Fire

On all the camping trips I am always the one who builds the fire. Its an awesome job because I just get to mess around with the fire while everyone else unloads and sets up the tents and stuff. I set a fire at the base of a glacier where it was really windy and I could barely keep the lighter lit. I also made one in the rain. It was really good on the kayak trip because the beaches were all littered with driftwood so we never ran out of wood. The trick for getting a fire started in the wind is finding big rocks and make a windblock. For all the fires you start with little wood then go to big stuff. In the rain, try to find dry wood at the base of big trees and after you have a good fire with that get wet stuff and put it near the fire to dry before you need it. Tada!! now you know how to make awesome fires!! :) ~mia

Camping

                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                 6/21/11

       Yester day I went car camping with my family. I slept in the car with Mia and Zander .Kayley , Daddy and, Mommy slept in the tent. We had fish and soup for dinner and hot chocolate for disert. Kayley caught a fish and named him Fred. For breakfast we had M&M pancakes with hot chocolate. The next day we went to Homer, AK. In Homer we went and got some food. Then we ate dinner we had past. After that we went home. ~Sarah

Prince William Sound Kayak Trip

On Monday we came back from a four night kayak trip at the Prince William Sound. The first day we drove out to Whittier and got our kayaks and gear. When we got it all figured out and packed and stuff we water taxied a ways out to Hobo Bay (hehe hobo hehe) and got dumped there with our stuff in a pile on the beach next to us. After taking a quick trip to get water we loaded our kayaks and headed off to our camp site. It was a really nice day, really sunny (unusual for Alaska, unfortunately) and calm. We saw a ton of whales, orcas from far off and some other ones that came really close but we don’t know what kind they were. It was really awesome!!!

The second day was pretty much the same as the first except we didn’t see any whales (bummer) but we saw a few awesome glaciers instead. Dad and Kayley paddled really close to it but it was really windy so everyone else gave up and waited for them to come back. We camped pretty close to it so we could hear it thundering all night long. It also started raining so it was pretty hard to sleep because it was really loud.

The next day we all went up close to the glacier and had to paddle through a ton of icebergs that had fallen off of it. Then we paddled over to a big bay that had like three glaciers going into it and camped really, really close to it. Dad stayed up really late because he wanted to see it all fall down. Of course it fell down like five minutes after he went to bed.

The fourth day it was really cloudy and gross and we paddled around the bay and visited all the glaciers. Sarah also climbed on top of an iceberg for money. Then we paddled all the way back to Hobo Bay except for a mile or so and stayed at a really crappy campsite. It started raining before we finished dinner and when we got ready for bed we realized that we had left Zander’s and my sleeping bags on the beach at the last campsite. So, pretty much that night was really cold and wet.

 It kept raining all night and on and off all the next day too. After cowering in our tent for a really long time in the morning we ate and then dad took Zander and I of on a really wet and muddy hike to a granite mine that we never found. Instead we found a few rusty trucks, a few oil drums and a few random tires. We also found a lot of mud and slime. While we were doing this Kayley, Sarah and mom went fishing in the kayak. Then we packed up and paddled off around the point to Hobo Bay which took about 20 minutes. We paddled around in the bay for a while just to kill some time and then set up a little rain cover thing with a tarp and sat there for a while playing cards for M&Ms and drinking tea and eating soup until the boat came. When we got back we went out to dinner before we drove home.

Glaciers 6-28-11

Glaciers: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface. A glaciar is made by snow piling up with so much presure that it turns into ice and never melts in the winter.

 This Glacier is one where two glaciers come into one. The dark line in the middle is where they combined. You can see the other glacier on the right colliding with the big one on the left. This glacier is called Surprise glacier. This picture was taken from a couple miles away, but we paddled about 100 yards away from the base of the glacier. We slept right under it and it was hard going to sleep because every 20 minuets a chunk of ice would fall off it and make a big booming sound.

To get to the glacier, you have to paddle through a sea of icebergs and small melted chunks. Here, we are trying to get to the glacier without hitting the big icebergs. It is really cold and the water is silty and looks tropical, but it is so cold that if you stay in the water for longer than a minute then your mussles will freeze up.

