Cronk Family Visits Only Daughter for Summer Vacation
Dad and Liz came up for their second and their third visits this year. For their second visit, they brought the whole gang for nearly 10 days. For their third visit, Dad and Liz made a quick, long weekend trip and did a little bit of fishing.
While the kids were up, their time was packed full of fun things to do, and at the same time, the adults did a food tour of fried halibut and seafood chowder and had a visit to a local food truck event where Dad fell in love with Russian Pirozhki. There is a tie between Whittier and Seward for the best friend fish and chowder. The bonus of the chowder in Seward is that it comes in a bread bowl.
The adventure started with breakfast at the Lakefront Hotel where everyone was able to watch float planes take off and land from the world’s largest seaplane airport. The kids tried reindeer sausage for the first time and they were less than thrilled. This breakfast was followed up by a hike to Byron Glacier.
Sometime after that, we drove south on the Seward highway towards portage. The family hiked to see Byron Glacier and walk across it's snow packs. We then visited Whittier by driving the World War II-era tunnel through the mountain, skipped some rocks and saw some waterfalls. Skipping rocks appears to be a favorite past time of the boys' and Grayson says "yeet" instead of "throw" which really confused Shelby as they were walking the boardwalk.
For the BIG adventure, the family took a train trip from Anchorage to Seward: a 2.5 hour drive but a 4.5 hour train trip. Along the way everyone spotted wildlife, saw glaciers and waterfalls, ate food, and was in general amazement of the whole trip. This is a trip that Justin and Shelby have been meaning to do for a while and it was a pleasure to be able to do it with family. The train car had a glass top for the best views and the opportunity to walk out the back. Some of the landscape and views are only visible from the railroad. While this was something the two Alaskans had been wanting to do for a while, the boys were quickly tired out by the trip down and the adventures in Seward. On the way back, Shelby set up a point system for wildlife viewing that she was sure would make her win with her spotting a moose. Unfortunately, by the time the group reached Anchorage, she had most definitely lost. She also entertained the family, and potentially the whole train car, by giving Grayson access to her snapchat. He turned himself and dad into broccoli and no one could stop laughing.
Once we got to Seward, we visited the SeaLife Center, searched for a trail to the top of a waterfall and failed, got rained on, skipped some more rocks, and started doing some geocaching. Geocaching is a scavenger hunt based on geographic coordinates. Upon locating the correct location, the searchers find different camouflaged containers with a log of all other geocachers before them and occasionally small gifts. There are pictures of Shelby and the boys' geocaching adventures in the photo gallery.
One of the other big things the family wanted to do on their trip was to go camping. Justin and Shelby aren’t huge “campers” and that was made more than clear with Shelby’s failed attempt at a campfire breakfast. Shelby and Justin provided the tents, lawn chairs, and a few of the sleeping bags. The family drove down and met Justin after work in Hope, AK (an old gold mining town). At the very least, there was some mud sliding on the Hope river and great views from the Hope valley. The family got a chance to explore a road and valley that Shelby and Justin found only this year. The boys seemed to sleep incredibly well in their sleeping bags and tent, regardless of the long hours of daylight. They were a great help in getting breakfast going, even if it wasn't Shelby's best showing. They also helped to cut fire wood and build a fire. Thankfully, Justin has become incredibly talented at reading Alaskan weather and the family was finishing packing up the cars as the rain came in.
On a day trip, Shelby took Liz and the boys down to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, AK to take the gondola ride to the top of the mountain where 7 glaciers are visible. From there, they all hiked to the top of a snowpack and then back down again to enjoy some lunch. After their little jaunt on the mountain, the twins and Shelby continued their physical exertion by completing the Winner Creek trail hike and locating a geocache along the way. Surprisingly, the accomplished gymnasts required more breaks on the 4 mile walk than their 27-year-old sister. More photos of this good time are in the photo gallery.
Before leaving, the family enjoyed many slices of Moose’s Tooth Pizza and crepes, a pillow fight, and, for Liz and the boys, a beautiful 26 Glacier Cruise.
While the kids were up, their time was packed full of fun things to do, and at the same time, the adults did a food tour of fried halibut and seafood chowder and had a visit to a local food truck event where Dad fell in love with Russian Pirozhki. There is a tie between Whittier and Seward for the best friend fish and chowder. The bonus of the chowder in Seward is that it comes in a bread bowl.
The adventure started with breakfast at the Lakefront Hotel where everyone was able to watch float planes take off and land from the world’s largest seaplane airport. The kids tried reindeer sausage for the first time and they were less than thrilled. This breakfast was followed up by a hike to Byron Glacier.
Sometime after that, we drove south on the Seward highway towards portage. The family hiked to see Byron Glacier and walk across it's snow packs. We then visited Whittier by driving the World War II-era tunnel through the mountain, skipped some rocks and saw some waterfalls. Skipping rocks appears to be a favorite past time of the boys' and Grayson says "yeet" instead of "throw" which really confused Shelby as they were walking the boardwalk.
