a quick detour to check it out and get a picture.

We heard there were 400+ people who showed up for the walk, a good turn out.

Zach enjoyed skipping along and finding all the puddles from the water coming out of the rocks.

Looking all stylish in my hard hat!

Zach will sleep well tonight! 2 1/2 miles is a long way when you have short little legs!

The end is near!! On the other side was a bus waiting to drive us the rest of the way into Whittier. Many people walked the 2-3 miles into town. It was a beautiful day and we would have probably walked, but the kids were happy so we decided to not try our luck with wearing Zach out before we even got to town.

Once in town we found the pavilion by the water, had a snack, looked at the shops, walked the docks and looked at the boats and then headed back to meet the bus that would take us back to Portage and our parking lot. This is where things got interesting. We had been told to meet the bus at 5:30 pm to catch the tunnel at 6 pm. Other people had been told 5 pm or 5:15 pm. We were on one of the last buses, which wouldn't have been a problem, but it was a beautiful weekend and there were LOTS of cars, boats, campers trying to leave Whittier at the same time. The tunnel didn't let our bus go through the tunnel, we had to wait a hour on the bus for the next tunnel opening. As we sat there, we saw the tunnel sign flash "train approaching". A slow moving freight train can take 45 minutes to pass via the tunnel and then they have to "clear the air" for 15 minutes. I was beginning to wonder how long Zach and Sam would sit quietly on the bus. The train was quick and I was ready to go. Then a bus on the other side of the tunnel radioed our driver to say the passenger train was coming!! We waited for that one, and then all the traffic from the other side....and then finally, after a 90 minute wait, we were allowed to go. The kids did great. Doug had gotten the rest of our snacks and water from the storage under the bus and we metered out animal crackers until we got back to our truck.