New Friends

above: Charlie, Big Dude, Jonah, Lil’ Dude, Rowan

It was a rainy day at Salmonstock and we were all soggy and muddy and happy. Those were the conditions under which we met Bethany and Patrick and their kids Rowan, Jonah and Charlie. We had such a great time that when Salmonstock was over, I knew we would be seeing them again.

So, when we got to Girdwood where the family lives, we got the crew together and our 2 day stay quickly turned into 5. The kids acted as if they were old friends and we, the parents, were just as happy to share some “adult” time.

Their family had just moved from Connecticut and had done an extended cross country trip in an RV on the way here so we had plenty of RV stories to swap. And both sets of kids, being a little “kid deprived”, quickly forgot their parents existed.

 

left: The big Lego project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did manage to tear them away from a big Lego project to try our luck at a nearby fishin’ hole but, unfortunately nothing was biting and we ended up with pizza for supper.

 

 

 

With no luck at fishing, we thought a hike might be just the thing to expend the kid’s boundless energy (and keep them from tearing up the house).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many hikes in Girdwood. The one we chose had a hand tram used to cross a gorge. We thought that it would be a fun experience for the kids.

 

 

 

 

 

It turned out to be great fun for the kids but a lot of work for the parents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

left: The river below the tram. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We crossed over a second gorge that fortunately, for the parents, had a bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started out to do a short hike but the weather was so nice that we took the trail all the way back into town which turned the hike into a 4.5 mile trek.

 

left: Jonah and the Lil’ Dude “invented” the “tuskaphone”. The tusk-like branch resembled something Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble might have used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids persevered through the long hike they thought was going to be short. So, they were relieved to have some downtime in front of the tube when we got back.

Everyone had a great time during the short visit and we were all a little sad when it came time for us to move on but we plan to stay in touch.

It’s exciting when travel provides an opportunity to renew old friendships like when we were able to reconnect with the Hippygeek’s friends from Houston at the Blueberry Festival. It’s equally exciting to forge new friendships with people you meet along the way. We have met many people in the past few months, including the gang in Girdwood, that have influenced our trip and our lives in many ways and we look forward to meeting many more.

above: Jonah “mushes” his team.

 “We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” Robert Louis Stevenson