first camping trip of the year!

Ok, so fair warning, this may be the longest camping post you've ever read. Or more accurately the most picture-filled camping post you've ever read. After you've gotten to the end (if you make it to the end) you'll probably feel cheated out of a whole five or ten minutes of your life that you'll never get back. But you know what? I'm going to post it anyway! 

Friday we went up to Chikaloon to camp with my parents for the night. Steve was actually in Homer for an archery clinic with his dad and brother, so he didn't get to come along. I can't wait to go together as a family in the near future when we get a chance, Riggs (and I, of course) really missed having Steve there. My parents couldn't meet us there until after work but I wanted to drive during afternoon nap time, so we headed out around 1:30.

The drive up north from Palmer on the Glenn Highway is just breathtaking, no matter how many times you've driven it. I swear I could just sit in one of those turnouts and stare at the view for hours and hours, it never gets old. We were camping at the King Mountain Campground, which is a really nice state campground with about 24 sites right alongside a stretch of the Matanuska River that boasts a wide expanse of beach for kids to play on. 

We got to the campground, picked out our site and got right to unloading the truck and setting up our temporary home. Raina wan't too sure about everything but once I got the snacks out she settled right in. We stayed at our site for a bit, me relaxing and reading, Raina exploring the tent, and Riggs getting fully acquainted with every inch of the site.

Last year we didn't get to go camping at all (other than meeting my parents for the day at their campsite) with Raina being a newborn and Steve being so busy at work. The year before that we went a few times but Riggs was so young that it wasn't really that exciting to him. This time? Different story completely. He loves loves loves camping. 

It was so much fun watching him do all the things I used to love doing as a kid, playing in the campsite, climbing every rock in sight, hand pumping the well, building a fire, and falling asleep long past his bedtime when he couldn't keep his eyes open one more second. 

We left the campground and walked over to the old King Mountain Lodge which is right next door to the campground. It was originally established in the 1940s and is closed now (and for sale too - a little history here). It made me a little sad to see the place abandoned, there are so many of these small 'roadhouses' in Alaska that are closing. As I walked around the old cabins and down through the lodge campsites I thought of how much potential there was, if someone with good management skills and a lot of money were to buy it. I hope someday it reopens again.

Enjoying the sunshine back at the campground before

my parents got here, also picked the site we want to get next time.

Ah peaceful silence, two sleeping babies. Riggs slept in the camper with my parents,

Raina was in the tent with me and slept better than she has been at home. Figures. 

Waking up in the tent next to this sweetie may was the best start to my day.

We sent the morning in the camper with my parents, my mom 

made orange cinnamon rolls, a camping tradition in our family. 

 We went on a hike on an abandoned portion of the old Glenn Highway 

so my dad could log some geocaches and benchmarks there.

Got a little run in while my parents geocached with the kids.

Back at the campsite we all needed some nap/quiet time, and I read 

in the tent while the kids slept and then fell asleep myself for thirty minutes.

Heavenly.

After a quick dinner together we packed up and it was time to head home.

Had to snap a picture of the kids in the site before we left; they had so much fun.

I cannot wait for the next camping trip, especially since Steve will get to come with us ♥