Month: July 2014

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

For our 10th anniversary Mountain Dad and I took a week long trip to the Frontier State – Alaska! It’s been on my list of places to visit for a long time now, and it was great to go without the tots in tow, just to enjoy time together. My next several posts will be about all the wild places we went to see – enjoy!

 Driving south from Anchorage along the Scenic Seward Byway was one of the highlights of my Alaska adventure. Steep mountain slopes, circling Turnagain Arm Bay is the quintessential Alaska image. The Scenic Seward Byway is a beautiful drive that can also be experienced by rail. By car or by rail, the Kenai Peninsula should not be missed.

At Mile Marker 47 on the Seward Highwayis nestled the 18 acre Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where we saw Wood Bison, Elk, Lynx, Great Horned Owl, Porcupine, Moose and Elk. One of the most interesting animals was the one winged Bald Eagle, Adonis, whose was brought to the center almost ten years ago with a bullet wound in its left wing. Being unable to survive in the wild, he now makes his home at the AWCC. 

One of my goals of the trip was to see a bear in the wild, and although the three bears in residence here are not exactly in the wild, they’re also not in the zoo either. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is working on expanding with its new BEARS exhibit. An additional 30 acres and research/visitors center building will allow visitors to learn more about native bear species in North America.

The two mile loop had a great viewpoint Turnagain Arm and surrounding snow capped mountains. The loop can be driven or walked (we opted to drive because of the rain). The gift shop has several tourist trinkets and t-shirts with all proceeds going toward the center.
I thought the price was steep for what we saw $12.50 per adult, $35.00 max per car, but I also don’t mind paying a little extra for a good cause.

Getting There: Head south from Anchorage on Scenic Seward Byway. Turn Right at mile 47 – look for the signs.
Price: $12.50 adults (12 and older), $9.00 kids age 4-12, Free for kids under 4, $35.00 total per car
Tips: Don’t touch the electric fence. This route would be a fun bike run with kids, if they can handle the gravel road.

Leo Carrillo State Beach, California with MommyHiker.com

The sun, sand and sea are rare for me and my tots. We spend our days in the cool mountains of Utah most of the time, but once a year I find myself craving the sound of waves hitting the beach, salty sea air on my face and a long stretch of sand for me and my kids to play in.

And no summer vacation would be complete without friends to share it with. On this excursion to Leo Carrillo State Beach in California I met up with Jennifer Fontaine, blogger and editor at MommyHiker.com and her lovely daughter, V.  I’m a fan of her blog, a follower of hers on twitter and facebook, but actually meeting face to face – chasing our kids in the water and looking for hermit crabs – helped me realize that all those words on a screen actually came from a human being, a great one at that.

It’s great to get to know the locals whenever you go, but even better when you have something in common. Jennifer’s commitment to having the outdoors part of her family life inspires me to do the same, to take time to explore through the eyes of a child and enjoy what nature has to provide.

And Leo Carrillo State Beach in Southern California has plenty of things to explore. V and Big E hopped from rock to rock chasing seagulls and searching the tide pools for crabs, I watched pelicans soar overhead, while little g contentedly made sand cupcakes. 


Located 28 miles northwest of Santa Monica, Leo Carrillo State Beach is unique with a protected cove toward the north and rocky tide pools that can be explored at almost any time of day (low tide obviously allows for more wildlife). It’s a great family beach and with the Leo Carillo State Beach Campground just a stroll away, it can also be a great place to stay. The parking and campground area is located just under the highway, accessed by a pedestrian tunnel decorated with all sorts of amazing sea life.

My one complaint of Leo Carillo State Beach would be the scarcity of good boogie board space, but with nature you can’t be choosy.

All in all, the beach was great, the sun warm and company stellar. It was so fun to enjoy a day in the sun with MommyHiker.com, I may just need to plan a visit to the ocean more than once a year.

Leo Carrillo State Beach Info
How to get there: Take Hwy 1 in California 28 miles northwest of Santa Monica
Features: Tide Pools, Protected Cove, Beach Combing, Surfing further off shore
Tips: If you want to camp at Leo Carrillo Beach Campground make your reservations early!

Glassblowing at Sundance Mountain Resort, Utah

I wrote the following blog post for Sundance Mountain Resort about their awesome glass blowing program. If you ever have a chance to check these artists out, DO IT!

This article originally appeared at www.sundanceresortblog.com.

