Spring Break Recap Video
A short video capturing the highlights from our 10-day trip over spring break to McCarthy and Valdez.
Category Archive: Uncategorized
0 Comments
Our Alaskan Spring Break Excursion
For the last decade, our typical spring break tradition has been heading out on the Iditarod trail to follow the race by plane. This year, we decided to switch it up and head… Continue reading
McCarthy Cabin Build-Settling In
In April, Woodsen’s dad, Wes, had signed a contract for a custom cabin and sauna to be built. Now it was August 13th, and his custom prebuilt cabin had been delivered to McCarthy… Continue reading
McCarthy Cabin Build-Delivery
McCarthy, Alaska, is a small town in Alaska, approximately six hours from Anchorage, and in the middle of the wilderness and the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park. While there’s a few restaurants and various… Continue reading
McCarthy Cabin Build-Design and Preparation
The first trip Woodsen and I took together in the Super Cub was out to Wrangell St Elias National Park. We flew directly to Ultima Thule Lodge, where Woodsen had worked for four… Continue reading
A Video Snapshot of our Summer 2025 Adventures
It’s mid-December, and although there’s no snow on the ground and much more wind than I prefer, my spot by the fire is cozy, and I’ve been enjoying working on my yearly photo-related… Continue reading
Keeping Kids Warm in Alaskan Winters
Our approach to keeping our kids warm has shifted significantly with our numerous opportunities for field testing over the years. Before reading my suggestions, please note that this is not a comprehensive comparison… Continue reading
Fall Hike to the Root Glacier
After a beautiful flight to McCarthy full of fall colors, I was excited to spend some time exploring the area from the ground. While Woodsen and I spent time exploring the area when… Continue reading
Fall flight to McCarthy
Over the years, we’ve enjoyed many trips to McCarthy; in fact, Woodsen and I’s first trip together in the Super Cub was to the McCarthy area. From what I can recall, our past… Continue reading
Day Trip to Ninilchik
If you’ve read a handful of my blogs, you might have noticed that we make quite a few trips on repeat every year. Visiting the Lemans at the beach in Ninilchik is one… Continue reading
Beach Time in Seldovia
Warm morning sunlight ushered in our last day in Seldovia. We savored it by the plane while kids gradually woke up and joined us outside. After the kids were fed, we headed to… Continue reading
Art, Berries, and Community in Seldovia
Our first day in Seldovia was nothing short of dreamy. The next day, we woke up, enjoyed yogurt with fresh-picked berries, and savored a mellow morning. A few hours later, the Barnetts picked… Continue reading
Camping in Seldovia
Shortly after our trip to Council, the kids came down with hand-foot-and-mouth disease so we spent a week or two at home. It felt like it took forever, but eventually their blisters faded… Continue reading
Heading North- Homeward Bond
After spending five days in Council, we packed up, headed to the airport, and said goodbye to our friends the Stangs. Eska fell asleep immediately after takeoff for what we hoped would be… Continue reading
Nome & Council Video
After a few days in Delta Junction, we continued North to Fairbanks, then on to Council, near Nome, Alaska. Enjoy a recap video with a few highlights from our trip.
Heading North- Fourth of July in Council
We had planned on spending the Fourth of July in Council, Alaska at the tail end of a ten-day trip that had started with a stop in Delta Junction. As we had been… Continue reading
Heading North- Around Council
Ten years ago, Woodsen and I took a trip to explore the Seward Peninsula, and the Stangs had offered their guest cabin in Council as a place to stay. While we were very… Continue reading
Heading North- Council and Lunch at the Ophir 15 Dredge
A day exploring around the historic Ophir river near Council
Heading North-A Day Exploring Fairbanks
We had started our time off in Fairbanks hanging out with our friends the Crabbs and watching firefighting planes scooping water at the nearby float pond. That evening my friend BJ happened to… Continue reading
Heading North-Camping in Fairbanks
We started the day in Delta Junction visiting friends, and by late morning, we had packed up, said our goodbyes, and headed to the airport. We planned on a short one-hour flight to… Continue reading
Delta Junction and Beyond Video
At the end of June, Woodsen had a chunk of time off, so we made a last-minute decision to head North. The first stop on our trip was Delta Junction, where we visited… Continue reading
Heading North- Delta Junction and Clearwater River
Our second day in Delta Junction proved to be hot by Alaskan standards. Temperatures were forecasted to be in the 70s, but the thermometer in the shade read 80°F. We had run into… Continue reading
Heading North— A Day Trip to Fielding Lake
We had arrived in Delta Junction the evening before and decided to go on a day trip to Fielding Lake for the day After packing gear and food and hitching up the boat,… Continue reading
Drift River Lupin- 2016
Since I just posted about our time in Drift River this year, I thought I’d share a blog post I found sitting in my drafts from Atlee’s first time at Drift River. The… Continue reading
Camping on the McArthur River Video
A video recap of our dreamy overnight trip to the McArthur River.
