The Alaskan Spirit and Scouting

Seattle weather has found it's way to Alaska and we've been experiencing gray, drizzly days. I'm not complaining in the least. With the rest of the country in the middle of a heat wave, I'm thankful for the cool nights. The mountains by Turnagain Arm near Anchorage have been experiencing wildfires and are smelling pretty charred, so I'm sure the bus loads of firefighters are thankful for the rain too.

Night has been returning. Here's a picture of sunset at 11pm. I'm hoping that with the darkness moving back in, we'll be able to see the Aurora before we leave. Will keep you posted on that one! I can't believe we're almost halfway through our stay here!

Last weekend some friends were down on the Kenai Peninsula at their cabin, so we met them at a nearby fish camp and spent the day exploring. We went to Ninilchik and played at Clam Gulch. Fishing season is in full swing on the Kenai Peninsula and it's almost comical watching the fishermen lining the banks and practically standing on each others shoulders just to get a bite. The water is this amazing milky turquoise color from the glaciers. It's quite a sight.

Fish Camp Boats

Fish Camp

The Kenai River

Clam Gulch

 Rocks, when you first access the beach

Clam Gulch in the other direction

We've mostly been home planning what we want to do next while my husband works. Yesterday we decided to visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Let me just say this: If you plan to be in Alaska, definitely visit this place, and give yourself plenty of time to do it. The two hours we had just weren't enough. Here's a clip that will tell you more. Most of the year the center is closed to the public and only open once a week. During this time, native children come to the center to learn dances, languages, and everything else about their cultures. The Anchorage area boasts one of the most diverse populations in the world.

After we arrived, we headed to the presentation in the main hall. A native Alaskan woman was telling the audience about each of the cultures and answered questions. Then we were treated to several dances from the dance group. The singer told us the history about each of the dances, which really made them come alive. He said that when he was singing, he wasn’t actually saying words. He was chanting. The dances, themselves, told the stories. These are living cultures that are constantly evolving, but many of their traditions remain the same.

After that, we headed outside to the village replicas and made sure to stop to visit with the native artists who were selling their handmade creations. We bought an "Eskimo Yo-Yo" and later we were taught how to use it in one of the exhibits by a young man (that makes me sound old, doesn't it? ;-)). We were told that it can be used to catch birds if you are good enough.

Many of the clans use subterranean building methods because of the local climates. Each of the villages had actual items you might find, like seal oil lamps, canoes, and hand carvings. A native from each clan was also at the village sites and you could ask questions and touch things like furs and tools.

Inside the center you will find traditional clothing from each clan along with pictures and artwork. I can honestly say that this was one of the richest experiences we’ve had here in Alaska. I absolutely love how warm and family oriented the native cultures are. The center really goes all to give you a multi-sensory experience. Go , if you can. It's worth every penny.

Also this week, our oldest son and I visited our first Boy Scout troop of the trip. The local troop was very welcoming and they run their meetings similarly to how we run ours. The Scoutmaster introduced my son to a few other boys right away and they worked on fire safety while the rest of the parents and I chatted in the hallway. Everyone was very friendly and we had a great time. They also gifted my son a custom designed patch from each of the patrols so that he could show them to our troop back home. I was impressed by the leadership and hope to visit them again soon.

Hope you are all keeping cool!

- Jen

Sourdough and Birch- Eating Alaska

It's no secret that our family likes to plan trips around local foods and restaurants. What I really love about planning this way, aside from tasting, is getting to meet the crafters of these culinary delights. They're the people who pour their hearts into the cultivation of vegetables and fruit so they can harvest them at peak ripeness. They're the people who experiment with lesser known ingredients to create entirely new taste experiences. They're the people who use generations-old family recipes and share them with strangers. They're foragers, animal experts, and promotors of health and sustainability. In short, they're artists with a passion to educate and innovate, and they connect us to our food in a personal way that the supermarket never could.