Sundance’s Recycling Glass Program by Susan Strayer

Beautiful colors mix in a molten sphere as artisans create fragile treasures to inspire and admire.Sundance Mountain Resort boasts one of the nation’s only recycled glass workshops, where Mexican artisans Gustavo Calderón Sr. and Octavio Fidencio Flores mold and shape old bottles into new beautiful creations. This past week I spent some time chatting with them while admiring their work.
 Glassblowers 2
Speaking in their native Spanish, Gustavo explained how the furnace functioned. “We have three ovens here, one melts down old bottles at 2,000 to 2,300 degrees Farenheit. The finishing oven is used to heat the project while we work it, to keep its shape. The final electric oven finishes the glass, lowering the temperature slowly so the piece doesn’t break.”

  Phase 02 water web
All the glassware at Sundance Mountain Resort, from drinking glasses in the cabins to platters at the restaurants, is made on site in the Art Studio’s glassblower workshop. Pitchers, glasses, platters, vases, wish balls, and beautiful ornaments are created here. Whatever is not in use in the restaurants is on display in the Art Studio Gallery in a colorful array like a stained glass window.
 Glass (9 of 10)
“Glass blowing is about teamwork,” said Octavio. “I blow and shape the glass to give it the form and Gustavo finishes. We always make new things, so it never gets boring.” As I watched Octavio take a glowing glob out of the furnace, I could see he was right. The pole he used was like a big straw and he could blow into one end to inflate the glob into a sphere. Gustavo was on hand to add colorful shards into the pole before Octavio put the piece into the second oven. Then like dominoes falling into place Gustavo was ready to snip the globe, finish the wish ball ornament and place it into the final oven. It was like watching a well rehearsed dance with both people anticipating their partners’ next move.
 Glass (3 of 10)
“We have to work quickly with recycled glass,” Gustavo explained. “It’s harder to bend. With new glass workers could take up to an hour to make a platter. With recycled glass we have maybe ten minutes.”
 He explained that it takes up to ten bottles to make one drinking glass because of the quality and thickness of the materials. Empty wine bottles from the restaurants and soda bottles from the deli are collected at the resort and turned into new glassware and décor. Even local homeowners like myself have been known to leave their used bottles from time to time.
  Phase 01 waterweb
Both Gustavo and Octavio hail from Guadalajara, Mexico where there is a strong glass blowing tradition. For the last thirteen years, this pair has left families at home to share that tradition withSundance Mountain Resort guests. Working next to furnaces of several thousand degrees can’t be easy but when I asked how they managed the heat they just shrugged and said, “Your body get used to it.”
To see these artists in residence in action, stroll past the workshop Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm May to January. You won’t be disappointed. Glassware can be purchased in the Sundance Art Studio.
 Glasses2
Susan Strayer is a resident of Sundance and an outdoors enthusiast. Read more of her outdoor adventures at www.mountainmomandtots.com.

Better than the Aquarium: Tide Pools at Carpinteria State Beach, CA

I have a thing for starfish. I find them beautiful and fascinating, even more so when I can see them in their natural environment. One of the coolest, mind-blowing experiences I’ve had this year was watching sea life in the tide pools at Carpinteria State Beach in Southern California.

Maybe I find these animals so amazing because they are not part of my daily life. As a mountain mom, I grow tired of seeing deer, wild turkeys, blue jays and hummingbirds. They’re always around. But sea stars, anemones, crabs and harbor seals? That’s something to see.

On our visit to Carpinteria State Beach tide pools little g was most excited to find this baby sea star hiding in the sea weed, but my favorite animals were farther out – the harbor seals that rest on the rocks near the shore. Below is a photo, but you have to look closely – their camouflage is pretty good.

Finding different kinds of wildlife gave me a chance to see nature through the eyes of my children. Watching anemones curl into themselves, and explaining the empty crab shells we found on the beach, gave me the chance to explain what a food chain is.
Encouraging little g to touch with care, and look for snails under the shells she found gave me a chance to watch exploration and discovery through her eyes. Having Big E tell ME what camouflage means made me realize that kids pick up a lot without me even really trying.

 

Exploring the tide pools at Carpinteria State Beach was better than any trip to the aquarium. Not only did we get to see unique and interesting wildlife in their natural habitat, but we got to explore and discover new things as a family.
Read about last year’s Carpinteria adventures here and here.