 Icebergs come off a glacier that has hit the sea (tide water glacier)  and big chunk's fall off it into the water. In the water, they are 89% under water and 11% above. So you have to stay away from the big ones or your boat will get stuck on them. This iceberg has run aground and the flat part on top with the overhanging is the part on the surface. The tides pull the icebergs out of the bay as they melt.

FRED THE FISH!!!!!!:):):)

Yesterday I caught a rainbow trout with my fishing pole. We were fishing at the edge of a really big and beautiful lake. The way it happened was I cast my line then I put my pole down to get my gronola bar from mommy. Then my pole started to move so I picked it up and started reeling in. Then I saw a fish jumping and then I shouted to mommy that I caught a fish and she got super excited. Then she took the rainbow trout of the hook then she put it on a green rope thing and secured it in the water. After a few minutes I named the fish Fred and started walking fred.At diner time Mommy,Daddy, Mia,Zander,and Sarah ate Fred.

"bear hunt" / car campout

On Monday we drove to Cooper Lake on the Kenai Peninsula and camped out there for a night on our way to Homer. Like right when we got there our beloved father dragged Zander and I out"bear hunting". So pretty much what we did was walk half way around the lake swatting at mosquitoes and trying to be quiet and look for bear tracks and things. It was hard to be quiet because Zander was dramatically narrating our "strenuous and life threatening journey stalking monstrous grizzlies". He never ran out of material because we had to cross mud and gross swamps and go through bushes and over rocks and stuff. And he could always go back to the "evil bloodsucking insects" (mosquitoes). All we found was a pile of moose crap and a few tracks. Anyway, we went for about 45 mins until dad just gave up and turned around. When we got back to camp we found out that Kayley had caught her first fish and named him Fred. She walked her fish on a string attached to the hook that was stuck up its throat (!!!) up and down the shoreline in the shallow water. Fred was a really sparkly and rainbowy rainbow trout and he was surprisingly big (maybe like a foot and a half long).

Unfortunately, we had fried Fred for dinner.... :( He was yummy! We also had really good chicken soup for dinner. We eat well when we are camping :)
The next morning was awesome because we had M&M pancakes for breakfast!!!!!!! :)
Toodles~~Mia<3

shooting with cousin Nathan 6-22-11

Today we went to the shooting range with Nathan. Before we went, we had to get some new bullets. We went to sportsman's warehouse. Without knowing it we got some soft point bullets, they were recommended for hunting bear but they are really unreliable. They have a gray tip that varies between the bullets.  Our shots were really bad because the bullets wouldn't fly straight. My sister  used the hard points and full metal jackets and they shot fine. Everyone else missed the target alot because of the bullets. But it was a fun day at the shooting range. The manager of the shooting range wanted our SKS and so we were happy because it means that we could sell it to him when we leave for a good price.

Zander

Kayley and Sarah's photo journal

       






         Today we went on a really long backpack to a cabin by a frozen lake. It took us 3 hours of hiking with heavy back pacts to get to the cabin. On the way we went sledding. When we were all set for camp and had eaten dinner of remain noodles we set up a shooting range using some Rebar stakes and some rocks and snow balls. My dad, mom, and I took our SKS and shot at the target.
         I did very well I hit all of the snowballs and most of the rocks that we set up. My Mom did really well and hit all the snowballs with only missing 1 shot. My dad did the best and hit all of the snow balls and all of the rocks. When I was shooting I got so frustrated with the scoop that I got to close so when I shot. The recoil made the scoop hit me right between the eyes. Now I have a really big bump on my for head.

