An Adventure in Hope, AK

The Hope field trip day was filled with a tour of the museum that focused on the gold rush of 1889, creating some gasps and awes in the group as they learned about people arriving by boat on Turnagain Arm, living in wall tents throughout the winter, while working tireless days to find gold and strike it rich. Hope was a thriving community of 3000 residences, as today maybe 300 people live in Hope.

Creekbend Cafe welcomed our group of 17 with great Alaskan hospitality, including some amazing menu items of crab cakes and seafood salad. They sat us all together and new friends were made and old acquaintances caught up with stories of days gone by. Following lunch we traveled over to the Library and Gift Shop or The Book Shed (book donations), as our group broke into smaller groups. I found three women lounging in the library, enjoying each others company. We finished the day at the coast line, enjoying the light breeze and sunny skies.

It wouldn't be a successful field trip without a stop at Summit Lake for an ice cream cone and for some, dipping their toes in the lake edge. The Five and Dime club bought everyone a cone, as these are unrestricted funds that are raised to share with our elders. Conversations filled the bus and the overflow minivan, and it became difficult to get a word in edgewise, as we all have stories to validate and share. Last comment of the day: When is the next field trip, because I haven't left Seward in more than 5 years and today was the best day of my summer. Because of our partnership with Seward Community Foundation, we made memories to last a lifetime.