We took to the Alpine Poppy Fields for the third year in a row, but this time, it was spent chasing Beckham the entire time.  From Beckham's POV, why look at flowers when you can sprint, biff it, get back up and keep sprinting? 

A quick visits from Kaeli and cousin Leroy. Beckham does not like to stop running for anything, pictures included. 

Part 1: The Fjords

When the boys left to go fishing for a few days on the peninsula, Rachel and I brought Beckham along for our own adventures.   We turned on a podcast and drove past through emerald terrain to the ruins of Independence Mine.  Where men once mined for gold now lay shambles of buildings amidst tumbling waterfalls and purple fields of fireweed. Unfortunately, we were only able to view stroller-accessible areas because it was too difficult for me to carry Beckham in his hiking backpack. Nevertheless, what we saw was breathtaking, and Beckham was more than happy to kick his feet up and enjoy the ride.

 I pictured this the summer of hikes -- we even got Beckham a hiking backpack to ride on Dallin's back Yzma-and-Kronk style.  Unfortunately, Beckham's legs are too skinny to fit comfortably in the backpack, and he's getting quite heavy for his front carrier. We had to find family friendly trails that were shorter and overall less intense. This June we found four beautiful waterside trails, each of which I would do again! 

Willow Lake Trail

Not pictured: the furry chirping critters that scurried around the lakeside that Beckham REALLY wanted to touch

Perhaps nothing has reminded me more of Europe than the Ashton Gardens and the Tulip Festival. With my membership, Beckham and I went to the festival 7 times and never grew tired of the lovely views.  We visited by ourselves, with family members, and with friends both new and old, and were sad to see the flowers fade away.