Sunday 30 June
Had a bit of a sleep in and then a leisurely breakfast before heading off to church at a nice 11am. So awesome to head back into a church we first visited 23 years ago, Montana Creek Baptist. They asked for a show of hands for first-time visitors and we encouraged Tayla, Dani, and Josh to put their hands up and they got a gift, but Larry called us out and said we were here 23 years ago.
We caught up with Carol Perrin (Larry’s mum) which was very special. I think we all had tears in our eyes getting to catch up again after so long. Also caught up with Peggy Hicks (David and the kids were working), although Larry was struggling a bit with our accent. Thought we were calling her ‘Piggy’.
Larry alerted us to the fact that a number of the men in the congregation had handguns under their shirts (printing), just a normal part of life in Alaska.
We made some marmite and chip sandwiches for everyone to try a ‘taste of New Zealand’. We then went out to the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge to a bear that Fern shot when she was 10 years old. We met up with their Aussie/UK friends, the Beringer family, or ‘Brossies’ as Larry liked to call them. Larry also met some people who he helped organise a flight to Brooks Falls.
Larry took Josh for his first flight and the rest of us walked with Max around town looking in the gift shops, seeing caribou, wolves and other creatures skins and furs in the shops. We then met up with Doulie and Darrel from Colorado (who had flown up) at Fairview Inn. Then Larry and Josh came back from their flight and met us at the Inn. Larry took Tayla for a ride on his bike around town and then Danika for a ride on his bike (Honda …) She didn’t have a helmet and he went 177km/hr (110mph). It took her a while to stop shaking but she loved it. Chris then went for a short ride but he knew better and only went 100km/hr (60mph).
We had a big American potluck dinner of hot dogs and hamburgers with Doulie, Darryl, and the Beringer family – David, Carol, Tom, Max, and Ed.