For the BIG adventure, the family took a train trip from Anchorage to Seward: a 2.5 hour drive but a 4.5 hour train trip. Along the way everyone spotted wildlife, saw glaciers and waterfalls, ate food, and was in general amazement of the whole trip. This is a trip that Justin and Shelby have been meaning to do for a while and it was a pleasure to be able to do it with family. The train car had a glass top for the best views and the opportunity to walk out the back. Some of the landscape and views are only visible from the railroad. While this was something the two Alaskans had been wanting to do for a while, the boys were quickly tired out by the trip down and the adventures in Seward. On the way back, Shelby set up a point system for wildlife viewing that she was sure would make her win with her spotting a moose. Unfortunately, by the time the group reached Anchorage, she had most definitely lost. She also entertained the family, and potentially the whole train car, by giving Grayson access to her snapchat. He turned himself and dad into broccoli and no one could stop laughing.
Once we got to Seward, we visited the SeaLife Center, searched for a trail to the top of a waterfall and failed, got rained on, skipped some more rocks, and started doing some geocaching. Geocaching is a scavenger hunt based on geographic coordinates. Upon locating the correct location, the searchers find different camouflaged containers with a log of all other geocachers before them and occasionally small gifts. There are pictures of Shelby and the boys' geocaching adventures in the photo gallery.
One of the other big things the family wanted to do on their trip was to go camping. Justin and Shelby aren’t huge “campers” and that was made more than clear with Shelby’s failed attempt at a campfire breakfast. Shelby and Justin provided the tents, lawn chairs, and a few of the sleeping bags. The family drove down and met Justin after work in Hope, AK (an old gold mining town). At the very least, there was some mud sliding on the Hope river and great views from the Hope valley. The family got a chance to explore a road and valley that Shelby and Justin found only this year. The boys seemed to sleep incredibly well in their sleeping bags and tent, regardless of the long hours of daylight. They were a great help in getting breakfast going, even if it wasn't Shelby's best showing. They also helped to cut fire wood and build a fire. Thankfully, Justin has become incredibly talented at reading Alaskan weather and the family was finishing packing up the cars as the rain came in.
On a day trip, Shelby took Liz and the boys down to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, AK to take the gondola ride to the top of the mountain where 7 glaciers are visible. From there, they all hiked to the top of a snowpack and then back down again to enjoy some lunch. After their little jaunt on the mountain, the twins and Shelby continued their physical exertion by completing the Winner Creek trail hike and locating a geocache along the way. Surprisingly, the accomplished gymnasts required more breaks on the 4 mile walk than their 27-year-old sister. More photos of this good time are in the photo gallery.
Before leaving, the family enjoyed many slices of Moose’s Tooth Pizza and crepes, a pillow fight, and, for Liz and the boys, a beautiful 26 Glacier Cruise.
Houseal Family Makes Alaska Vacations Tradition with Third Visit
In June, Dwight made his third trip to Alaska with his girlfriend Agnes. This was Agnes’s second visit.
After two lengthy visits already, we weren’t entirely sure what Dwight hadn’t already seen. He's been north and he's been south, and in Alaska, those are about the only two directions you can go. He has visited Homer and Seward on previous trips, he's driven north, he's visited Whitter and the Byron Glacier. He's seen the Exit Glacier and now the Thompson Glacier and in his words "a glacier is a glacier."
We started this trip off with a day trip to Seward where everyone enjoyed a bowl of seafood chowder, everyone but Agnes who isn’t a seafood fan. Later while Dwight examined the day’s catch and weigh in, Shelby and Justin watched a vocal spat between a land and a sea otter. Turns out, the two creatures don't get along and we spent some time wondering who would win in a fight. The sea otter was significantly larger than the land otter which makes sense considering sea otters come in at 45-90lbs, whereas land otters weigh only about 25lbs. Fun Fact: 90% of the world's sea otter population lives in Alaska.
Next, we took the two of them on a drive through Hatchers Pass, one of the only valleys visitors can actually drive through. Even in June, there were downhill skiers hiking to the top to ride down on the leftover snow. We took a nice, leisurely walk towards through the valley and visited with a couple out with their two dogs and their drone. Dwight took a serious interest in the drone while Shelby wandered off in search of the running water she had heard; everyone found and joined her soon enough. Dwight and Agnes were able to see both abandoned and functioning gold mines in the valley; visitors can do most anything they like, as long as they don't gold pan. Most of the mineral rights in Hatcher's Pass are spoken for.
Dwight and Agnes also drove north towards Denali National Park; along the way, they saw a summer caribou, a feat even we have not yet accomplished.
A new trip for all was a drive to McCarthy where the Kennecott Mines are located. This was a 2-hour detour on the road to Valdez, one of the few places Dwight had not yet seen. The road to Valdez is about 5-6 hours long, so tack on another 4 hour round trip to McCarthy and it turned into a 2-day trip.