Zander
       

Crow Pass Overnight

Yesterday we woke up early to go play soccer. At 11 am the kids got picked up from the field and we started driving in the car that we had packed the previous night. After a drive of about an hour we got out at the trail head that was just north of Girwood. We put on our packs and started hiking. The trail was only about 2.5 miles but it took up a really long time to finish because it was really steep and our packs were really heavy so we stopped a lot. We got really tired and we stopped at a moderately flat area where we thought we should camp. We all put down out packs and, as the three older people went on to explore for a different place to camp, Zander, Kayley and Sarah sledded down the snow on the foam pads. We just hiked over a little hill and we found the awesomest cabin ever. It had been built the week before and it smelled like sawdust. It was really nice. So we got all our stuff over and set stuff up. Dad made Ramen and quesadillas for dinner and it was super yummy. Then I made a fire and we had s'mores for dessert. We roasted them on a fork that we clamped in the pliers of a leatherman. It was really good. There is something about camping that makes food taste really good. Maybe its all the dirt... just kidding. But after dinner Zander and the parents went and shot the gun at snowballs while Sarah and I did the dishes and Kayley read Twilight (not fair, I know). Then Zander made a few snowmen that were killing each other and Sarah made one that looked like Shrek. After that we all went to bed. During the night I got really cold so I kept waking up and putting on jackets (backwards... oops). So all night I was at that stage of sleep that is so shallow that you can remember every bit of your dreams. I love that.. its like watching a movie all night long except weirder and more random. The next morning we hiked back out after a good breakfast of that kind of oatmeal that comes in little bags like hot cocoa.

Its really weird how the hike in seems like twice as long as the hike out. Maybe its because you can see little things along the way that tell you where you are. Like hey I remember that tree, we're almost there! or hey isn't that where daddy pegged Zander really hard with a snowball and he started crying? we're really close! So the hike down was a breeze even though my pack tower about a foot over my head so I kept falling in the snow. When I made it to the parking lot Zander and I had to wait for like ten minutes for everyone else to catch up. This is really wrong because mine and Zanders packs were way heavier then everyone elses except for maybe dads because he was carrying the gun and that thing weighs like ten pounds. Anyway when we all were finally at the car we dumped out stuff in the back and got in the car and drove on home.

 THE END

6-17-11 2 shoting range tripe

         Today after volunteer we went to the shooting range. This time it was only my dad, mom, and me. But before we could go we had to get more ammo. Our SKS assault rifle shots that same round as a AK 47. The Russian bullets are really cheap. For a pack of 20 hard point it is about 7 dollars but for the regular 30 caliber Remington bullets, a pack of 20 rounds is almost 40 dollars. So we got 100 hard point SKS rounds and 40 full metal jackets which are about 19 dollars for a pack of 20. When we went to to the shooting range. We shot 80 rounds. we shot at 50yards and at 100yards. I did pretty good at the 50yard but at the hundred yard I missed the target a lot.
        In Alaska every one has a gun and the shooting ranges are usually pretty crowded. Plus every one knows a lot about guns and ammunition. When we went to Sportsman's The kid behinds the coater knew what round we should use to shot a bear and what gun and scoop we should get to be able to take down the black bear.
Zander

Rifle Range with the New Gun

On Wednesday Zander, dad and I went  to  the rifle range to try out the new gun. It was the second time we went there with it but the first time we couldnt shoot because there were paragliders out over the beach that was in front of the range. I guess they were afraid someone would get shot. At the range it was really loud and it smelled of gun smoke. The guys loved that smell but I thought it was gross. It must be a guy thing to like anything and everything that has anything to do with guns. And the noise was crazy in the picture you can see Zander cowering in the background with his hands over his ears... he must not be entirely guyish. We had a bunch of little stick on targets to shoot at. There were really little ones that were about an inch in diameter and bigger ones that were around three or four inches in diameter. We all practiced on the big ones and at the end we had a little contest with the smaller ones. We got three targets each and four shots (dad got 5 because he is bigger than us) and we tried to hit the tiny targets. Zander and I both hit one of the targets but dad hit none so we all got to make fun of him. It was pretty sad because he got more shots than us. Afterwards we went into the shooters lounge and bought candy for this vending machine that kept stealing our money. Fun stuff!!!

