Ahhh! Alaska

We arrived in Anchorage on Friday afternoon and headed straight to the mountains in search of moose. Although we haven't spotted one yet (of course Grandma and Matt saw a family of them moments after we departed ways at lunch), we have not given up hope and the search for moose (as well as bear) will continue. Hours after arriving in Alaska, Grandpa and Calvin headed for the golf course and were not seen until later that evening. And the following day, they left again and rumor has it, they played 27 holes. That is why Ethan is my model for most of these pictures.

The mountain top in the background is flattop. We plan on hiking up that today after church.

This is a photo from Grandma and Pops backyard (this shot is taken a few miles down after a little bike ride with Ethan). They live right on the inlet and I have so many memories of playing here. There are now tons of houses where we used to explore, build fires and spend endless amounts of time hanging (boo!). Ethan is holding a crystal he purchased at the famous Saturday Swap meet held each week down town for all of the tourists. There were vendor after vendor of everything from gold nuggets for purchase to reindeer sausage (I tried Ruldoph and wasn't impressed)!
This is cousin Liz (Matt and Tiffanie's little girl). She is 5 and is actually lifting Ethan off the ground...One tough cookie. He has had a blast hanging with his cousins and is lucky enough to have one his age, Josh! Ethan says Josh is his best friend in Alaska. Josh says Ethan is his top 5 best friend in the world.
Here is Grandma posing under Flat top moments before Calvin accidently hit him in the arm with a rock. Boys...
My biggest thrill so far was watching my brother and sisnlaw, race. My brother was the one that got me into marathons (and coached me through my first race). He conquered the marathon years ago, with a PR of 2:38 and moved on to new challenges. It was biking that he took up next and is now one of Anchorage's top bikers. He holds every record in the area (except maybe one). Tiffanie, is also one of the top racers. Just a few weeks ago, she road in a century ride (100 miles) and came in first place, breaking the previous record.

So as you can see, I was so excited to see them in all of their biking glory (and quite "Cirque de Solei" type outfits). The race was hilly and a total challenge both Matt and Tiffanie had some tough competition. Matt and Neil pulled away from the pack early on gaining a 1:45 minute lead on the other expert riders. In the end, after an exciting photo finish (and the finish was located at the top of a very steep incline), Matt let the other guy have the glory (come on, Neil's girlfriend and mom were there).

Tiffanie too had a super race, keeping up with not only the top ladies, but many of the guys! She never looked tired and kept looking stronger. She powered up the last final crest of the hill and got an impressive 2nd place finish.

Love those outfits!

More Ak fun to come so stay tuned.