#KateStrong

We were blessed to have gotten to know Kate Fronek over the years. And it was with a heavy heart that we had to say goodbye to Kate on July 17th. Presley and Kate both went to Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion since kindergarten. But we really got to know Kate and her family through soccer and hockey. Presley and Kate played on the same soccer and hockey teams for the last 5 years. Kate was a fierce athlete, a gifted student and a special friend to Presley. We also love her parents, Lisa and Scott. Scott, was Presley's hockey coach when she was 9. And like Ron, he shares a deep passion for playing the guitar and drinking craft beer (Lisa and Trisha were always there to singalong and celebrate as well).

It was a tough year for the Eden Prairie 12A hockey team this year. Ron was diagnosed with cancer in late December. Kate was diagnosed 2 weeks after Ron's surgery. We felt like we were fighting this cancer journey together and are so deeply saddened by her passing. Kate was a Supernova! While her star did not last long on this earth, it shined so brightly while she was here. I have attached a couple of pictures of Presley and Kate over the years. You will always be in our hearts!

10A Hockey Ice Cream Outing...



Stopping for lunch on our way to a Fargo hockey tournament at Kate's favorite restaurant - Culvers!



Getting ready for opening ceremonies at the USA Soccer Cup...



Another outing to Culver's before her bone marrow transplant...

15AAA End of Season State Tournaments

Baseball is a weird sport in that there are multiple state tournaments. Canyon's team won bids to both of the primary state tournaments. The first was in Rochester, MN where his team stayed at the same hotel we stayed for Ron's surgery and Presley's winter hockey tournament. The second tournament was in Brainerd, MN, which is a summer resort town. His team was down several players due to injuries and family summer weddings. For the Rochester tournament, the boys placed 4th. For the Brainerd tournament, the boys started strong but ended with a thud. Nevertheless, fun was had both weekends.

Playing against Icemen hockey team buddy in Rochester (game ended in a tie)...



Getting ready to try out the famous Newt's burger in Rochester...



At a VRBO with teammates in Brainerd staying up late playing spoons and lighting fireworks...



Brainerd sunsets and swimming...



Dad cheering us on from Salt Lake City with the cousins...

Basilica Block Party & Madison Wedding

Mom and Dad enjoyed some quality time this past weekend. We enjoyed our annual tradition of attending Basilica Block Party. It was an absolutely beautiful night. This year, we saw The Roosevelts, Cobi, Andrew McMahon NeedToBreathe (a current favorite), and Brandi Carlisle. The next morning, we headed to Madison Wisconsin to celebrate the marriage of one of Canyon's hockey coaches this past season. Super fun wedding with an amazing amount of attention to detail. Congrats Jimmy and Mara! Here's to life long love!

Alaska Day 8 - Last Day Anchorage Exploration

We spent July 4th in Anchorage. Our last day was absolutely stunning. We started our day with a bike ride along Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Mom, Dad, and Presley rented the coolest "Pedal Assisted" bikes to ride for the 11 mile trail (22 miles round trip) while Canyon opted for a traditional bike. The trail was voted one of the most beautiful bike trails in the nation and gently winds along the coast from downtown through scented forests (we passed by a moose along our ride). We enjoyed lunch (including a reindeer sausage) at the end of the trail before heading back to town. Then Mom and kids spent the afternoon at 49th State Brewery overlooking the coast and enjoying rootbeer floats to celebrate our great trip (Dad took a quick nap at the hotel). Before heading to the airport, we made a quick stop to the Alaska Heritage Center. The center was closed but we literally got stopped in our tracks by a black bear and her three little cubs. A great finale to a great trip!

Alaska Day 7 - Fly Fishing on the Kenai River

We were recommended to go fishing in Coopers Landing in Alaska. We made a last minute call to check on availability and were able to schedule a guided fly fishing trip on the Kenai River for trout for the four of us. It is a beautiful setting with the river surrounded by the massive peaks. This was a pretty chilly day so we were told that the fish may not be biting much. We decided to enjoy the ride and work on our fly fishing technique. All of us caught fish (except Ron). With each fish that we caught, the fish got progressively bigger. All trout are catch and release (within 10 seconds) so we tried to take pics quickly. Fun day on the river with our guide Patrick.





