Our friend Jeanie, with her daughter Arya, and Jeanie’s friend Nancy arrived in Anchorage on Saturday afternoon with plans to spend a week together in the Seward area. With 3 kids under the age of 5, areas with no cell service and 3 different nap schedules, it proved to be difficult to plan outings.

We made a plan to meet up Sunday afternoon. This would allow them time to settle in and for us to avoid rushing as much as possible. Rushing often equates to Andy and Laurie getting frustrated at one another and eventually having less patience for our kiddos.

Sunday morning we went on a nice hike up to Carter lake. Laurie read the trail description (3.7 miles RT) but unconsciously rounded down when she relayed the info to Andy. This infuriated Andy midway up the trail as he firmly believes 2 miles round trip is an ideal distance to hike with both kids, 2.5 is doable and 3 miles is pushing it. Typically, if we hike longer, both kids’ naps are affected, the hike takes longer than planned (only a surprise to Laurie when this happens) and everything gets delayed, including bed time.

Thankfully both kids took naps while being carried up the trail today. After climbing up the steep and muddy trail we were greeted by a lake and lush meadows with speckles of purple flowers in a basin of green. Ani discovered the joys of wild blueberries and for the first time we heard her say the word “more” when asking for more blueberries as we hiked.

We dipped our feet in the lake while eating lunch and then both kids hiked a bit before heading down to the RV.

Our hike turned into a whole day affair (shocking right?) and we were over an hour late to meet our friends for dinner. With no way of communicating we would be late, they headed out for an evening walk. With help of the resort owner we got on wifi and received messages along with the door code to their cabin. We made dinner in their cabin while waiting for their return. Laurie felt like Goldilocks, eating and relaxing in someone else’s home.

Sunday night we found a lovely level spot at a trailhead about 10 minutes down the road with promises of a 1.4 mile hike to a lake and blueberries!

Monday morning we woke to low hanging clouds that gradually lifted over the course of the morning. We ventured up toward Meridian and Grayling lakes. The trail was beautiful! Bright green moss carpeted the lush forest floor with bright speckles of color from a variety of mushrooms. The trail was well maintained with wooden planks and boardwalks over excessively wet areas. Ani slept while Miles walked in search of blueberries (the wet summer is making for a poor blueberry season down in Seward) and sticks for the fire that evening.

We met up with Jeanie, Arya and Nancy around 5 pm and made a feast of our freshly caught salmon, potatoes, veggies and salad. Andy and Miles made a fire to keep the mozzies away, cook the salmon and for s’mores.

We returned to the same trailhead to sleep. It was nice knowing there was a level spot waiting for us.

Still with no service, we made a plan to meet at our campsite in the morning. The kids were up around 9 with the excitement of seeing the 10:35 train pass by a tenth of a mile from the parking lot. We put a penny on the track and Miles was excited to note it grew and got smoother from the weight of the train.

Our friends pulled up around 11 while Ani and Miles dug in the gravel with their construction toys. Moments like this remind us what makes days successful – plans that often change and lots of unstructured time for free play.

With a few hours to spare, we went to an RV park to dump and fill knowing we would only have access to electrical hookups for a few days. Andy has done great learning on the go and problem solving all things RV as issues arise. Unfortunately, this dump became a literal shit show as the hose moved out of the sewer hole. Andy was frustrated and embarrassed. Luckily there was a playground at the RV park so Laurie kept the kids occupied and distracted while Andy borrowed a shovel and cleaned everything up.

That afternoon we had an experience of a lifetime – a chance to feed and touch a giant pacific octopus at the Sea Life Center in Seward. They are amazing creatures and their suction cups are incredibly strong. One inch diameter suction cups can hold up to 30 lbs! After our private backstage tour we wandered around the aquarium watching the sea lions, fish, harbor seals and puffins. Ani slept on Andy and Miles was most interested in driving the mock fishing boat. It was super windy near the water but we took some time to throw Miles’ toy airplane and soak up the sunshine with mountains and glaciers in the distance.

That evening we had another communal dinner before parting ways to put the kids to sleep. Jeanie, Nancy and Arya were staying in a yurt and we parked our RV on the same property with an electrical hookup. We ended up cooking dinner in the yurt each night but it was nice to have a way to charge the sound machine and phones.

That evening while Laurie and Jeanie were chatting after the kiddos went to sleep, they saw a mama and baby moose walk through our campsite. Seeing large wildlife never gets old!

Wednesday started off cloudy and gloomy but by early afternoon the sun was out. We spent most of the day at Exit Glacier. We walked about 0.5 miles to the glacier moraine and the kids had a great time playing with the rocks, sand and water. It was nice watching Ani navigate the uneven terrain with her still new-ish walking legs and Miles got very creative building roads through the sand. Arya and Jeanie played with us for a bit before returning to the trailhead to meet Nancy. Laurie walked around a bit more to give Ani a chance to sleep while Andy and Miles ran around the parking lot checking out adventure rigs.