So far we've visited the Wasilla, Willow, Palmer, and Kenai farmers markets and have met some of these amazing people. Did you know that 98% of Alaska's food is imported? That is a scary number and one that Alaskans are trying to change. So, as a temporary citizen, I plan to do my part to support the local market where I can. Fortunately we happen to be here during the prime growing season, which makes it easy. Here is a sampling of some of the local gems we've discovered so far.

Once we entered Alaska and began our tour of the northern part of the state, we started noticing signs for "Sourdough" this, and "Sourdough" that. I know what sourdough is, and happen to be a big fan, but this was a little over the top. When I asked a local what it was all about, she told me that prospectors during the gold rush became known as "Sourdoughs" because they would carry sourdough starter with them for bread making. It became so steeped in the culture that people started naming businesses after it and now it's everywhere. Of course, I had to try some now that I knew the significance, so I ordered sourdough hotcakes at a restaurant in Kenai. They were flatter than the buttermilk pancakes I'm used to, and crisp on the edges, but still very tender. The pancakes had a tart flavor that played nicely with the butter and sweet syrup. Now that I have a temporary library card, you can bet I'll be trying my hand at making these little beauties from scratch with the kids!  If you want to learn more, you can visit: Sourdough History 

Another item we noticed at tourist hot spots was birch syrup. I've had maple syrup (the REAL stuff) plenty of times, but this was new. Unfortunately, none of the places selling it had samples. You had to buy the whole bottle if you wanted to try it. Birch syrup is a bit spendy, so we put it off. That is, we put it off until we ran across the place where it's made in Talkeetna! At their main location, which is a small store on the side of the road, we were treated to a video that showed us the process of harvesting and making the syrup. Then we were brought to a counter where a whole spectrum of vials were displayed. In each vial was a sample of syrup that began with the syrup made at the beginning of the harvest to the end of it. They also had a few different years to choose from, like a wine maker might. The syrup from the beginning of the harvest was sweet and light, whereas the syrup from the end of the harvest was more on the sour end of the scale. We were told that the syrup from the end of the harvest was best for things like barbeque sauces and marinades.

The reason for the variations in taste and color is because of the variations in the levels of fructose, which are higher at the beginning of the run. You can learn all about birch syrup here: Kahiltna Gold Birch Syrup We bought a bottle of the syrup from the 2015 first run. It's the consistency of maple syrup (the real stuff) and resembles it in flavor, but has bitter notes and an earthiness you don't get in maple syrup. It makes a delicious ice cream and caramel. I highly recommend checking it out! Apparently it's also easier for diabetics to process.

These are birch collection buckets. You'll have to visit their site to see how it's done.

This is the equipment the syrup is processed in.

The tour guide put the syrup from the first run and the syrup from the last run next to each other so we could see the difference in color. These are all from the same year. The lighter syrup is the first run.

Last week I told you about the fireweed jelly from Jingle Jellies at the farmers market (she sells in both Wasilla and Willow). So far we've tried the fireweed, fir tip (which tastes like lemonade), and nasturtium (It's fruity and mild. Almost peach-like). I'm looking forward to trying all her out-of-the-ordinary flavors while we're here. 

We've also been checking out local small businesses, like Monica's Confection Connection in Wasilla. This store only opened a month ago. In it, you'll find delicious homemade fudges, marshmallows, brittles, lollipops, and gummy candies. My favorite was the Chocolate Caramel Nut fudge, which was like a Snickers Bar.

I know. I have a terrible sweet tooth....don't judge.  

At stores across Alaska, I've been seeing navy blue boxes with a white sailor on them called "Sailor Boy Pilot Bread Crackers". This isn't a brand I've seen in the "Lower 48", so I asked a local about them. I was surprised to learn that it's hardtack. You know, like the stuff pioneers used back during the wagon train days! Of course, I HAD to try it. So, I bought a box. They're about the size of a cookie and look like a Ritz Cracker without the salt. In my mind I had built up the idea that hardtack would be break-your-teeth hard, like in the descriptions from books. Not so! It's more like a dense, crisp cracker. Almost like a saltine without the salt, and lends itself to being topped with cheese or any other spread. The local I spoke to told me about Pilot Bread being a staple of her childhood, in a family with little means. "It's basically a filler." she told me. I'm glad I decided to try it. The kids also liked it, which means it will be easy to bring with us as we explore.

