This is the Schmidt Family in Alaska, Signing Off!

.....Well, not signing off completely. We still have year to go, after all! This is just our last blog post coming to you from the great state of Alaska. This time next week we'll be somewhere in central Canada heading to our next destination (cowboy country!). If we have internet access I'll try to post a little update to let you know we're all alive and well and made it back down the Alcan.

Leaving Alaska will be bittersweet for us. On one hand, we're ready to explore a new region and discover new things. On the other hand, we love Alaska. It's beautiful, the people are kind, and there's no shortage of things to learn about. I'm sure we could be here for the next ten years and still not satisfy our curiosity! For now we're happy to have had this experience and to have gained a better understanding of "the real Alaska." As we prepare to leave, my youngest son and I are scheduled to camp out this weekend with a local Cub Scout pack. It's a great way to spend my birthday and complete this leg of the trip, I think.

As of Wednesday, school has officially started for the Schmidt kids. It's an adjustment for them, as the older two have been in the public school system their whole lives. It's been hard to see the pictures of their friends in line for the bus, knowing the timetable of how the school works and what everyone is probably doing at any given time. There's a feeling of "missing out" even while their friends are cheering them on and are telling them that they wish they were on this adventure too. We went through this last year when our youngest was homeschooled for the first time. It takes time to "deschool" but we'll all find our new learning rhythm eventually. They're all motivated to stay on top of their basic studies (math and languages), so that has made the transition easier so far. Most of what they'll be learning for science, history, geography, etc. will come naturally over our travels. We've been discussing what else they'd like to study this year. So far I have two votes for Spanish and one for French, and the older two want to learn about computer animation, which is all possible with our flexible schedule.

As for our explorations, last weekend we drove down the Kenai Peninsula to Homer and drove through Anchor Point, which is the westernmost point on the U.S. roads system. There are other roads in the western parts of Alaska but you have to fly or sail to get to them first. So that makes two checks on our "Must Visit Places" list-The northernmost and westernmost points. Hooray!

Here are some fun facts you might enjoy. Alaska is the most extreme state because:

1. It's the northernmost, westernmost and easternmost state because the last few islands in the Aleutian chain cross the International Date Line.
2. It boasts the highest elevation point- Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley) at 20,320 feet.
3. The top ten tallest mountains in the U.S. are located here.
4. It's home to the most remote location in the U.S., Ipnavik River, which is located 120 miles from the nearest sign of civilization.
5. Alaska is home to the largest number of volcanoes in the U.S.
6. The biggest earthquake recorded in North America was the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 at a whopping magnitude 9.2 for four minutes. You can still see the effects of it today! It liquefied land, petrifying trees. They actually stand in the same place today where they stood then, like sticks in the ground.
7. The coldest winters have been recorded in Alaska because of it's proximity to the North Pole.
8. Alaska is home to the most glaciers in the inhabited world.
9. Alaska is the largest state.
10. Alaska has more coastline that any other state.

Pretty amazing, right?! Here's a glacial view from Homer that's also amazing.

When we arrived in Homer, we had a wonderful view of the Spit. It was smaller than I thought it would be, but then again I'd never seen a spit before so I don't know what I was expecting. You can find the definition of a spit here. This particular one is large enough that boardwalks have been built on it and you can visit stores and restaurants. There are even apartments at the end, although I don't know if I'd want to live there in the event of a Tsunami.... Regardless, the view of Kachemak Bay is fantastic!

This is a view of the spit. See that little line snaking out in the middle of the water?

Here's a view of some of the buildings on the spit as seen from the tide pools during low tide.

You access the majority of the buildings via boardwalk.

We made sure to stop and pay our respects at the Seafarer's Memorial.

If you're a fan of the show "Deadliest Catch," then you'll recognize the boat "Saga." It was docked at the marina while we were there. Elliot Neese, former captain, is from Homer.

Another TV family from Homer that you might recognize are the Kilcher's from "Alaska: The Last Frontier." Their daughter is singer, Jewel. We drove by their homestead too.

The view of Kachemak Bay and the glaciers over it are glorious! There's no guesswork why the homesteaders who settled there chose to stay!

We loved the drive and made sure to stop by Two Sisters Bakery for breakfast. Believe me, it was worth every calorie!

We had lunch at "Little Mermaid", a small mermaid-themed restaurant with delicious local fare. I had the beet salad and the kids loved their pizza. My husband ordered tuna poke and finished every bite. The Alaskan food scene is pretty fantastic if you know where to look. If you're ever in the 49th State, be sure to consult Edible Alaska.

And now our final blog farewell to Alaska: It was our privilege to share some time with you. Thank you for your generous hospitality and big personality! We'll never forget it.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week, or two if you don't hear from me before we get to our next destination!

- Jen

Chasing the Northern Lights

We all have things we'd absolutely love to do one day. Some people call it their "bucket list." The number one item on mine has always been to see the Aurora Borealis in person. Catching a glimpse of the lights on Mothers Day at the Hood Canal was a huge thrill but I still had hopes of being able to see them here in Alaska despite the long days of summer.

