David's thoughts...

I really enjoyed our trip to Kansas over Christmas.  It was great to spend time with family and friends and on December 27, we officially welcomed our daughter-in-law, Kayla, into the family.  Ethan made a great choice. I just hope she can put up with him.

During the trip to Kansas, I made a few interesting discoveries.

• We have a lot of stuff in storage that is never going to see the great state of Alaska.

 •When you figure in the wind, Kansas is much colder than Kenny Lake, Alaska.  On Sunday in Alaska, we enjoyed an hour of snowshoeing at temperatures in the -20s.  However while working in our storage unit in Burns, blocked from the 20 mph wind, with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees, we were miserable.

•I can send a lot of stuff through the mail for the $3,000 in gas it would take to drive down and get it.

•I was excited to see family again, but after a week in Kansas, Alaska was starting to feel like home.

•”United” should be considered an airline of last resort. Every flight was either canceled or late on the way back.

•Chicago has spent an insane amount of Taxpayer dollars to make their airport fancy….Kansas City needs to find a few dollars to make their airport less of a dump.

When we got back to our home, we discovered the moose had moved in and made themselves at home in our yard.  Moose are so big and fearless that it is now more important than ever to look around the yard before going outside. 

I decided that my new years resolution would be to not let the Alaska cold confine me.  So yesterday, Shawna and I strapped on our new snowshoes and went for a little hike around the house.  It was really fun and a good work out, even though the temperatures were in the -20s.

We are beginning to hear from people who are thinking about coming up this summer.  We are quite excited about the prospect of visitors.  In fact, we remodeled this house to be visitor friendly and still give Shawna and I our own private spaces.  So, give us a call or send us a message and let us know if you are thinking about coming up.

Some Considerations:

•It is best to fly into Anchorage and rent a car there.  An SUV type vehicle is probably best if you want to drive to McCarthy and see the Kennecott mine.

•Before heading out of Anchorage, plan on stopping at a grocery store and getting food that you will enjoy while staying with us. 

•You will likely fly into Anchorage late at night.  Plan on getting a motel room before heading out.  We have discovered that America’s Best Inn is a good place to get a night’s rest at a reasonable price.  It is far from fancy, but it is clean and the beds are comfortable. Plus, it is close to the Airport.