Good-bye Alaska God-Family

July 22nd

We are tired, here in the Eagle River campground, just about ten miles out of Anchorage proper,
after completing our marketing and shopping with a late start out of the city. Dined at Pita Pit,
and almost got two haircuts at a Super Cuts type salon, but did not want to wait. Mark's coif is
somewhere between early Robert Redford in Jedidiah/Jeremiah Smith (?), and Bozo the Clown,
and my bangs look almost more ridiculous than my 6th grade picture of gremmie surfer girl (a
wannabe). There will be other walk-in cutters along the way to The Top of the the World
Highway, Mark reassures me.

Got to the Bocheneks' yesterday, from Seward, in time for a BBQ in their back yard of lovely
gardens of flowers and veggies, a chicken resort with their 9 babes, and a new 2 day-old
badminton set that Greta, Amelia and I christened more that night. Lael showed up, too, back in
Anchorage to oversee his groundbreaking of the shop at Marah's. She returned today with her
visiting two former pediatric resident gal buds, from Homer and Seward. They all did
residencies at Children's in Seattle. We all enjoyed a leisurely night around their campfire, with
s'mores, peach pie and ice cream, before we all turned in.

 

 

Mark and I did a short 3 mile hike to the Exit Glacier edge and down to the braided river bed,
just outside of Seward, stopped for lunch along a river, and did a Costco run before getting to
Lyra and Rob's yesterday.

 

 

This morning was spent chatting with the kids and Lyra, saying farewell to Rob going to work,
and Mark offering to do our Fred Meyer run, while the gals visited and got ready for a bike ride.
It was raining, so we nixed the bike ride, and opted for meeting Mark at a terrific, innovatively
equipped playground by a river, where the girls got to play with their two friends Arris and
Giselle (?), while their pregnant mama, Alexis (a NICU nurse) got to visit with us adults. We
separated from that family, and lunched at a fantastic bakery cafe, close to the girls' school,
where Lyra hangs-out often, grabbing coffees and treats.

 

 

Hugs and kisses were shared with the girls and Lyra, and we stopped to see Lael and Marah's
home, and witness the pouring of the ground forms' foundation, which they were both excited
about, photographing the event. We started on our next gypsy wagon journey, with the first
potential destination of returning to McCarthy, in the St. Elias-Wrangell park, since the three RV
women, Mark met up with in Homer, told him the road there was fine after we had the terrible
washboarded ride and turned back. The Root Glacier is awesome, and Mark would like me to
experience it, so we shall see. Eventually, we'll head up to Chicken, and The Top of the World
Highway, and make our way down through Canada, Jasper again, and towards Idaho, by mid-
August or earlier.

I am looking forward to seeing more beauties of views and wildlife, on different and old routes
through these glorious wild places.