Friday, May 15th

So Geoff's dad and mom have left. 

They are back in Northern Ireland and we are trying to get used to a quiet house again. We really enjoyed the two weeks we had with them here. 

It was special to be able to share some of our favorite things about Alaska with them and to explore new places.

Now I have a ton to catch up on here with the blog. I'll start back at the beginning of their visit.

They arrived on a Wednesday and that Friday we drove about an hour and a half down the Seward Highway to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

On the way we stopped to enjoy the view at Beluga Point for a few minuets.

When we arrived at the Conversation Center it was still chilly and windy but not quite as bad as it had been at Beluga Point.

Many of the wood bison had been released back into the wild the month before so there weren't as many at the center this time. They still looked a big shaggy with bits of their winter coat hanging on.

 Spring is a fun time to visit since that is when the baby bison are born.

The mama's are very protective of their little ones. 

We even saw a mama bison chasing away any birds that got to close to her baby. 

We ate lunch in nearby Girdwood and then spent some time at the playground before checking into the hotel Alyeska. In winter this is a big skiing resort.

Looking down into the lobby from the third floor.

The view from our room.

Granda' Charlie took the boys to the pool while Nana and I got a coffee and sat outside for a bit.

We played in the pool until dinner when Geoff joined us after getting off work. We had so much fun! The boys were so worn out they were nearly falling asleep at the table that night. Mission accomplished!

Since we were already in Girdwood we only had to drive about half an hour the next day to get to Whittier and on to our glacier day cruise.