The virticle hike June13,2011

Today we went on a really steep hike. At first the trail was flat and paved. Then the paved trail stopped by a restroom and became a dusty trail. The trail was really slipery and dry. There was lots of trees and vine type thingys. After a while the trees stopped  and there were lots of pretty flowers like purple violets and dandylions. Soon I got tierd, grumpy, and mad. I stopped a lot to rest. Neer the end Daddy pulled me up, at a bunch of rockes we stopped to let some people pass us . I didn't start again so 
daddy left me with Mia and we had go up together . But we didn't have to go all the way because they came back down.       -Kayley Rolph   

buying fishing poles May30, 2011

We bought two fishing poles on Saturday. I bought a teliscopic pole that has a red reel. Sarah bought a regular one with a red reel. I haven't caught a fish yet with the pole.   -Kayley Rolph

buying a used gun on the internet 6-12-11

       Today we looked on the Internet for a used hunting rifle. Since craigslist does not have a section for guns we went on Alaskaslist and they have everything. We were looking for something that was a bolt action 30 caliber hunting rifle. But what we came up with is a old SKS assault rifle it had a bayonet and a grenade launcher. It is an semiautomatic 30 caliber military rifle that can hold 10 bullets in the magazine.

       It is the gun that the Russians made before the AK 47 and was bought brand new recently. We got the rifle and 100 rounds for 375 dollars then the man the we bought if from gave us a trigger lock and another 200 rounds but we had to replace a of the 200 rounds that we used.The SKS was made in Poland and he got it from a dealer that brought a couple hundred new from Poland.

       The guy we bought it from was a nice man that had a house so full of guns he couldn't go 2 steps without having a gun. He also kept all of them loaded and was a experienced fire arm teacher and law informent profecional. When he was showing us he had the SKS on the couch and a hid in cabinet with a pistol and some clips in it. Then there was a 30.6 hunting rifle siting loaded right by the door. His wife said that her husband likes to clean his guns...

Zander

THE AWESOME LIBRARY IN ANCHORAGE!!!!!

           The library in Anchorage is awesome because its huge and has tons of books. The library has at least 3 floors. The kids section is on the 2nd floor and I'm always there. That library has all of my favorite books and a Cafe where we buy a snack (I usually get a cup of noodles). We've gone there practically every day in the morning except on the weekends. Mommy's geting sick of it, but every one else still loves the library.

-Kayley Rolph

Black Bear!!!!! saturday,June 11,2011

Sarah, Momma, and I saw a Black Bear, when we were at the archery range for an class. Sarah was taking her last turn before we left. Then an asian lady with crutches saw the black bear in the bushes and shouted. Everyone's heads turned and some people didn't see it, but I did. The black bear looked kind of small compared to what I thought they would be, but we only saw part of it's body. Then one of the instructors scared  it away by hiting a piece of wood against the ground.  Everyone left talking about it.  I thought it was awesome!

Soccer in Alaska!-by Chenda

Co-ed Rec. Adult Soccer:
         Brian and I joined the Alaska Rush Parents Soccer team here in Anchorage.  We e-contacted the head of the club team that we are coaching an academy camp for twice a week (more on this later)and he got us connected to the adult league.  We were very fortunate to find such a fun/competitive team to play with weeks before we arrived!  I like our team manager's philosophy of just have fun and play safely bc we are a bunch of oldies that need to be able to walk the next day.  This doesn't mean that we are not intense though.  Some of us are larger than others (the ones with the Y chromosome) and use the advantage well.  A bit more aggression dispalyed than the "love fest" Monday games with CCS.
       We kicked off our season last week with a 2-0 win (I gave Brian a really nice cross from the right side of the box and he knocked it in with his left!  Quite a moment for me, since I haven't played a "real" game with just adults ever!)  We had to miss our last game due to coaching obligations, but we have been playing pick up soccer on Fridays for the kids and Sundays for the older part of the family and academy 2x/wk, though.  So we are all getting lots of playing time.
      My fav. soccer resource so far here:  the Rush soccer Friday "kids only (age.9yrs-18)" Pick-up Fridays.  There were aprox.50 kids out there last Friday with a couple of Rush coaches just supplying the pennies and balls; one ran a goalie clinic and one roamed the 3 levels of scrimmage games that went on.  1.5 hrs. scrimmages -kids rule: then 1.5 hrs. Finishing clinics (2 levels: a couple of "coaches") - Flying changes format;  All had fun and it was optional participation, so the kids that were present were the motivated ones.  Great resource, not much hassel or management, and it was free.
Coaching:
      Like I said earlier, Brian and I are coaching a developmental academy Tuesday and Thursday evenings, mostly bc we love to coach and secondly, to check out the youth soccer seen here in AK.  Plus the kids get to participate at no cost!  Win-win-win!  Really though, we do it for the T-shirts ;).
      The dedication parents feel to local youth activities is immense.  It says alot about Alaskans in general.
     It's been interesting to see how involved and hardy these Alaskans are.  I've asked the key question to parents that will speak to me:  "How do you deal with the extremes in temp. and light here?" to the people that make the world go round, heathy,- the moms.  Their response:  "You'd have to get out everyday no matter what.  Keep everyone active!"  They've got a challenging job since it could get down to -30F with wind and rain and we are just getting a taste of the mosquitoes!  Or should I say, they are just beginning to get a taste of us!  So far, I've found lots of soccer, swimming, fishing, hunting, baseball, lots of lit ski trails and dif. programs to go with them, running, hiking, boating etc., flying, lots of ice rinks (indoor and outdoor), and then there are the indoor court activities.  And have witnessed many hikers (young and old and inbetween) on the trails, even in hail, wind and rain.  These people get out!!