Solstice on the McArthur River
Summer in Alaska is short, and we feel the pressure to enjoy the warmth and daylight all summer, but there are a few days that we are especially intentional about being outside. One… Continue reading
Mccarthy and a Day Trip to The Fan Glacier
After two days camping and exploring Hinchinbrook and Kayak Island, we headed to McCarthy to spend time making the rounds visiting friends. Our friends let us stay in a small cabin on their… Continue reading
Hook Point & Kayak Island Video
Follow along as we head out for an Alaskan beach adventure exploring Hook Point, Kayak Island, and ending in Cordova, AK.
Hook Point to Kayak Island
Our airplane adventure had started the day before and brought us to Hook Point on Hinchinbrook Island. You can read more about that amazing day here. Clouds rolled in midday, so after debating… Continue reading
Camping on Hinchinbrook
Since Woodsen and I’s first anniversary, we’ve made it a tradition to set out on an adventure around our anniversary, June 10th. This year, Woodsen again got time off work, but on June… Continue reading
Early Summer Day Trip to Lake George Video
Join us as we head out to Lake George with my Sister and her family for a windy day, enjoying and exploring the glacier-filled lake.
Early Summer Day trip to Lake George
June 8th 2025 We love sharing airplane adventures with friends and it’s extra special when schedules, logistics and weather work out to fly our extended family out to share the experience with them.… Continue reading
Kodiak Adventure Video
At the end of May, we flew to Kodiak on Alaska Airlines and enjoyed four days of beautiful weather while exploring the island.
Kodiak- Pillar Mountain & Buskin River
We started off our second day in Kodiak with a drive to White Sands beach. The weather was overcast, but we anticipated sun the next day. We decided to check out the beach… Continue reading
Kodiak- Fossil Beach & Surfers Beach
Most of our adventures during the summer are last minute and determined by schedule and weather, which was exactly how our trip to Kodiak worked out. We had returned from Port Alsworth on… Continue reading
Sourdough Fly-In and Lake Clark Pass Video
For Memorial Day weekend, we made our annual pilgrimage to Port Allsworth to see friends and enjoy the Sourdough fly-in. On the way home, we had a mid-flight meltdown and decided to land… Continue reading
The Port Alsworth Sourdough Fly-In – part 2
After a fun Friday in Port Alsworth (you can read about it here) we settled in and camped by the plane. Saturday morning greeted us with sun, which made Eska’s 6:30 am wake… Continue reading
Valdez Adventure Video 2025
Every year, our first trip of the summer is flying to Valdez, Alaska, for their well-known fly-in and STOL competition. This year, we headed to Valdez a day early, and my friend Kate… Continue reading
A Video Recap of Our Unforgettable Day in Valdez, Alaska
In August 2024, we flew to Valdez for the day and enjoyed exploring the bay with our friends, the Fosters. Here’s a video recap of our unforgettable Alaskan adventure. Find the full blog… Continue reading
Exploring Valdez: A Family Day Trip in Alaska
Our annual pilgrimage to Valdez usually occurs in May when we enjoy the festivities and friends hosted by the Valdez Fly-in. In 2024, we skipped the Valdez fly-in and opted to spend time… Continue reading
Alaska to Oshkosh Teaser Video
At the beginning of the trip we found a song that everyone liked and the kids wanted to listen to over and over. It became a bit of a theme song to our… Continue reading
Yakutat to Petersburg-2
July 11th and day 2 of our big adventure. We woke to typical coastal weather (rain), ate breakfast, then since we didn’t want to repack the cake in the airplane we had cake… Continue reading
Finishing the Year on the Snowbird Glacier
Well, it’s the last day of 2016, and we know that 2017 is going to be a very different year for our family. In just a few weeks I will switch my work… Continue reading
A Mini Adventure
It’s been at least a month since we’ve gone on an adventure in the airplane. We’ve realized that schedules and naps really are important and trying to do anything with a cranky, sleep-deprived child really… Continue reading
Whale on the Way to Hope
Ever wondered what a humpback whale looks like up close? I hadn’t till we were driving the Hope road and we saw a whale on the beach. It isn’t every day you get to see a… Continue reading
Snapshot of the Arrigetch Peaks
Views of Xanadu and Arial Mountain from the Arrigetch Valley. More amazing photos to come from our trip to the Gates of the Arctic this summer!
Willow to Rohn- Iditarod 2016
March 6th – 7th 2016 Iditarod! When I first met Woodsen I had a list of goals for things to do in Alaska before I turned 30; visit Cordova, hike the Chilkoot trail,… Continue reading
Sweet Arrival
Woodsen & I are excited to announce that on Good Friday, March 25th, 2016 at 11:11 am we welcomed into the world the most beautiful little girl we have ever laid eyes on. She… Continue reading
Johnson Pass- First Ride of the Season!
Johnson Pass has been on the to-do list for a while. We’ve heard it’s a great trail but has a tendency to get a bit overgrown in the summer. We both hate fighting devils… Continue reading