In Fairbanks we visited the Tanana Valley Farmers Market, which was pretty big compared to the markets around here in the Matanuska Valley (we have yet to visit the one in south Anchorage). We loved the art but a few things really caught our eye. One being teeny-tiny wild strawberries. They were fragrant and sweet. Apparently, people go out to forage and sell their findings at the market. I love this! Mostly because as a visitor, I don't have the knowledge, resources, or time the locals have to go out to find them myself. We also saw a booth for a mushroom forager. Chaga seems to be huge at the markets here in Alaska.

When we saw honeyberries (which we'd never seen before) being sold at a booth, we made sure to try them. They're like long, tart blueberries and have a sweet finish to them. Our daughter especially liked them. The vendor who sold them to us told us they make a wonderful sauce for meats when cooked down. You can learn more here: Honeyberries in Fairbanks

When I get a chance, I'll post a picture of one of the ice cream shacks we pass every day. In Washington, we have sheds that have been converted into drive-thru coffee shops everywhere (along with all the varieties of indie coffee shops and chains. What can I say? We love our coffee!). They have them up here also, but many of them are dedicated to ice cream instead. I've been told that Alaskans eat more ice cream, per capita, than anywhere else in the United States. I can neither confirm nor deny that claim, but it seems to be true from the amount of ice cream shops we've seen up here.

I know I've left a conspicuous hole where the Alaskan fishing industry is concerned. My husband and I are big fans of all seafood, to be sure. Where we are, though, we actually come across more advertisements for game meats than seafood, so that's where our focus has been. We'll leave that part of the Alaskan diet for another post when we visit a town where fish plays the starring role. Until then, I'll tell you that we've tried reindeer and buffalo sausages and hot dogs. 

No, we haven't eaten seal oil, moose, or bear. Mostly because we're not natives and those items haven't been offered to us. It's only legal to sell meats and products from animals that have been farm raised. This is a way of protecting the wildlife from poachers and overharvesting. Even though we are adventurous eaters, we fully support this law. Sustainability is the only responsible way to go.

One thing I will tell you about fishing in Alaska is that we drove down the peninsula to Soldotna and Kenai last weekend, where fishing season is in full swing. There were swarms of people lined up and down the rivers using large nets to catch fish (look up dipnetting). I'm sure plenty were tourists, but there were also a fair few locals trying to catch fish for their winter freezers. Life up here is pretty cold once those months arrive, so people try to stock their freezers as best as they can to prepare.

The views everywhere are gorgeous and people are so hospitable and creative. We're really enjoying our time here! Have a great week!

- Jen

Alaska Life

After pouring ourselves into planning for so long, and then two weeks of high activity and exploration, we now find ourselves in the inevitable adjustment period of settling into everyday life. We've reached that "Now what?" point. Back home we were used to a certain rhythm and our individual schedules. Now it's time to create a new rhythm and schedule- together. Fortunately, the setting couldn't be any more beautiful and the company more choice.

My husband has gone back to work, which means waking up for conference calls and finding a quiet spot in the house to work on his laptop all day. This is easier now that the kids are older and can entertain themselves, but I'm sure it's been weird for him. He's used to having a creative environment where he enjoys impromptu brainstorming sessions in the hallway and a dedicated space to do his thing. I'm sure he misses the face-to-face interaction even though he loves his family. We've been exploring our new surroundings in the meantime, and have visited the local library and community, reporting our findings back to him.

I'm pleased to say that our kids exceeded our expectations in the cramped car during our travels and have joined forces (for the most part). Where I expected griping and arguing, they've been laughing and creating new games together (mostly). We are discovering things about them that give us new insight to just how much they have grown. Our older two are even capable of rowing around the lake next to our current house all by themselves. It's a wondrous, and sometimes scary thing to jump into the unknown and do something new but it's the unexpected discoveries that make it all worth it. This is our oldest rowing me around the lake.