When we mentioned we would "camp" overnight on the way to Valdez, we should have been clearer: we would set up tents in a roadside pull-off to sleep for the night. It wasn't exactly the camping trip any of us would have enjoyed, the bugs were monstrous and hellish in their pursuit of blood. We left as soon as we woke up.
The trip to and through Kennecott Mines was one Shelby has been wanting to make for years and it didn’t disappoint. After an attempt to walk the 4 miles up the mountain to the mines, we hitched a ride with one of the local workers. Unfortunately, due to COVID, all of the buildings are closed and being renovated, but there was still plenty to see. It is probably a good thing that Shelby doesn't mind reading and picks up every "visitor brochure" available, so she was able to give a mini tour full of information while the small town was explored. The Kennecott Mine was one of the nation’s most profitable copper mines in all of history. The 14-story concentration mill is still standing in all of its glory. The town has become a ghost town since its final train left in 1938.
To finish up the trip, the car made its way to the end of the road: Valdez, the northernmost ice-free harbor in North America. A quick drive around the water and over to the fish hatchery gave witness to Pink Salmon coming home to spawn and a few sightings of sea lions and seals. The car also did a drive through of the "old town" of Valdez that was wiped out by the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and corresponding tsunami. Any structures remaining were later burned, but small placards by the charcoaled remains indicate what each building was and it's fate.
After this trip, Dwight has officially seen more of Alaska than most Alaskans.
After two lengthy visits already, we weren’t entirely sure what Dwight hadn’t already seen. He's been north and he's been south, and in Alaska, those are about the only two directions you can go. He has visited Homer and Seward on previous trips, he's driven north, he's visited Whitter and the Byron Glacier. He's seen the Exit Glacier and now the Thompson Glacier and in his words "a glacier is a glacier."
We started this trip off with a day trip to Seward where everyone enjoyed a bowl of seafood chowder, everyone but Agnes who isn’t a seafood fan. Later while Dwight examined the day’s catch and weigh in, Shelby and Justin watched a vocal spat between a land and a sea otter. Turns out, the two creatures don't get along and we spent some time wondering who would win in a fight. The sea otter was significantly larger than the land otter which makes sense considering sea otters come in at 45-90lbs, whereas land otters weigh only about 25lbs. Fun Fact: 90% of the world's sea otter population lives in Alaska.
Next, we took the two of them on a drive through Hatchers Pass, one of the only valleys visitors can actually drive through. Even in June, there were downhill skiers hiking to the top to ride down on the leftover snow. We took a nice, leisurely walk towards through the valley and visited with a couple out with their two dogs and their drone. Dwight took a serious interest in the drone while Shelby wandered off in search of the running water she had heard; everyone found and joined her soon enough. Dwight and Agnes were able to see both abandoned and functioning gold mines in the valley; visitors can do most anything they like, as long as they don't gold pan. Most of the mineral rights in Hatcher's Pass are spoken for.
Dwight and Agnes also drove north towards Denali National Park; along the way, they saw a summer caribou, a feat even we have not yet accomplished.
A new trip for all was a drive to McCarthy where the Kennecott Mines are located. This was a 2-hour detour on the road to Valdez, one of the few places Dwight had not yet seen. The road to Valdez is about 5-6 hours long, so tack on another 4 hour round trip to McCarthy and it turned into a 2-day trip.
When we mentioned we would "camp" overnight on the way to Valdez, we should have been clearer: we would set up tents in a roadside pull-off to sleep for the night. It wasn't exactly the camping trip any of us would have enjoyed, the bugs were monstrous and hellish in their pursuit of blood. We left as soon as we woke up.
The trip to and through Kennecott Mines was one Shelby has been wanting to make for years and it didn’t disappoint. After an attempt to walk the 4 miles up the mountain to the mines, we hitched a ride with one of the local workers. Unfortunately, due to COVID, all of the buildings are closed and being renovated, but there was still plenty to see. It is probably a good thing that Shelby doesn't mind reading and picks up every "visitor brochure" available, so she was able to give a mini tour full of information while the small town was explored. The Kennecott Mine was one of the nation’s most profitable copper mines in all of history. The 14-story concentration mill is still standing in all of its glory. The town has become a ghost town since its final train left in 1938.
To finish up the trip, the car made its way to the end of the road: Valdez, the northernmost ice-free harbor in North America. A quick drive around the water and over to the fish hatchery gave witness to Pink Salmon coming home to spawn and a few sightings of sea lions and seals. The car also did a drive through of the "old town" of Valdez that was wiped out by the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and corresponding tsunami. Any structures remaining were later burned, but small placards by the charcoaled remains indicate what each building was and it's fate.
After this trip, Dwight has officially seen more of Alaska than most Alaskans.