Wildflowers & Glaciers

Dear Family & Friends,

Heather & Branson Hatcher Pass

Kitty writing this time:)

We have had a wonderful week. Our youngest daughter, Heather, and her new husband, Branson, came for a visit Wednesday. They were married last August and are expecting a baby boy at the end of October. We saw them at Christmas and it is wonderful to visit with loved ones. We have missed them. We wanted to see some new places and take them to a few of our favorites here in Alaska. 

Portage Lake

We decided to drive to Whittier and take a day cruise. We stopped and took this gorgeous untouched picture at Portage Lake. It was incredibly green, again due to the amount of rainfall. We then drove thru the 2.5 mile Whittier Tunnel. 

Whittier Tunnel going SouthEast

It's the longest highway tunnel in North America. It's a single lane cement road with curbs on both sides and an embedded railroad track. It is lit and there are safe rooms spaced every 1600 feet. It typically goes NorthWest on the hour, SouthEast on the half hour, and the train goes in between times. We queued up in lane one along with all the other cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, etc. You only pay to go to Whittier and since it's at the end of the line there is no add'l charge to come back. The speed limit was 25mph. It was an experience. That is one huge mountain.

Foggy and green in Whittier

It was rainy and foggy when we left port. We were blessed with some sunshine at one of the 26 glaciers. The crew was great. We met a couple from Heber City, UT while waiting for the tunnel, and a young man serving on the cruise that will be attending BYU Idaho next semester. Everyone is always so polite and friendly. 

Glaciers in Prince William Sound

The boat was quite large, fast, and comfortable. I didn't take anything for seasickness or need to wear a patch. They served salmon chowder for lunch with a roll, butter, coleslaw, fruit snacks, and a peppermint patty. We did see quite a few waterfalls, birds, bald eagles, and sea creatures including otters, whales, Steller sea lions, and harbor seals. Unfortunately, due to the weather it was not quite as spectacular as our other day cruises.

Waterfalls in Prince William Sound

Fishhook Trailhead view

The ride up to Hatcher Pass was just beautiful. It was quite chilly, but we dressed warm. The wildflowers are everywhere covering entire hillsides. The lupines are gone, but red ones have been added to the mix of yellow, purple, pink, & white. 

Independence Mine

There is an old mining town that is now Independence Mine State Historical Park. Many buildings have been restored, but much of it has fallen into disrepair over time. A gold miner was paid $1.04 an hour when gold sold for $35 an ounce in the 1940's. 

Hatcher Pass

It is hard to imagine how green it is here in the summer. It reminds me of what Ireland would look like. The pass is closed in the winter and it looks totally different covered in white. We are so grateful for a Divine Creator and this beautiful world. We heard it's also beautiful in the fall, so we will be back.

Summit Lake Hatcher Pass

We have our report to write tomorrow, Monday, for the Temple project. It is supposed to rain all day, so it was good timing. 

Our dear friend from Mapleton UT, Gary Peterson, passed away Tuesday. He died shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. His three wonderful daughters and their families are in our thoughts and prayers. It comforts me to know he is in Heaven with his wonderful wife, Marilyn. They adored each other. We knew when we left on our mission that we may never see some of our older friends again. We received a notice that meals were being brought into Gary. Farrell reached out to our dear friend, Larry Larsen. He told us about Gary and other ward members. Gary had been texting back and forth over the months here. I sent him a text at 9:40 AKDT that night, "Dear Gary, You are in our thoughts and prayers! Thank you for your valiant testimony. We have enjoyed your friendship over the years. God bless you until we meet again." At 6:02 MST his daughter texted: "This is Kristen. Thanks so much. I read him your text last night. He passed away this morning." I feel so blessed I was able to say goodbye. It is still hard, but we know we will see them again someday. 

We pray you and your families are doing well. Keep in touch. Give your loved ones a big hug tonight. Life is short. #ThinkCelestial

Love always,

Elder & Sister Badger

Maritime Climate

Dear Family & Friends,

Farrell writing this week ...

View on corner of Anchorage Alaska Temple property.

