Wednesday 3 July
Tayla and Danika went on a float plane ride at 9:30am with David Hicks around Denali National Park. The views were unreal and we couldn’t believe how big everything was. We flew over base camp which only a few dots in the snow below, and also saw the Mountain House which would cost $20,000 to stay in for one night including the accommodation cost and the flight out there. Julia Roberts came out and stayed there with her family last year – Larry got a hug and a photo with her during her visit!
We offered to cook dinner so drove up to the Y and went grocery shopping at Cubby’s. It was fun to look at all the brands etc and Danika cooked her coconut creamed chicken pasta with spinach, cherry tomatoes and roasted yams. It was yummy! Tayla cooked brownie which we had with strawberries and cream. Rose (Robin’s Mum) came for dinner and cooked a Strawberry and Rhubarb pie which was so yummy! Carol Perrin (Larry’s Mum) who we spent Christmas with in 1996 came also. She now lives at Larry’s property Chris and Ross had previously stayed in. Leroy and Gail Rotgers from Florida arrived with their daughter and two grandchildren. Larry and Robin had been stranded in bad weather in Florida and he took them in. Leroy is also a pilot.
Before dinner we heard that a fire had started in Montana Creek Road where we had gone for the quad bike and peonies tour yesterday and was within a mile of Cindy and Marks house. Over the course of the evening the fire spread to 300 acres but the fire service laid retardant around 90% of the fire to contain it. Because of the damage the Spruce Beetle, there were lots of dead trees which were just like matchsticks.
Rose, had been mowing her lawn but it was too hot so after dinner, we went with her and Josh mowed the rest of her lawn and Danika came to take photos of her amazing home with so many treasures. They both rode quad bikes over there on the main road (without helmets) as that’s what you do at around 60km/hr. Rose, her husband and Robin lived in Platinum, which was a Platinum Placer Mine near the Native community of Y’pik Eskimos. Rose had a collection of baskets that she had brought from the native’s. They were made of grass and dyed Seal Gut and were beautiful – Rose said one of the smaller pots would be worth about US$1000. They are a real treasure, and they are no longer being made. She had ones twice the size and had so many pots. She also painted and did mosaics. Her work was gorgeous and her garden was too. We then drove home with Danika and Josh on the quads.
Robbie took Joyce Kinter for a flight and said the fire had died down.