Arrival in anchorage with a beautiful view of the bay from our hotel room...

Alaska Day 6 - Glacier Climbing

Today is our last full day in Seward. We slept in and then headed to Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield. Exit Glacier spills from the Harding Ice Field. The Harding Icefield and its outflowing glaciers cover 700 square miles wide and is 1 mile deep. As a family, we all headed to the "Toe of the Glacier" via a 1.9 mile hike.

Pictures from Exit Glacier...


After visiting the edge of the Glacier, Ron and Presley decided to head to lunch while Mom and Canyon decided to climb the 8.2 mile and 3,000 ft elevation gain to the Harding Ice Field. It was a very tough but rewarding hike.

Crazy insects attacking us along the hike...


A view of the vast Harding Icefield from the top...


Mom and Canyon's picture from the top...


Canyon hiking along the glacier...


Mom making a snow angel in the glacier...

Alaska Day 5 - Kenai Fjords National Park

Today we traveled by boat to Kenai Fjords National Park, a place of towering ancient glaciers and abundant sea life. On our tour, we saw humpback whales, bald eagles, dall porpoises, stellar sea lions, puffins, and sea otters. We also got up close to Aialak Glaicer, where the ice tumbles from the Harding Ice Field into the Gulf of Alaska. It was a misty/cloudy day that really showed the essence of the area.

A cute sea otter greets us as we prepare to board our boat...


Mom and daughter enjoy the scenery...


Sea lions resting on the rocky outcroppings...


Dad holding ice from Aialik Glacier. It was so cool to see the ice crashing into the ocean...


A bald eagle perches on one of the many talon like peninsulas...


A rare brother/sister moment...


Family picture from the harbor after our boat tour...


Our harbor view from dinner at Ray's Waterfront where we enjoyed the freshest halibut...

Alaska - Day 4 - Travel Day

Alaska has exceeded all of our expectations to date. Today, we woke up and started driving to Seward. Along the way, we stopped in Talkeetna for lunch at the West Rib Pub and Grill. Talkeetna is the main hub for anyone attempting to summit Denali. Every climber has to pass through the Talkeetna NPS ranger station. This makes Talkeetna a pretty happening place for mountaineers. We stopped at West Rib where many of the climbers have their "last" dinner before starting their summit.



After dinner, we started the drive to Seward in the Kenai Peninsula. On an average day, this should be about a 2.5 hour drive. Our drive on this night was 5 hours because of a bad accident. The kids didn't mind, taking pictures of the traffic, throwing rocks into the bay, and playing trivia games with our family!

Alaska Day 3 - White Water Rafting & Night Hike

Pergandes were blessed with another amazing day in Denali National Park. We started today with a class IV river rafting trip down Canyon Run on the Nenana River. The river is all glacier fed, which means it is very cold so we wore drysuits to keep us warm. We still got to dip ourselves in near the end of the river. Here's a pic with our guide Peacock.



After rafting, we grabbed some great pizza at Prospector's Pizza (recommended by our rafting guides)...



We then went on a short afternoon hike at Horseshoe Lake Trail near the park entrance. It was a really cool trail where we encountered a moose with her two calves and saw several beaver dams.



We then came home for an afternoon/evening nap and bonfire at our cabin...



And the Pergande adventurous spirit came out. At 10:00 pm, we headed out for a "nighttime" hike to Mt. Healy Overlook. It's a 5 mile trail with a 1,700 foot elevation gain. We were literally the only ones on the trail. Such a cool experience because it never really got dark. In fact, the higher we got on the trail, the lighter the sky became. A unique Alaska trip highlight. And really proud of Ron and his determination and motivation. This was not an easy hike and this was a big step since finishing his cancer treatment. So cool that we could do this as a family...