They tell us the rain comes in August and September here. It just poured for several days last week (about 3.25"). That is a lot of water for a desert boy. The new temple site had a good 6" of water on it but … no problem except for the mud because the center section where all the work is occurring is elevated enough that work continued without interruption. Of course the workers were dressed for rain. Someone told us the other day, the weather isn't the problem, it's just your clothes. I do think that is true -- at least in a cold climate. Warmest day of the year Saturday -- peaked out at 80F at least by the car thermometer. We have been feeling sorry for the folks in the lower 48. We had visitors from Yuma, AZ and I think they escaped 117F heat. The day they arrived here it was 53F. The perimeter concrete stub walls for the temple are continuing to go in. They painstakingly damp proof the exterior with a special emulsified black tar-like product overlaid with a plastic drain membrane covered in thick felt matting. They worked under a large sheet of plastic to pull that off in the rain.

We picked up the church Project Manager for the temple from the airport, on Monday. He is from Olympia, Washington and spends quite a bit of time on the road so we were happy to make life easy for him in any way we could. What surprised us is that he spent most of the day with us, including taking us out to lunch. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit and were able to help resolve a couple of issues that had been giving us considerable angst. We had been doing a lot of praying about them and he was the answer to those prayers. He is responsible for more than one temple and was on his way to Fairbanks to collect some information for that one. We dropped him back off at the airport mid afternoon. Fairbanks has its own challenges -- remote area, permafrost soil, supported by only two church units -- stakes (plus some very remote branches and or bush branch members) and other similar issues. Right now the Anchorage Alaska Temple is the northernmost LDS temple in the world. Once the Fairbanks Alaska Temple is built they will have that distinction. For the permafrost, they sink piles into the ground and actively keep them frozen. Buildings in Antarctica are supported the same way. He didn't share any dates, location or other information. It is interesting that the church has to decide where a new announced temple will be the most beneficial. It might be somewhere in South America or anywhere else in the world that takes preference for a time. 

The Church has developed some standard capacity based floorplans for temples to allow the 50+ temples to proceed. The Anchorage Alaska Temple is a 2-40 plan -- that is two marriage (sealing) rooms and two instruction rooms which have 40 seats each. Pioneer Temples (1800's) were all designed from scratch. The SLC Temple took 40 years to build and is now undergoing a major renovation. With modern equipment and designs, the standard is much different. Depending on the size and location, temples now are being built in a little under a year up to eight years (due to logistic or construction issues). Rome took eight years because after it was started the Church was not satisfied with the workmanship so shuffled the contractors and started over.

Blurry picture of Kitty with Merritt's.

Visitors to the visitors' center continue to come. Some days seem very busy while some are very quiet. What a joy it is to talk to them. All have stories to tell. Some of them may end up in our history book. The other thing we have had fun with is all the connections. Kitty's sister, Dawn, was married to Scott Norton who passed away in 2021. As we were cleaning up after Cookie Day, Kitty was casually talking to a couple with two children and learned the mother was from Alpine, UT. She asked them if they knew any Norton's. Simultaneously both parents said, "I am/she is a Norton!" It was like a family reunion the next instant. She was Dawn's niece and Kitty had attended Dawn's wedding reception decades ago at her parents' home. They now live in Virginia.

There is a special Spirit present when we tell visitors that they have a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior. We wouldn't tell them that if we didn't know it was true. Over and over again we have experiences and they share experiences that confirm that. We were asked to speak in the Hmong Branch Sacrament Mtg. today. It was very small and they meet in the RS room for Sacrament Mtg. The Hmong are a Chinese ethnic group that were driven out of Vietnam because they helped the Americans. Kitty shared a wonderful talk about her experiences in joining the church as a teenager. She spoke from the heart about being a pioneer and temples. These Hmong people are pioneers in their own right. I have given lots of talks but today was different. I had no inclination at all to use my notes. I expressed my feelings about the blessings of the temple.

The days we have all been waiting for are here. Brian Smith (Mission Presidency Councilor, bear mauling survivor, and all around outdoorsman) drops off a fresh Sockeye salmon fillet every once in awhile. Another friend is going fishing and said he would bring us back some salmon on Tuesday. I think his limit is 35/day. They call them "reds". They are running in the Kenai River and others. They use dip nets to scoop them out of the river. Don't know if that is really fishing -- they think it is. I just became an Alaska resident so next year will be able to join in the fun. The Westland Project Manager just came back from a fishing expedition with his company (team building event :-) with halibut, rockfish, salmon and a few other assorted species. Four members of their party were stuck for eight hours due to a car accident and everyone was worried their catch wouldn't make it. It did. Our prayers go out to those involved in the accident. Do not cross double yellow lines on a curve -- very dangerous.