The house we're staying at is perfect for us and, as I said, located next to a lake. We can hear Loons calling to each other daily. It's a beautiful sound and we've discovered that we're hearing two parents and a baby. I never knew that they dove for food. It's kind of like watching submarines, as they only pop their heads out of the water for short periods of time between their dives. Even the baby watches them from the surface with it's head submerged.

We can also hear roosters and hens across the water, which I love. Every morning a float plane takes off from the lake. It's a thrill to hear the engines rev up and see it lift off the water. We look for it when it takes off around 7:30am and again when it returns around 6pm. How cool would it be to have the ability to fly to work every day?!

There's new plant life to explore and the weather has been beautiful and warm, which for us is around the 70's.

"Our" house is located the Matanuska Valley, near Anchorage, which is in the southern part of the state. Now I know that Alaska is big business on TV these days, but none of the high-adventure shows we've all been watching really talks about the history of Alaska. Most of us only know that it was purchased from Russia at some point and that it has snow, glaciers, gold, the Iditarod, and all kinds of dangerous animals. So in the past week, we've been trying to immerse ourselves in "the real Alaska" to get a better understanding of the local history and culture.

Did you know that the Matanuska Valley was heavily influenced by The Depression? Struggling Farmers were brought in from northern states with harsh climates as part of President Roosevelt's "New Deal ." These settlers faced serious obstacles, which you can learn more about here: http://www.explorenorth.com/alaska/matanuska_colony.html Today, the MatSu Valley is regarded as "The bread basket of Alaska." Of course, one of our first things to do when we visit someplace new is to find the farmers market, which is a perfect way to get a peek at some of these farmers and what they produce locally. The Wasilla Farmers Market takes place on Wednesdays, so that was the one we visited. It's a small market but the vendors are worth the drive! There were all kinds of things like hand carved art, farm fresh eggs, baked goods, fragrant lotions, organic vegetables, one-of-a-kind clothing, and so much more!

One of our favorite goodies was the Fireweed Jelly from Jingle Jellies. Fireweed is that fuchsia flower in the picture above. It's everywhere up here! It grows in Washington, but definitely not as abundantly as here in Alaska. The one we bought was full-bodied and not flowery at all. It was almost grapey and hinted of tomato. I'm not talking about marinara sauce here, I mean like when you first pick a ripe tomato off the vine and get that fragrant aroma in your nostrils. Like that. It's fantastic!  I'm seriously fighting the urge to try making some myself because there's just no way I can haul it around the country with me. Plus, I love being able to support local small businesses wherever we go. We're looking forward to seeing what Willow and Palmer have to offer at their markets.

This week our new math and science curriculums arrived (is it weird that I'm excited about that- because I totally am!) so I've been organizing those for when we officially begin our school year. Our oldest son began an adventure of his own and had his introductory flight lesson last weekend. They flew over Knick Glacier and my husband was able to be a passenger. Talk about thrilling!

We also drove past the tide surfers in Anchorage http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/08/surfing-alaskas-bore-tide/100787/ and visited Seward. I love small towns with a lot of character, and this is definitely one of them! Did you know that they are the mural capital of Alaska? It's a thing! We really enjoyed the SeaLife Center http://www.alaskasealife.org/ where we were able to see puffins swimming under the water and get up close and personal with them. The SeaLife Center rehabilitates Alaskan animals and then releases them (if possible) back to their natural habitats. Check them out!

I hope you are able to find the adventure in your own backyard wherever you are. It's out there! If you happen to take a picture, I'd love to see it!

- Jen

Out of the Wilds of Alaska

Did you miss me? Probably not if you follow any of my social media feeds. If you don't, please feel free to do so. I've been posting a picture a day to show the highlights of what we've up to (when we're on the grid, that is.) The links should be at the top right side of your screen.

We're now an hour behind Seattle and safely settled in to our Alaskan home for the next few months.