kids don't float

                                                                                                                                                  6/9/2011


    Today and yesterday I went swiming at Jewel Lake. At Jewel Lake there is a sign that says Kids Don't
Float.Under  the sign there are tons of life vests. It's funny because kids do float. We were there because I wanted to swim. Everyone thought I was crazy because they thought it was really cold but I didn't think it was. I swam in the little buoyed area that was next to a little beach. That was fun because that was my first time swiming in a long time. On that day the water was warmer then outside. It was awesome!!

THE END

Fun with Guns! (aka hunters ed)

Today Zander, my dad and I went to the shooting range at 8am (soooo early!!! i almost died) and went to this classroom thinging right next to it. The class wasnt as boring as i thought it was going to be and we went outside alot to go to the shooting range and take a little walk and stuff. The shooting part was really fun!! It was the first time i ever shot a gun ever so it was kinda scary but i got over it. i beat Zander and daddy at shooting and it was epiccc. then we went on a little hike thing and found little wooden animals and had to judge how far away they were from the trail. after that, we went back inside and took the test which was really easy and i got a 100% on it. it was really funny in a stupid kinda way haha. but anyway they gave us donuts and hot cocoa so i liked it :))
~ Mia

Here's Zander and I with our big guns!! That gross color is called hunters orange and all the hunters are supposed to wear it so they don't shoot eachother. It has saved many lives ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also..... talking about guns!! Zander and daddy went to the gun shup to try to buy a gun and they kicked them outt!!! I guess it was because they were only supposed to sell guns to residents of Alaska and daddy has a California drivers license!! i think they were just jealous of they california hotnesss ;) but now we're gunna try to get a gun from a private party insead of some store!!!

The Moose

                                                                                                                                     6/4/11

        Today I saw a moose in the senter of  Anchorage crosing a 6 way trafic light. The moose was biger
than a elk. But the moose looked like a elk.The moose was broun and it had spiky fur because it was
sheding. The moose was a baby and itw was like 6 feet tall.




                           The   End          

Today:) 6/5/2011

Today Daddy and us kids went to a go-kart place this morning. Daddy bought six tickets, one extra for the winer. I got the 2nd go-kart in the line, the track was short but really curvy. The first round Mia won so she got the extra ticket. Every one else owed Daddy 3 dollers for another  round. This time I missed a lap and I ran into the side of the track, then Sarah ran into me and by the time we were back on track some people had laped us.  Then we went fishing at Jewel lake.




- Kayley  

Flattop Mountain Hike

 On Friday we hiked up this giant mountain with a flat top (hence the name). This hike was windy, cold, rainy, cold, snowy, cold, and... cold (it was really cold). It reaminded me alot of when we hiked Mt. Washington last summer. It was all rocky and really reallly windy. And cold.... but at least there was a warm lodge thing at the top of Washington and food and stuff.  But on the flat top of Flattop there was just a buncha piles of rocks that were supposed to sheild you from the wind. The trail was supposed to be switchbacks but no one fenced it off so there were a bunch of little trails that went all over the place from people cutting the swithchbacks. It was pretty crazy. It was still pretty fun though!!!

~ mia