The incredible Thunderbirds at JBER.

Can't wait for the raspberries and blueberries to come on (wild). Do you think we are having too much fun? We will have to run with it for awhile longer to see if it gets old. Just to put it into perspective, we do deeply miss our friends and family. Kitty can hardly stand seeing the grandkids grow up from a distance. The only thing that keeps her sane is talking to her daughters multiple times per week and occasionally a visit with a son and grandchildren. 

Farrell & Cox's touring cargo plane.

I miss working in the yard with no schedules or constraints. My deep suntan I was known for is completely gone. We did pick up a little sun yesterday--big airshow at the huge JBER joint U.S. air force/army base here. We walked thru a huge transport plane than can load from one end and unload from the other. The nose lifts up! Right out of a Star Wars movie. They even did mock battles in the air with multiple aircraft at once. It included F-22s, F-35s, helicopters, paratroopers (at least 30 at once), pyro on the ground (loud noise, fire, and a lot of black smoke which Kitty didn't like), etc. It's held every other year. By the time the incredible Thunderbirds showed up, I was worn out. You can't beat 78F with a light breeze and the smell of clover from all the fields nearby. Enjoyed the company of another Sr. Couple, the Cox's who are about to go home in September 11. We went to the MTC with them. They will be sorely missed. We are trying to enjoy their company before they leave.

Have a wonderful week. Keep in touch. We love hearing from you. #Think Celestial

Love, Elder & Sister Badger

Alaskan Residents

Dear Family & Friends,

July 11 at 10:09 p.m.

Kitty is writing this week:) It has been a wonderful summer here. Most days have been in the mid 60's. There has been lots of sun, occasional rain, amazing clouds, and everything is so green. The roads are lined with wildflowers. It looks like wild clover, daisies, alfalfa, sweet clover, red clover, and fireweed in wide swaths. The pink, purple, yellow, red, and white color combinations are beautiful. 

Heavenly smelling peonies

Our pansies, lettuce, spinach, and hanging baskets love this weather. The peonies finally bloomed and they smell heavenly. I picked some and brought them in the house. They always remind me of my Grandma Flikeid and her wonderful home on Wentworth Ave. in Minneapolis, MN. We lived with her for four years with my dad before she remarried, and I felt so safe and cared for there by her as a child. For the first three years after I planted them by our shop in Mapleton, when I smelled them I cried. I felt like I was eight years old again and I missed home and my Grandma. My sister, Dawn, came over and smelled them one year and we both cried. It's interesting how smells can evoke such strong memories.

We had hoped to get out on a bike ride or a long walk last week, but we never made it. It rained all day yesterday and today. That partly explains the green. The clouds and sunsets have just been amazing. The air smells so clean, fresh, and fragrant. I love this time of year here. 

View from Visitors' Center

We had the Meadow Creek Ward Primary from Eagle River come visit us last Tuesday morning. We think there were about 46 children, leaders, and parents in our trailer. We asked them to sing I Love to See the Temple accompanied by a video and music on our large screen. I think we understand a little bit better what it was like for the children to gather around the Savior at the Temple in the Americas after his resurrection. It was a special experience. After watching another short video about the Temple and answering questions, we gave them all souvenirs. Then they walked across the parking lot and had lunch on the manicured lot on the corner to the right of the Temple. 

An abandoned house used to be there, but local members of our church purchased it and donated it to the church. The house was torn down and the lot was landscaped. I walk across it now on my way over and back to the site. There are some very thorny but fragrant roses blooming. I stop everyday on my way back home to smell them. Farrell says we have some planted in our trail bed back home in Mapleton, Utah.

President & Sister Larsen with missionaries, many are leaving.

I had the opportunity to serve at the Temple Tuesday evening with the young missionaries that were leaving. I was in the Celestial room when they all started to gather. Many were standing, as it's not a very big room, and all twelve chairs and both sofas were filled. The Sisters were on one side and the Elders on the other. I heard later that after my rotation they had all started to cry. I'm assuming that she meant the sisters. 

Sky & mountains looking Northwest 

What a wonderful group of wholesome, precious young people. I gave all of the sisters hugs and once outside passed out Anchorage Alaska Temple souvenirs. One sister is going back to Utah and knew my son-in-law's brother, Ben Seelos, who she had an appointment with the next day to be released from her mission. He is a member of her Stake Presidency -- small world. After this picture was taken, I turned around and saw the most brilliant blue clouds I have ever seen. The picture here is without a filter. It was so inspiring.

