A Jam-Packed, Fabulous Weekend North to Visit Dad in Alaska!

We got back two weekends ago from a great trip visiting Dad in Alaska. We fit a lot in, but it was still relaxing and wonderful to spend so much time with Dad. Here's the whirlwind photo essay tour:

Friday - lunch at the Drunken Goat (is that right?) - a Kaladi owned restaurant in west anchorage. we had a great pizza with reindeer sausage on it. yum!

Friday afternoon Thor and I hit Flattop for a little leg stretch. it was SUPER windy. 

Tundra colors never get old. 

Getting out in the mountains close to town like this makes my heart ache. 

Thor is running in this picture because 'he felt like it' - I have NEVER heard Thor say he felt like running. crazy times. 

Did I mention it was windy?! check out the flag (and my hair!)

Headed back down to meet dad for dinner at Namaste Shambayla - a Tibetan restaurant near Lake Otis and Tudor. Yum!

Saturday = fishing in Seward! The weather reports were dire, but we ended up with PERFECT weather for fishing - we had a fantastic day!

I miss this scenary!

Thor with a rockfish. 

Happy sea lions in the background. 

The whole haul! We went with a guy named Jon on Inn and Out Charters out of Seward and he was the best guide we've ever been out with! Friendly, personable, and full of helpful tips. Highly recommended. 

Me and my halibut! We limited out on fish and came home with a nice cooler full to bring us through the fall. 

Sleepy, sleepy little mouse on the drive home from Seward after flailing the waters all day with rod and reel. 

Light on the mountains in Turnagain Pass. 

And rolling through the Portage area.

Sunday! After an early morning trip to Kaladis and a visit to Lighthouse Christian Fellowship with Dad for early service we hit the road to boogie down to Girdwood for breakfast. Extreme? You might ask this, but Thor had never had a Bake Shop breakfast!!! So the 45 minute drive seemed totally justified. 

Faithful Bake Shop fans will be happy to know that the interior layout and high quality food remains just as remembered! (Unlike the harbor bakery in Seward. Yuck! Don't waste your pretty pennies there). 

Smiling after acquiring coffee #2 of the day (and no, Thor still isn't drinking coffee. He's holding my decaf)

Devouring his first sourdough sweet roll with raisins. 

Oops. Thor was giving me his excited face for sourdough pancakes (amazing and as sour and thin as ever!) - but apparently I clicked the button too quickly. I think he liked them more than this!

After breakfast we headed up to Crows Pass to poke around a bit. Thor and I did a mini out and back on the Crows Pass trail, and even saw a black bear from a distance (which Dad spotted from the parking lot). 

On the way back to the highway we stopped and hiked the Winner (Winter? I can never remember) Creek trail with Dad down to the tram. 

This isn't a great picture, but you can kind of see the tram car going out over the river. It's about a 30' drop down to the water. We opted not to ride it because there were about 25 people waiting in line. 

Then back to Anchorage where we drove up to Stuckagain to check out the old house. Look at how the trees have grown up! you can barely see the house from the street. 

At the bottom of the driveway. 

From the street down by the Archeys. The red looks nice!

And here is dad's new house down off of Northern Lights. It's got a great layout and garage access from inside (a feature I appreciate WAAAAY more after living without it) - and it's a convenient walk up the street to Kaladis. Score!

Thanks Dad for being such a great, welcoming host for the weekend. We had a really good time visiting with you!