Thursday 18 July
Got up in the morning and went up to Independence (Gold) Mine and spoke to the guy at the kiosk by the gate who “loved our accent” which we get often, and allowed us in for $5 instead of $20. He recommended a hike to Gold Cord Lake. This was the prettiest walk we have done and one of the most picturesque spots we’ve seen throughout our whole journey. We walked up past a cute cabin and then on to some alpine lakes where the water is emerald green surrounded by huge rock faces. There was still a little snow on the ground in patches which resulted in a snowball fight between Dani and Josh, and some really nice photo opportunities. We couldn’t believe in the peek of summer, often being the only ones there to enjoy it. We stayed at the lake for a while and then headed back to walk around the Independence Mine site (self-guided tours), again getting an insight into life in Alaska during the Goldrush. Apparently, Independence Mine was the second-largest gold producing operation behind another that was based just out of Juneau.
Had some yummy filled croissants (thanks Danika and Josh) before heading back home to Talkeetna. Robin, Larry, and Robbie are getting ready to go to Osh Kosh, so we picked up a couple of slabs of pork ribs and Ross did his ‘World Famous (with our friends) BBQ’ and they didn’t disappoint. Tayla made some yummy veggies, homemade garlic bread, and a yummy chocolate brownie! We had angel food cake with cream, strawberries, and blueberries for dessert. The after-dinner entertainment saw an ultra-competitive 3-way double solitaire challenge – Ross/Chris v Tayla/Danika v Larry/Robin/Josh. None of us expected Larry not to win, but I’m sure this will not be the last challenge!