Worker Appreciation Cookie Day is going well. While I was a the Temple Tuesday evening, Farrell was home making homemade fudgy brownies, along with baking frozen cookie dough balls. The workers always think I made the treats, but I am happy to give Farrell the credit. This week we have had two volunteers bring or ask to bring treats for next Tuesday. Sister Copping is well after two hip surgeries and she did Temple sealings with us Thursday. She asked if she could bring cupcakes for Cookie Day. We are not going to turn down any treats for the workers. Variety is the spice of life! We hope this opportunity will catch on in the wards and stakes here soon. Another Sister from Eagle River wanted to get the youth in her stake involved. Since they live rather far away I suggested notes, cards, or posters thanking the workers would be very much appreciated. We pray this will all work out.

Alaska license plate

We are officially Alaskan residents! At least for the next couple of years. The state requires us to register our car and change our driver's licenses. Since it was time to register our car anyway, we went ahead, changed over and renewed Farrell's driver's license at the same time. I still have to take the test before I get mine, but I want to study first. Farrell said it was harder than he thought. He didn't study and barely passed. Since we don't drink alcohol, we aren't up to speed on the limits and fines for DUI's, etc. Many of the Alaska venues offer resident discounts and next year we can dip net for salmon! Our license plate is white, blue, and yellow with a bear on it. The cool thing is the P in the upper right hand corner means Permanent. We don't ever have to register our car again in Alaska, ever. As an Alaskan resident 65 or older, we are exempt from fees and taxes when registering one vehicle. It was just $15 for the new plate and/or sticker combined. Sweet!  And ... no state income tax.

On Saturday we went to lunch with Elder & Sister Gailey from Farmington, Utah. They arrived about a month ago. They are so sweet! We look forward to getting to know them better. They are serving as Member Leader Support missionaries in Soldotna, about 3 hours away from Anchorage. They drove up to attend a sealing in the Temple of one of their friends to her deceased parents. She is a relatively new member who was sealed to her deceased husband a short time ago. They sat near us at lunch and we had a nice visit.

This morning, before church, Farrell picked up Brother Cox from the airport along with a car full of luggage. They drove to the Cox's apartment and traded cars. Their family had just arrived in Anchorage from an Alaskan cruise that started in Vancouver BC and ended in Whittier. They took a bus up to the airport. We traded cars with them so they could spend the day with their family. They have a mission car and it can only be used by missionaries. We drove up from Utah with our own car so we don't have the same rules and our car holds more people. 

We have a lot to look forward to this week. It's going to be very busy. We appreciate all your prayers. Most of the time we are very happy, but all missions have their challenges. We pray for inspiration, for the workers & their families, and to be in tune with the Spirit. You are also in our thoughts and prayers. Keep in touch and have an amazing week. #ThinkCelestial

Love, Elder & Sister Badger

Freedom Rings

Dear Friends and Family,

Beautiful sunset 11:24 PM

Farrell is writing this week:) There is nothing like the 4th of July with its celebrations that say mid-summer. Of course, if you are in Anchorage, that means mid 60's for daily highs and low 50's at night. While the rest of the country bakes, the Last Frontier folks (me) keep wearing sweatshirts and/or jackets. There are some who set that aside and wear real summer clothes. It makes us southern folks shiver a bit. The few fireworks we did see around midnight didn't look very impressive against a light sky.

L to R, Sisters Blakley, McKell, Badger,
Cox, Watanabe, & Newman

We had a July 4th gathering with other Sr. Missionaries and had the usual fare except for the BBQ part -- we don't have a grill, so the burgers came out of the oven. They were not nearly as good but the company was. We always hold these group events at our place of residence because it is a house with space for all. We spent several hours together talking about the 4th, our missionary assignments, people, food, but mostly families. Sister McKell's daughter is moving into our ward in Mapleton. Her and her new husband purchased Edeltraud Lawrence's home and are remodeling it. Sister McKell is from Spanish Fork, Utah. Small world!

Elders Newman, Blakley, Badger, & Cox

We added the Blakley's to the crowd who are assigned to the huge 64,213 acre JBER military base since the Kuerth's returned to Clinton, UT. We miss the Kuerth's who became good friends. The Blakley's are from Kansas and bring their own fun to the party. Elder Blakley can and does answer almost any question with a cowboy type poem. Where do these people get their memories for such things? What he didn't know was that Elder Newman had already set a high standard by quoting and writing some of his own.

