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 ♥

camping trip to Hidden Lake

Saturday we woke up a little early and piled into the truck headed for the Kenai Peninsula to go camping with my family. We drove about three and a half hours from Butte, to Anchorage, to Cooper Landing, to the Skilak Lake Road, finally arriving at Hidden Lake Campground around 9:45am. Cinnamon rolls in my parents camper tasted perfect and brought back a flood of memories from all our camping trips over the years. I was so glad to be there, squeezed into the little dinette, chatting with my mom, while my little sis iced the hot rolls and my dad read quietly on the couch. 

After we got our tent set up, we all went to Kenai for my dad's Geocaching event. Riggs followed my dad around calling out "gampa!" and eating all his baked beans. We took a little walk to look out over the Kenai River, where my adventurous boy kept getting so close to the edge, making me hold my breath and keep a very close eye on him.

Our little family left the event early and cozied up in the tent for a little afternoon siesta. My goodness it was hot, but it felt good to just lay in the heat and alternately stare out the window at the sky or watch Riggs play. Once he tired of playing with his cars, he read and cuddled with daddy. Seeing them together makes my heart melt, or maybe it was the heat? 

When 'gampa', 'mah-ma', and 'bek' got back, it was time for dinner around the campfire. I stayed close to the fire and smoke to keep the mosquitoes at bay, despite the heat. I also kept my sweatshirt on, hood-up and I think that helped a bit too. Riggs didn't seemed bothered at all, and played around the campsite, with his car and his ball. After dinner, there was the remote control car. Riggs was so intrigued by this, and had the best time chasing it around as grandpa drove it. 

Soon it was bedtime, and we were happy to find that the tent had cooled down enough for us to want to snuggle into our sleeping bags and get cozy. There was reading before bed, and then there was a little playing, and then there was sleep. I just love watching Riggs while he sleeps, I miss that so much from when he was in bed with us. But I don't think he misses it very much, because he really needed his own space and did not want to be snuggled up next to me for very long. Poor mama.

In the morning there were more cinnamon rolls, and talking, and laughter, and a walk down to the lake. Then we packed up and headed home. A lovely summer weekend spent with family, my favorite.