Since the Alaskan nights are dark again, we've been monitoring the website of the Geophysical Institute for the University of Alaska at Fairbanks to find out the best time to view the Aurora. They have a map with a scale that shows the likelihood of an Aurora appearance on any given night. We learned that our best chance of seeing the lights near Anchorage would be on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. After checking the weather forecast, it was confirmed that these nights would indeed be clear. All was in place and we were ready!

Sadly, Tuesday night was a dud. We had set our alarm to wake up around 3am (which is when they were most likely to be visible) but all we saw was a blurry shape in the sky that looked like a vague cloud. It was probably the Aurora, but it wasn't clear enough to discern. Since only a few weeks remain before we leave, we weren't about to give up our quest.

I was pointed to a Facebook group that sends notifications when the Aurora is visible and began monitoring it. Posts started pouring in Wednesday night, and according to the spotters, we were in for a treat right after sunset! I woke up the whole family and we headed out to the balcony to watch the show together. It was cold but we hardly noticed because the lights were glorious! They danced and faded in and out like wisps of colored smoke. I can't even begin to tell you what a wonderful thing it was to share this experience with our children. We were all thrilled! After I figured out the settings on my camera (I'm no pro) we were able to take these pictures.

The neighbors across the lake keep their lights on all night, so that's what you're seeing at the bottom.

These pictures show the lights as green, but we also saw some with pink and blue in them.

Our kids had a great time spotting the different ribbons. The show lasted for about an hour, but we stayed out longer "just in case". The locals tell me that when it's very quiet outside, you can hear them sing. They make sounds! This person actually recorded it. What do you think?

Saturday we visited the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer. It was a beautiful day and we were glad to have gone to the fair when it opened, because the traffic heading there was crazy! The Musk Ox Farm, itself, is nearby and was very easy to get to once we were past the fairgrounds. It's a real farm with other farms next to it. It has pastures and gated areas to separate the herd. We took a tour and our guide was a wealth of information. He explained the history of musk oxen and how the farm is currently working to domesticate their herd. He also told us that Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek, has been a tireless supporter of the farm and has been honored with the title "Herd Godfather." Then he took us out to the fields. 

We avoided a certain pasture because one of the bucks was growling at us (protecting his ladies...). I had no idea musk oxen could growl! They also compete with each other for top billing in the herd and butt heads. Their skulls and horns are specifically designed to withstand the force, which is pretty significant. When they feel threatened, the males will circle up around the females and babies to protect them. Not many predators chance messing with them after that.

Here's the male giving us the stink eye

We learned about how the Qiviut (Musk Ox Wool- pronounced kiv-ee-yute) is harvested by combing out the under layer, instead of shearing it off, and how the wool is 6x warmer than sheep's wool. It's also softer than cashmere and doesn't shrink in the wash. After feeling a sample, I can attest that it's the softest natural fiber I've ever felt. Plus, it's durable. One woman said that she'd had her nachaq (pronounced nahh-shock. Our guide is wearing one around his neck in the first picture.) for over thirty years. My favorite part of how they use the fiber is that they work with native people in different parts of Alaska to knit the wool into specific patterns to be sold at local shops. The artists are paid for their work and are part of a co-op to make sure they are fairly treated and compensated.

This is the combing pen

At the end of the tour, the kids had fun feeding fireweed to the babies. Apparently it's one of their favorite treats! 

The past few months have gone by in a flash. In between all the sightseeing, we've been doing every day life. My husband has been working from home mostly, and flew back to Washington a few times for meetings. We've been cleaning house, grocery shopping, vegging out, and deciding what to do next. While on one of the message boards for our local communities I saw an announcement for an open sew day at the community center. I didn't have to be told twice! Before you could say "bobsyouruncle" my project was packed and I was waving goodbye to the kids while they stayed home with dad. 

The group I met is a small group from a small town. Most of them make up a guild called the "IditaQuilters." They welcomed me in and it was great to be able to talk to women with similar interests. We admired each others work and exchanged information. One woman was even sweet enough to send me off with a jar of freshly made raspbarb (raspberry-rhubarb) jam.

These women told me about the area and what they do during the year. Some stay year-round. Some are seasonal. They showed me patriotic quilts they make for an organization that works with veterans. I can't remember which one exactly, so I'll ask next time I see them. They've also been working together to make quilts for the fire victims of Willow, Alaska. Many people lost everything but fortunately all the dogs were saved. Quilters from all over Alaska came together to send quilts to make the lives of the victims a little more comfortable. Quilters are a generous lot. They have made many, but still have a way to go.

Here are a few pictures of quilts they were kind enough to let me photograph.

This weekend we head to Homer and celebrate the birthday of our oldest son. I've heard Homer is amazing, so I'll be sure to take pictures and let you know next week.

Oh! A tidbit about Alaska that I've found interesting is that a lot of people and businesses use milepost markers as part of their address. For example I might be directed to find the "so-and-so hotel at milepost 87 in small town, Alaska." That's how we found the tiny town of Wiseman when we were up in the Arctic. I wonder if other states use that system in rural areas?

Happy September!

- Jen

(Newly registered Independent Consultant for Thirty-One Gifts. ;-))

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