A Good Place to Grow

This photo of my daughter (left) and niece exemplifies the reasons I couldn't imagine raising a family anywhere else. The two girls and their mom's consider this to be "their spot" despite the fact that only the fording of a small creek separates it from the bustling tourist hub of the Mendanhall Glacier Visitors Center. Just a couple miles from our house, they run here together (half in jogging strollers) regularly through the months of the year when trails are snow free. The girls throw rocks into the water, climb the adjacent hills, look for local black bears and salmon, and rarely want to leave when it's time. What a place to learn how to experience the world!