Manventure to Eska Falls

Russ and Brandon headed out on another Manventure yesterday. They went north to Eska Falls for a 4-wheeling adventure with a group of Russ' friends and their sons. You couldn't ask for a more beautiful day. There is no better place in the world to go 4-wheeling than Alaska. Lots of mountains and valleys to explore, and a fantastic view from just about everywhere.

One of the most important elements of a Manventure is the food. Lots and lots of food. And Root Beer. As Brandon says, "Don't make fun of the Root Beer, it's a life choice." Just a shut eye to recharge the batteries, and they are off again. To give you an idea of how deep the snow is, check out the wheels. Those are not hubcaps.
While the "old folks" are hanging out and talking, Brandon takes the 4-wheeler and heads out to do some donuts.

Unfortunately, it's getting late and the sun is starting to set. It's time to pack it in for the day.

Eklutna Lake

We finally got a chance to head out to Eklutna Lake today. They only let you ride 4-wheelers there on certain days of the week, and on other days, it is limited to bicycles and walkers/runners. The path runs along the bank of Eklutna Lake and goes about 14 miles. It was a blast. Today was absolutely beautiful, and the parking lot was full of people ready to have a great time outside. Eklutna Lake is a large, deep blue lake nestled between the Chugach Mountains. The lake was carved by the retreat of Eklutna Glacier, and is approximately 7 miles long. At the end of the trail, you can get off and walk to the glacier, but we didn't have enough time to check it out today. The park ranger told us that there were a couple of teams of sled dogs training on the trails ahead of us, but we never saw them. They train in the summer months by pulling 4-wheelers instead of sleds. It's pretty impressive to see.

There was a good amount of snow on the mountains. Winter is getting closer. It won't be long now. There is a lot of wildlife in the area, but it was a very active day on the trails, so the only wildlife we saw were a few mountain goats high up on the hill side.

Brandon 4-wheeling

Brandon 4-wheeling

Here is a video of Brandon doing what he loves best at Eureka!

4-Wheeling At Bird Creek

If you love to go 4-wheeling, this is the place to live! You get to go places you would never see from your regular vehicles. Bird Creek is not too far south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway. They have a parking lot there on the side of the highway if you want to fish or just check things out. If you go a little farther past that, there is a gravel road that leads to the Bird Valley trail.

I love this sign. Please make sure that you are on the sign before you access the trail. If you are not on the sign, turn around now. :0) The first time Russ went down this trail, he took Brandon, and was with another friend and his daughter. They had a great time exploring.

After riding for over an hour, they came around a corner and ran into a grizzly. I am not sure who was more surprised, them or the bear. The grizzly took off in one direction, and the guys headed off in another. Needless to say, they turned around and started back toward the head of the trial and the vehicles. On the way back, they ran into another grizzly. This one was in a bend of the trail, and they had to go around him to get out of there. Luckily, neither bear was interested in the people or the 4-wheelers.
Russ stopped and took a few pictures. (Just in case all that was left of this expedition was a camera and a couple of 4-wheelers. Actually, he knows how I am. It didn't happen if you don't have a picture of it!) The first thing Brandon said as he came in the door was, "Mom! You won't believe what we saw! You are gonna be so mad you weren't there with your camera!" Does he know his Mom or what? Russ took me back there a couple of weeks after that, but no bear. Oh, well. It was still a great ride.

Manventure, Alaska Style

There is nothing the guys enjoy more than a boys weekend out. No women, no rules, no indoor plumbing, and lots of 4-wheeling. Does it get any better than that? Russ and Brandon headed out for some 4-wheeling fun with some guys from his shop and their sons. They loaded up the 4-wheelers with all the necessities and went high up into the mountains on a camping trip.

Brandon was in heaven. He got to sleep in a tent, get as muddy as he wanted, ride the 4-wheeler all day, climb trees, and play. There were no rules this weekend. It was all about the fun.
One of the best things about camping is the food. Brandon loves to eat MRE's and Mountain House meals. Who needs a table when you have a 4-wheeler?

Fresh Salmon

We grilled some salmon last night. A little butter and some Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (a nod to my southern roots) and yum! Even the kids like it, and they are picky eaters. We had a chance to go dip netting for salmon on the Kenai recently, and it was a blast. We headed out on a Friday night with some fellows Russ works with and camped out on the mouth of the Kenai. It's essentially a big tent city on both sides of the river. They only allow two weekends a year to dip net here and it's open to Alaskan residents only. The rule of the day is-- fish as much as you can in the time allowed, and play the rest of the time. The kids had a blast and the scenery was beautiful. We had a great view of the volcanoes on the other side of Cook Inlet.
Brandon caught his first salmon, and was so proud. He decided one was enough, though, and he was ready to go 4-wheeling again after that.