In response to the 12 gauge comment by Bridgette

This was our defense!   In all of the years I've gone camping, never have taken a gun.     

On the way into Hidden Lake, we saw a bear on the road, small but still a bear.

The next morning we went out to Cooper Landing (to get a paper and coffee... yeah roughing it) we saw the bear again.   Then after we got back I thought I heard a gun shot, but no one seemed to completely agree..  then later, there was lots of honking.  Turned out a couple had gone into their tent for a nap, left their cooler out and guess who knows about coolers???  Yep, the sow is teaching her cubs about stupid people.  So we drove up (2 campsites away, and only about a 150 feet through the woods) and got the bear scared off.  Within an hour the couple was packed up, had the site cleaned, and they were gone!

We went and drove around a little to talk to other campers and scope out our neighbours, and discovered one had shot above a boar (boy bear) because he was getting too close to the dog... which we already knew one bear had killed a dog the previous friday...  oh so much excitement since we had 3 dogs with us.

Anyways, one friends husband had come with us, Bill, so we were talking about bringing guns, and he said usually he does bring one, but not this time....    The campground host loaned us an air horn and my other friend had a can of pepper (bear) spray that she figured was almost 20 years old....   so all in all it was a pretty exciting couple days.  

We stayed 2 nights, and then went on down to Kenai and camped in a gravel pit where Sabrina's husband is working.... that was a much better night of sleep.  :) except for the rain that drenched the kids tent of course!!!

OH, and on the way out of our bear spot.. guess who we saw in the same spot on the road out?? You got it, that same little bear!!

Kenai camping

This was the sunset from the first night...  very nice, it meant we had some sun!!
This was the same night, so must have been a little later in the setting.
As you can see, the sun setting, and the fact the water was chilly, didn't detour the "mermaid."
This was the second day of camping.... prior to bear activity I think...   This is called a Mokai... motorized kayak.  They were fun!  Elic would definitely like Rob to buy one!!!  Bill and Nancy were very nice in letting all the kids ride, well everyone rode in them!!  Thanks Bill and Nancy!
This was after we saw the bear and her cubs 2 campsites away....  notice Georgea's "tail?"  It worked really well, with every step you could hear her jingling away!!  :)

Off for more adventures....

well....  I posted a couple more events, but we are off again tomorrow for another camping trip....  hoping for good weather, and NO bears!!!  there have been way too many maulings this year,  another one on Friday night in Anchorage, and I think the last one before that was only a couple weeks ago in Eagle River.   I don't know if they are getting more publicized or people are just getting more ignorant about bear safety..... anyways, we will all camping with bells on.  :)

Seward Camping Trip

Grandma Kale at Exit Glacier.
Mom, with her big Texas hair (aka wind blown), at Exit Glacier.
The kids and Debbie playing in the wind at the glacier.
Georgea found a cozy place to eat breakfast.
OK, Ok,  I know you shouldn't photograph and drive, but I just couldn't resist this one.....  out across the Inlet, heading back home.
We saw this guy on the way down to Seward, even had to do the tourist thing and stop to take a few pics.
Just a good Seward pic, a boat in the fireweed.
Playing with the camera again.  Would be nice if I could really figure out what to do with it...  oh, I know, read the book!!!
Debbie, the kids, and me in out self portrait.

Eklutna Lake bike riding

The day started out pretty nice.  Good weather, happy kids....
Rosalee and Elic having a break by the lake.
Mom and me... finally a good pic.  Georgea took about 8 of them that were crazy... the dog poking out of the back of mom's head.  Nice....
I've always wanted a dog that swims... Chance SWIMS and RETRIEVES!!!!  and neither of those are actually what his breeds would have been bred for!!!  Good Dog...

So this was after the big crash..  she had already been doctored up and was still pretty upset.  Of course we still had to make our way back about 3 miles and she wasn't interested in doing it...  had to tell her it was the only way home.
She did make it out as you see by this pic.  Notice Elic in full gear... his camelback loaded down with everyone's coats, and the dogs water bottle.
This was right after the crash... but really what would you expect when a 6 year old doesn't use the brakes going down a gravel hill....  guess it's a "live and learn" moment.  She did much better on the other hills....  :)

The boating and swimming part of camping

This was actually the last attempt at boating...
This is how that attempt ended...  whah, whah, whahhhh....
We had some swimmers in the lake (south Rolly.)
We had some people trying to dry out and get warm;  Georgea and Angus,  Clara and Rosalee, and  Elic.
Georgea and Angus having a good time on the "fold up" boat.
This is a few of them out on the canoe...  of course it's obvious I was playing with the camera again.
Elic in the "fold up" boat.
Rosalee taking a dip.
A waterlily that we found... they were all so pretty, just a little bloom, maybe an inch or so across.

Big Lake, Boats and Biplanes

We went to Big Lake to go out on the boat...  after a couple hours we did make it out, but in the meantime we played.

A guy Rob knows from the Guard happened to be out there with his family.... they had a jet ski and tube.   So they offered the kids a ride while we waited....   

Georgea is "driving" in this one.
 Rosalee and Elic went on the tube  (notice Elic's cute hairdo-- windblown)
It was kind of cool to see a biplane fly overhead!
This is when we finally made it out on the boat... it was having some mechanical problems, but Rob got them figured out and we went out for a short ride.   
While we waited for the boat, the kids played on the "beach."  Elic found another use for his rain boots.
Georgea told me, "look at sweetpea, she's tanning."  I laughed because I knew what it really was.... napping...   Notice how great of a tan it would have been...  maybe a little on her legs!!!

I guess I'll clarify the great outfit too...  she hadn't planned on going out with us, so the wonderful matching pants, shirt, and socks are compliments of me.   She had mentioned about not running into anyone when we went to the store to buy new life jackets.... but guess what, sure enough she ran into someone she hadn't seen in a while!!

We had swimmers while we were on the beach.  Chance even swam a little.
We had Georgea buried alive, or more kindly called a living sand castle?

Elic "driving" the boat, of course Rob is blocking the fact the motor was being worked on!!!