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Day 18: May 17th

Second day in Homer

Today was an adventure in Alaskan Culture.  In the morning, we stopped at a local bakery for breakfast and then headed over to the Pratt Museum.  The Pratt Museum highlights the cultures of Kachemak Bay, the region surrounding Homer. It includes a small marine life viewing area as well as a historic log cabin.  For lunch, we stopped and another local place which is a favorite of Susan.  The café was called Veronica’s Coffee House and they sold a variety of coffees and teas, as well as artisan soups, sandwiches, and wraps. The food and drinks were absolutely delicious!

After lunch, we headed to Kenai to visit the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church.  Susan is friends with Reverend Thomas Andrew who works at the church.  He met us at the building to explain the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and its history in Alaska specifically. 

Later that afternoon, we traveled back to Homer and walked along the spit.  The spit is area on the coast which small shops and restaurants as well as docs for fishing boats.  Fans of The Deadliest Catch found the Time Bandit, the boat from the show, in the harbor and got as close as they could for a picture.  Others wandered through gift shops and walked along the cost, enjoying the ocean air and mountain scenery.

 

In the evening, it was time for grilling! Tyler and our driver Gary cooked chicken, brats, and hot dogs to perfection while some walked along the beach or enjoyed the hot tub.  In the middle of dinner, a bald eagle soared past.  To our excitement, it joined four other eagles on the beach who were fighting over a dead seal.  For the remainder of the evening, everyone hung out together, appreciating the beautiful mountains, occasionally eagle, and excellent friendships that we made on the trip. 

(C) 2014. All photos below are the property of Benjamin Bogard. All rights reserved.

 

Day 17: May 16th

Today was a surprisingly early morning.  Construction was being completed on the house and roofers were working on re-shingling the building in the morning, much to our dismay.  However, the noise forced us to be up and packing, working on our last preparations before leaving. 

We met Gary, our bus driver, around 10 AM in the Hope parking lot after dropping off the Hope vans we had been using for transportation during the previous two weeks.  What an awesome guy! Susan had known Gary from previous trips to Alaska and specifically requested him to drive our group to Seward and Homer. 

About halfway through our journey, we stopped for dinner at the home of Wartburg alumna Marilyn Gravenhorst and her husband Ron.  Before eating, Marilyn took the group on hike to Russian Falls.  After approximately a two mile hike, we were able to stand on overlooks to view the falls or hike down to the bank of the river.  A few daring students felt the water and were met with a rush of ice cold glacial water.  

After saying goodbye to the Gravenhorsts and thanking them for the wonderful food and generous hospitality, we headed off to complete the second leg of our trip to Homer.  For a majority of the way, the road followed a river that was icy teal in color.  Gary said that the chemical composition of the segment picked up by the glacial water and the rivers depth give it the translucent, light blue-green color.  

We reached Homer in the evening to stay in the beautiful Ocean House Inn. The first thing we noticed was the wonderful ambiance of the Inn.  The rooms had a homey, log cabin feel to them while not actually being made of logs.  All of our rooms overlooked the ocean and the mountain range across the bay.  Much to our excitement, the rooms also had had insanely large beds decked out with 12 pillows per bed! Everyone was also anxious to try out the hot tub located just outside our rooms.  People can enjoy a hot soak after a long day while watching the mountains turn pink with the setting sun. 

(C) 2014. All photos below are the property of Benjamin Bogard. All rights reserved. 

 

Day 16: May 15th

Last day at Hope!

It was a bittersweet day today as we finished our last day volunteering at Hope Community Resources.  While some students were happy to be rid of the paint brushes, we all won't be rid of the memories we have made during our time in Anchorage.  In just two short weeks that have flown by, we have made great friends with the staff of Hope and they have opened our eyes to new work styles, lifestyles, ideas, and values.  We were able to work at both ends of the volunteer spectrum.  With the Walk and Roll for Hope, we were able to see the fundraising side of Hope's work, getting out into the community to raise funds and awareness for the organization.  On the other end, we worked in maintenance, public relations, and in the discovery center where we were able to see how Hope puts their dollars to work to benefit the community and its clientele.

After our work day came to a close, we all got together in a board room with Hope's executive staff members.  We discussed what we experienced, what we learned, and how to improve the volunteer program.  We also were able to share some laughs over a delicious icecream cake! It was rich, chocolatey, and very difficult to only have one piece!

The majority of the evening was spent packing, doing laundry, and relaxing for our trip to Seward and Homer tomorrow.  However, to celebrate, everyone went to go bowling again since we had such a fun time the first go-round.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t cosmic bowling, but everyone still enjoyed their evening. Some students even won a free game after bowling a strike with a colored pin in the mix.  One student even got a turkey! (three strikes in a row)

Off to Homer tomorrow!

Delayed Posts

Apologies for the delay in posts. The current establishment we are staying has no wifi access. Posts will be updated and resume in a few days. 

Day 14 and 15: May 13th and 14th

More work!

Days are beginning to blend together as work at Hope.  Students worked on painting again for both days. However, this time, instead of painting walls and siding, students painted trim and boxes.  With heavy traffic going in an out of the maintenance building, a few students also stayed behind to organize and clean.

Tomorrow is our last day volunteering at Hope.  Over the past few weeks, the organizations has been very hospitable and generous to us while we help them with their various projects.  Each student has learned and gained from their experiences here in Alaska.  We have a "going away" gathering tomorrow with the Hope staff and then begins our next chapter of the Alaska trip as we will be traveling to Homer and Seward.

Day 13: May 12th

Today begins our last week working for Hope. 

More work greeted the crew this Monday.  Students broke up into small groups again to complete different maintenance projects for Hope. Paint continues to be a big theme of our time at Hope as scraping paint and painting were two of the major work activities.  In addition, students cleaned offices and organized offices.  Also, some students were lucky enough to work at the Discovery Center today.  They worked with kids, helping teach today’s topic of personal hygiene in a “Life Skills” course and playing with the children in the park. 

After the workday was finished, a group headed over to Earthquake Park to hike through the woods and admire the scenic landscapes.  With a beach nearby, the group also enjoyed the sunset over the ocean near Anchorage.  

Unfortunately, we learned today that no more students are allowed to go to the Ranch.  For unforeseen circumstances, the group who left for the Ranch in the morning returned that same time with the news that no more groups would be traveling up to the Ranch.  The news came much to the dismay of Susan and the students.  The last group that was planning to visit the Ranch on Wednesday and Thursday was crestfallen.  However, they will be planning a special trip to make up for the lost Ranch visit.

(C) 2014. All photos below are the property of Benjamin Bogard. All rights reserved.