family day trip to Matanuska Glacier

After our busy Saturday following a few weekends in a row of non-stop plans, we decided to have a lazy family-oriented Sunday, and I don't think we could have picked a better day for our little stay-cation. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky when we woke up, and we were able to truly relax for the first hour or two of our day, knowing we didn't have anything planned, that we didn't have anywhere we had to be at a certain time. 

Typically we go to sunday school and church every Sunday, which we love. But we live nearly forty minutes away from our church and sometimes the hour and a half-plus of driving can be pretty exhausting. We definitely missed seeing everyone and joining in the service and that was the only downside to having our 'family day' land on a Sunday. 

The kids and I had a light snack right after waking up, and I got dressed to go on a run while they played. I left right after I put Raina down for her nap, which was a little earlier than usual because she woke up at 6:30 instead of 7:15/7:30. I'm working on increasing my mileage every week since I'm doing the Her Tern Half Marathon in July, and I had a comfortable-paced five mile run planned. Weekend runs are some of my favorite, (if Steve is home) as I'm able to run without the kids/stroller and I really enjoy the time alone to just think about things that have been on my mind, or to just zone out and enjoy some music and the gorgeous scenery around me.  

Tutka is a great running buddy

When I got home I stretched out in the sun and came inside to find Steve laying on the floor in our bedroom with both kids playing/crawling all over him. They're both all about Dad when he's home and I love to see the three of them together. I made a big Sunday breakfast and as we all ate Steve and I thought a drive and a hike sounded perfect, so we packed up some healthy snacks and gear for the kids, piled in the truck and hit the road.

We drove north to the Matanuska Glacier Recreation Area, right past mile 101 on the Glenn highway. It was a perfect amount of driving for the kids to both get their nap and Steve and I got over an hour of uninterrupted talking time - a complete win-win. Riggs woke up right before we got to the parking area and we showed him the Glacier and talked to him about what a glacier is, ect.

The Recreation Site had a nice large parking lot with picnic tables and a mile long trail through the woods to even better Glacier viewing sites. The trail was wide enough for the double stroller which was really nice too. Riggs brought his bow and got in some target practice both in the parking lot (we were the only ones there) and along the trail.

There were about three or four lookouts from the trail with phenomenal views of the glacial valley:

 Raina rode in the stroller most of the time but got out at the mid-point of the trail to play a little bit. Why are the two of them so cute together? ♥

Riggs got in the stroller for part of the 'hike' and was very

excited to find a lady bug. He's petting it in this photo, "very carefully mama,"

Riggs learned how to use Steve's binoculars and didn't put them down the rest of the trip; I think he needs a little pair of his own for our next hike.

Before we left we also walked through the small campground that's included in the Matanuska Glacier Recreation Site. There are about 20 sites with tent pads and room for small motorhomes and camper trailers. We picked a favorite site and can't wait to come back and camp a little later in the summer when we have a longer weekend.

We kept going north to check out the Sheep Mountain Lodge area. Sheep Mountain got it's name from the iron and other mineral deposits that color the mountain side and draw mountain goats from all around for the nutritional value in the minerals. The lodge has individual cabins and a main building/restaurant that Steve and I want to try out this summer too, and explore the trails in the area.

It was a perfect day and we had so much fun spending the time together and enjoying the beautiful state we live in at the same time. If you're in Southcentral Alaska I highly recommend a visit to the area, as you can see from my pictures it's just breath taking. we can't wait to go back again when the leaves are out and everything is green and growing.