Much of the areas we have explored in this beautiful state have been easy to navigate with an RV. Since many tourists rent RVs, there are designated RV parking spots at National and State parks. Driving around Anchorage was a bit more tricky but Andy maneuvered the beast well. Laurie has driven a few times but only on long open and straight roads.

That night and most of the following day it poured. We had a lazy day. Miles and Laurie colored and read books while Andy and Ani napped. We got take out Thai food and did laundry at a laundromat.

The following morning we parted ways with our friends as Nancy was flying home the following morning and Matt (Jeanie’s fiancé) was arriving. We did a nice 1 mile loop around a public park in Seward before getting in the RV to drive back toward Anchorage. Initially Miles did not want to hike but once engaged in a game of tag, he readily ran through the lush wet forest. Ani too, hiked along. Unphased by the many roots across the trail, she stumbled along, occasionally asking for our hand for support.

With no time constraints we decided to spend 1 more night off the grid. We pulled into the Johnson Pass North trailhead and found a decent spot that was off the road and on gravel (not dirt) in case the flood warnings came to fruition.

As we leveled the RV the rain stopped. We grabbed our bikes and went for a short 20 min ride down the bike path. It felt good to stretch our legs and breathe in the fresh air but the path paralleled the highway and the noise from the cars was too much for Andy’s sensitive ears. Ani wants to be involved (often bringing each of us our helmets) but once on the bike she cries. With the turning weather and noise, the ride didn’t last long.

That evening and night it POURED! In the morning we discovered a huge puddle near the kitchen window. The water seemed to be coming in from behind the microwave, and while we didn’t see any holes or a break in the caulk around an external vent, we hoped that was the location of the leak. We reinforced the seal with Flex Seal tape (with Laurie sitting on Andy’s shoulders to get extra height) and so far it has been working to keep water out.

Once back in Anchorage we did our usual town chores – shop, empty and fill the tanks. We had dinner with Matt, Arya and Jeanie at their Airbnb while making plans for the next day.

Rain was in the forecast for the remainder of our trip. We hoped for some grey days and not continuous downpours but we would have to wait and see.

Sunday morning, despite Laurie and Andy waking up early, we still didn’t manage to leave the RV park until 10:30. The plan was to ride the 22 mile coastal bike trail. Jeanie and Matt rented bikes and a Burley downtown and we met them a few miles along the trail. Since Ani doesn’t love riding on the back of a bike, the sky was dark and threatening to rain AND it was her nap time, Andy opted to stay with her at a park while Miles and Laurie rode. While Miles enjoys and is a good little bike rider, he would’ve be able to ride that far. Instead he sat in the kid seat and Laurie rode. It turned into a great day. It was nice to have some 1:1 parent/kiddo time and we needed some time apart.

The people at the bike shop promised Jeanie she would see a moose. We kept looking but made it to the end of the trail with no spottings. Laurie could tell everyone was a little bummed.

It rained on and off as we rode. We took breaks to eat snacks, run around and read some of the informational signs. The trail was beautiful! It wound through the forest offering glimpses of the bay. As we neared the airport, planes flew very low overhead- which excited both Miles and Arya.

On the way back, as we coasted down a wet hill, we encountered a group of people. This, like in Africa on safaris, typically means there is an animal sighting. There about 150 ft from the trail was a male moose. We found the elusive promised moose! Unfortunately all we could see from the trail was a huge rack and wiggling ears. After watching for about 10 minutes hoping he would stand, we continued on our way.

Another 3 miles down the path we encountered a female moose, this one was ON the bike path. She slowly made her way off to one side, munching on greenery. We slowly rode by, one at a time. You could tell who was a local and who was a tourist by the amount of attention each passing individual offered to the large animal.

That afternoon we tried to take advantage of a break in the rain to let the kids run. Anchorage has amazing and plentiful parks and playgrounds. As we opened the RV door at the playgriund we discovered we were missing one of Miles’ shoes. It had likely fallen out when we climbed in after our bike ride. Oops!! After an hour plus of giggles and playing on the slides, Andy and Miles drove back in search of the shoe while Laurie walked around to give Ani a late afternoon nap.

With our late wake ups, sometimes as late as 9:30 am, her nap schedule is all out of whack. And at 16 months she is in the gray zone of 1 vs 2 naps. She tends to be a light sleeper who rarely sleeps longer than 45 minutes unless held so we hope to stick with the 2 naps as long as possible to maximize her daytime sleep. Sometimes that works, other times it doesn’t.

Andy found the shoe kindly placed on a short fence 3 ft from where we had parked. In the meantime, Jeanie has graciously gotten us a backup pair at a thrift store. Now we will be prepared if this happens again (which is pretty likely given our pile of shoes on the 2 step entryway to the RV).

We joined Jeanie, Matt and Arya for dinner at their Airbnb, making plans to meet up in the morning (if timing and weather permitted) or in a few days in Denali National Park.