It feels like we've been riding the rapids since we left. Just when I was able to catch my breath, we were off again! Needless to say, blog writing took a back seat to exploration, and rightfully so. We've seen things we never expected and have been places we've only dreamed about. "Awesome" is the only word to describe it. The drive through Yukon Territory was especially amazing. Here are a few pictures of some of the sights we saw just driving the Alcan (Alaska-Canada Highway)- all taken by me. Please forgive the bug guts in some of the shots. It just wouldn't be a road trip without them...

Here's the mile marker from Dawson Creek I was hoping to get. My husband was sweet enough to indulge me.

This was the sunrise in Fort Nelson, BC at 4:00am. It was so amazing to see these colors in the sky. I swear this picture is completely untouched. Oh, and the sun never sets during this time of year in Fairbanks. Totally true!

My oldest spotted this solar halo over Destruction Bay, Yukon. It can only form when conditions are right in the atmosphere. http://earthsky.org/space/what-makes-a-halo-around-the-moon

All over B.C. you'll see these native Inuksuit monuments, which are symbols for "in the likeness of a human", which means that someone has been here and you are on the right path, according to a native person we spoke to and this website: http://www.inukshukgallery.com/inukshuk.html

We loved seeing wild animals in their natural habitat instead of a zoo. Here are some we were able to get pictures of:

Black Bear

Dall Sheep

Buffalo

A momma grizzly with her two cubs

 This is a close up of momma. Don't worry, we followed every safety precaution. They just happened to be walking next to the road.

Elk

Moose

These foxes were just out playing with each other on the road.

Snowshoe Hares

We also saw a few porcupines (which are about the size of a bulldog), deer, eagles, hawks, ground squirrels, a coyote, Sandhill cranes, bighorn sheep, ravens, seagulls, swans, Canadian geese, and more!

The scenery has been awe-inspiring. There's just no way it can be captured with a camera. We took a million pictures, and still, they just don't do justice to the majesty of the landscapes we experienced. The flowers in the first picture are fireweed. We have it in Washington but it's EVERYWHERE up here in Yukon and Alaska.

We learned things we didn't expect, like the Dalton Highway is actually pretty well maintained. In fact, there were even adventurous people riding their motorcycles and bicycles on it. We had to wait for pilot cars a few times when we hit maintenance crews.

We followed the Alaska Pipeline all the way to Prudhoe Bay and then took a shuttle to the Arctic Ocean. The Pipeline has posts to keep the permafrost under it frozen and it's built to move both up and down and from side to side in the event of an earthquake.

This is the camp we stayed at in Deadhorse. I love their logo...

Some of the other buildings in town. When we were there, we were told to watch out for the grizzly that was wandering close by. We also had to be quiet in our room because of the day sleepers. It was a great experience having a glimpse at what life is like up there for the workers- very communal. 

Pipelines in Deadhorse

The Arctic Ocean

The narrow strip we were able to walk to get to the ocean access from the oil fields.

I was surprised to learn that Arctic tundra is squishy and spongy. Also, trees in the arctic circle are skinny and sad looking because of the soil and the amount of time the sun is out for photosynthesis. http://tundralpine.weebly.com/soil.html

Mosquitos are insanely abundant in the arctic circle and the weather gets really warm. It was in the 70's when "crossed the line" and we were in sweatshirts in Deadhorse. No, we didn't see any polar bears or seals. They follow the ice pack, which happens to be further north right now. 

We also visited Wiseman and Chena Hot Springs. The renewable energy tour was amazing, especially the hydroponics and thermal energy use. Those people have some fantastic ideas which are being used right this very minute! Check it out at: http://www.chenapower.com/ I'd never been to hot springs before and was surprised at just how hot they were. The staff was excellent and I love how the campus creates almost zero waste. Amazing!

This is a glimpse of the springs. We took this right before visiting the Aurorium (where you can go during the colder months when "the lights are out.")

 The tomatoes and lettuce were perfect! What they don't use, they sell. What they don't sell, they donate to local communities. Fantastic!

I know I've given you an eye-full in this post but the adventure has just begun! Please send me your questions and I'll try to get them answered in a timely manner.

I hope you're all enjoying summer wherever you're reading this. Until next Friday!

- Jen