Free Skating

So MWR had another free event skating, have tried to take Will before and it never turned out well. So did not have very high hopes for this event but was pleasantly surprised.

As you can see Will actually gave it a try and figured out that he liked it, the practicing in the street on his roller blades payed off.

Okay there where still falls but that is to be expected right?!?
Ahh... took me back to middle school and early high school ha ha.

After about 30 min this is where the boys ended up while I skated my butt off

Will and I wrapping up a great outing

Combat Challenge

So my neighbors roped me into doing the Combat Challenge which is a team event between the Army, Airforce and the Protestant Women of the Chapel (the bible study group) consisting of a two person Canoe team and three people rucking with 35lb ruck for a mile then doing a paintball target shoot.

Me, Kate and Alison pre race

the two PWOC teams

My canoe partner/ neighbor Ashley

look at me trying to be a powerhouse lol
only like three yards left to go stroke, stroke, stroke
after going to cheer on the ruckers walking back down the hill to the finishline with Kate B. and her girls

Since the boys where so good we rented a paddle boat and cruised around the lake
Better pic of us taken from another paddle boat

Will Swim lessons

That is the can I get in yet look

Quick family photo
Learning to dive

Potters Marsh

We where on the other end of town shopping and it looked like a thunder and lightning storm was rolling which is rare for here so Kate and I took the kids to watch the storm come in. The storm never materialized (like a side they are unusual here).

But the kids had a blast running on the board walks and looking at some of the different birds.

Steven running like a crazy kids with his tongue out

Sydney and Kaitlin just being silly
Kate chasing Steven my way

some of the marsh

the kids posing

On the way home we saw this pretty lady moose

Glacier Cruise

So MWR had a free Glacier Cruise for families of Deployed Soldiers so the boys and I jumped on it quick. Come to find out it would have cost us about $300 just for boys and I.

So we had to drive the 30 min down to the Whittier Tunnel which is the longest tunnel in North America kind cool once you get over the fact that you are inside of a huge mountian.

Yes, I was hanging my arm outside the truck window to take this and I took about 5 and this is the best one lol.
To start off our day we saw this great pair of bald eagles as soon as we got into Whittier

The boat we rode on for the tour

Doesn't get much better than this does it.

Yes his face is squashed up again the glass to see not much of anything yet.

This is one of 46 glaciers we saw during our trip, and yes the glacier ice really is that cool shade of blue it was so neatThe crew pulled some glacier ice out of the bay and let the kids check it out. Will is such a good big brother he showed it to Steven too.

When the glacier breaks and falls into the bay it is called "calving" it is something that the tour company can not predict and is rare to see we where lucky enought to see two different sections calve. It was pretty cool to hear the ice pop and then woosh the ice falls in a makes huge waves.

Will with his new friend "Buddy the Sea Otter"

Steven cuddling up with his sea otter (still unnamed lol)

During our tour we saw lots of Seals

Families of Sea Otter that are so much bigger than you can expect

And my personal HIGHLIGHT of the trip a pair of Humpbacks

One of which gave us a great tail shot

By the time we got done with the 4 hr tour that ended up being more like 5hr. And we waited to go back thru the Whittier Tunnel the kids where whooped. And after a short 15 min wait in line Steven bite the dust lol.

On the way home we passed this campsite that had this view that the photo below so does not do justice too.

So I have been seriously lacking in my post lately so lets catch up.......

Drive home from Denali

So driving home the best picture I got of Mt. McKinley was while driving probably not so smart but would you pass up this picture lol

At the north lookout point for McKinley
Will using the telescope to look at the mountian

At the south lookout point we would have gotten pics of the boys but this is what Steven was doing

Another view of the mountain

Kate and her girls