Sisters Watanabe, Badger, & Newman
Kitty serves w. Sis.Watanabe at the Temple

We went to get our temple recommends renewed on Tuesday. Our ecclesiastical leader, while we are missionaries, is our mission president. We have seen him and associated with him several times but that is the first interview 9 months into our mission. It was good to talk with him. I told him I was expecting King Crab again for Christmas Dinner -- he smiled. He ate his share and if I had known at the time the rarity of such an event I would have more carefully followed his example.

My stomach had been hurting for a few weeks (not related to the crab subject). After that interview, I came home mid-morning and crawled in bed. I only got up that evening because of nausea and then went back to bed and stayed there until noon the next day. I went to the visitors' center to help Kitty out and then crawled back in bed. Early onset was a low grade fever and chills. Strangely, no headache, no sore throat, no cough or other symptoms. It is gone now including no sore stomach -- back to normal. The long onset duration is the strange part. Luckily Kitty was unaffected. She had her round of illness a couple of weeks earlier that lasted for at least two weeks. I missed that one. We have been sick several times since being here -- always long, usually respiratory. We have about decided that there is a whole different set of bugs up here. Not the insect type. On that topic we have been pleasantly surprised at the lack of objectional species here. An occasional very large mosquito accompanied by a much smaller one -- both undetectable by sound or feel.

Pink fuchsias nearby
at Bell's Nursery

In the midst of all the above, we continue to host a steady stream of visitors. Some come from around here but most come from the Lower 48. Some come to visit family but most are on vacation. Ages range the whole spectrum. We find it challenging when we are in the middle of talking to one family and then another group shows up we have to incorporate them into the discussion. Kitty and I  constantly coach each other after a day's work to make the visits better. We want to make them spiritual events and it seems in spite of our inadequacies, the visits are accompanied by a wonderful spirit. We know it is because we are on a sacred site talking about sacred subjects. Even the teenagers seem to pickup on it. Our biggest failing is to get off topic because they are on vacation in the wonderful state of Alaska. It is too easy to talk about the things to see and do. That is OK but after we discuss the spiritual & temple first.

On our way home from church today we drove by the temple site we noticed a car driving around in the parking lot. Being me and impressed to do so, I got out and went over to talk to them. They were hoping there was a visitors' center to bring their young family to. They had just come in from Austin the night before. That led to a sweet discussion. Very grateful that we met up. It wedged perfectly in between our church meetings and a monthly call with my siblings - Norm, Carolyn and Karla. I look forward to those calls. They have always been a strength and a social connection. In spite of their various trials, their faith and goodness continues.

The construction part of the temple build has slipped into a routine phase. It is exciting but also a little bit repetitious i.e. nothing new to see today. Many concrete forms going in. The day will come soon when there will be a BIG concrete pour. The milestone will be in about two weeks when they start stacking ICF blocks on the poured concrete walls. That will go on for a few months -- hopefully enough so that they can put the beginnings of the roof on and wrap the new building in plastic for the snow season.

Beautiful sky 10:07 PM

We couldn't let too much time pass without getting into a little trouble (again) on the site. I have had a lot of safety background and training but it doesn't always mesh perfectly with the requirements here. We and others have been restricted from certain areas because of the high level of activity -- long pieces of rebar being carried around, very heavy forms being lowered by crane, and forklifts moving all over. So we received clearance to hang out on one side by the excavated dirt piles to view/photograph the action. Seemed perfectly reasonable to climb the mound of packed dirt for a better view. It was flat on the top and we were even discussing bringing up some camp chairs to make it more comfortable. Later in the day, we discovered that our innocent activities had been reported. No, we cannot climb on the 12' tall dirt piles. Who do we think we are, kids? They are probably worried we could fall off one of the steep sides or get buried in dirt somehow. We appreciate them keeping us safe. 

I have been given permission to fly the drone to take site pictures (after I learn how to use it) so that should lead to some adventures. Kitty isn't really interested after having them fly all over our living room and she doesn't want to be responsible if it crashes. 

We hope you are all doing well. We know how life goes -- hope you are enjoying the joys and feel support in the sorrows. It is a good thing to know where to look for peace -- that is the Savior. #ThinkCelestial

All our love,

Elder & Sister Badger