July 12, 2009

Today we got horrible news from my mom. Elvis, our beloved cat of almost 15 years had to be put to sleep. Diabetes, keytosis, and old age finally got the better of him. We shared many highs and lows of our lives with him. He was a great companion to both of us and we will miss him forever. The worst part of it all was that we were not able to be with him at the end. Thank you Mom Koeferl for holding his paw for us through the last minutes of his life. Rest in peace our "Little Buddy". After shedding many tears, we headed south of Whittier to Granite Creek Campground. We got a beautiful site surrounded with mountain views. After we set up, Mike crossed the creek and explored. Then we set up a campfire on the rocky shore of the creek. We made good friends with Steve the campground host. He came over and we drank a few beers, roasted hotdogs, and chatted until 3:00 in the morning. This was the first time we had seen the moon and a few stars in Alaska! We have never been awake long enough for darkness to fall on this equisite northern wilderness.