First Camping Trip of 2013: Eklutna Lake

 Memorial Day signals to Alaskans the first warm weekend of the year...a threshold into a summer long awaited.  With this year's fickle winter, this couldn't be any more true. It had snowed several inches just the weekend prior. It seemed all the residents of AK communed in collective prayer for sunshine and warmth after that mid-May snowstorm. Thankfully, the power of prayer is a strong force indeed.

I've commented on FB as we departed for this trip that this was definitely THE most unorganized camping trip we've ever tried.  In hindsight, it was pretty well planned.  I think the touchiest part of this endeavor involved in the securing of a first-come-first-served site at the Eklutna Lake Campground, since this place is a go-to for many locals.

Wednesday night, hubby and I went out to the lake after we put the kiddos to bed, and thanking the heavens for late hours daylight, set up the tent in one of the handful of vacant sites on the grounds.  We left, arriving back at the casa close to midnight, hoping nobody would notice that our site was unattended (apparently the practice of setting up camp just to reserve it is not allowed). Both Louie and I still had to work on Thursday...and we planned to make it out with the rest of our gear and the children plus dog that night.

To our relief, our site was still how we left it. It turned out driving out the night prior was a good decision.  When we came back, the campground was full, to include the overflow campground!

The kids lucked out when they found a homemade bow and arrow at the site.  Sophie didn't waste any time pretending to be Katniss. 

The Mister takes these trips as an opportunity to teach the children basic survival skills. In previous years, Dylan was the only one old enough to build a fire himself.  Now, Soph has stepped into his position, with Dylan moving up to the task of guiding her should she need help (of course, hubby is watching very closely as well).  This was the very first campfire she built all by herself.  Look at how proud she is.

Baby girl does NOT like smoke in her eyes. 

 We had plans to kayak the lake the next morning...but this revelation derailed our plans. The late season snowfall and low temps kept it iced over well into the end of May.

Instead, we decided to try to climb as high as we could on the Twin Peaks trail.

Sophie would blaze ahead, impatient with the slow pace. Liv would plop herself down in the middle of the path, as is the norm, and overturn large rocks embedded into the trail just so we could marvel at her strength. 

Mister D joked about the absence of the bench I had touted as our turnaround point, promising them  several times during our walk that it would be "just around the bend".

We stopped after about a mile and a half, never finding the bench we had strived to reach. The constant uphill grade was a bit much for the little one, who wasn't up to physical exertion that morning. 

 Back at camp, I whipped up some fried rice from some leftover rice and chicken adobo.

Then we drove two miles up the road to Rochelle's Ice Cream Shop for dessert.

Dylan always orders a banana split when we drop by here. I tried the Glacier Float (blueberry ice cream in 7Up) which was interesting and strangely delicious.

A quick run to town to purchase a new air mattress (the old one had an irreparable leak) took up the rest of our afternoon.

our goofballs

Homemade chicken and dumplings for dinner.

S'mores for dessert!

The next day was as bright and warm as the day before. We gathered our bikes and headed down the lakeside trail for a quick ride.

Roxy had a body harness tethered to the bike as well!

 One of our fave families came to visit and brought over a cookie cake to celebrate my 35th year of being YOUNG. As if that wasn't enough sugar, we drove over to Rochelle's again for some ice cream!

The telescope zoned in on the herds of Dall sheep grazing along the mountaintops.

If you can spot the outcropping of land jutting into the lake on the left hand side far off in the distance under the mountain, that is where we camped in a public use cabin last year.

As always, father and son occupied their time with rock-throwing contests...

...while Sophia dug in the glacial silt and rocks.

And as anxious as I was before this trip, it turned out surprisingly well.  The meals were planned just right. Aside from having to purchase another air mattress, we had all the gear we needed. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and everyone had a great time.

Not a bad way to kick off summer!

All Aboard! Alaska Railroad's Easter Train

 

Since the event that called for multi-colored eggs strewn haphazardly across the surface of a semi-frozen parking lot, and fighting to keep my kidlets from being bulldozed over by other eager children and their even more overzealous parents is NOT my idea of an appealing Easter themed activity, we had to think of something else. Mister and I had wanted to take them on this trip for the last two years, but we always remembered to buy our tickets too late. Not this time!

The Alaska Railroad holds special event trips like this, including the Polar Express trip during Christmastime, and even beer/wine tasting trips, throughout the year.  For a fee, you embark on a trip from Anchorage to the little town of Indian (situated along the Turnagain Arm), then head right back.  During the trip, themed arts and craft activities, a coloring contest, and visits from a magician and the Easter Bunny himself take place. Big plus? Mommy and Daddy get to look out and enjoy the fabulous scenery that Alaska always has to offer. 

The girls watching the crew prepare the cars for boarding.

Note all cars are glass-domed.

Playing Hangman

Dall Sheep were all over the cliffs along Turnagain Arm.  This little one was our favorite. We also saw a moose inside the city limits, and bald eagle during this trip.

As the kids busied themselves with coloring and assembling an Easter egg mobile, Mister and I couldn't draw our sights away from this scene.  The tide was on its way out; you could see the floating icebergs retreat rapidly with it.

Love that we just had to sit comfortably in our seats and Bunny came to us.  

Waving to the train passing us.

Little Miss Liv so proud of her work.  Although every child received recognition over the intercom and received a small prize for their artwork, Liv got first place in our car. She received an Alaska Railroad train set as a grand prize.

Battling an Atypical Winter

 

After earning bragging rights of living in Anchorage during its record-breaking snowiest season for the 2011-2012 winter (134.5 inches!), it was no wonder that I, along with everybody else, expected another similar winter this season. We were sorely disappointed. I suppose that's the downside of having expectations. These past few months, in regards to snowfall, have been a major disappointment.  But ya'll know Fam Och; we always find a way to keep busy and have fun.

Tubing at the base ski hill

Trying out her new snowshoes

Zoo Lights! 

When it's too ugly slash dangerous out to do anything, then we'll opt for indoor activities like

Aces Hockey games

Dylan's basketball games

But whenever we can, we are out there...

Sledding

Cross-Country Skiing

Ice Skating

Tubing (again), at night

This winter has been rough on all of us...it seemed like every week at least one of the crew was afflicted with one virus or another. And then there's the freezing rain, and the oddly warm temperature that melted all the snowpack away and transformed every surface into a sheet of ice.  Mother Nature was not kind at all this season.  But any spare time in between yucky circumstances, we have been out there. 

There are no guarantees in this military.  A standard extended long tour can be interrupted suddenly and send many a person reeling into a panic of I-still-haven't-done-this-or-that. Hopefully, with the approach we are taking...not waiting for the perfect time/weather/whatever...and simply going out there and doing it, this fam won't have any regrets of missed opportunities when it comes time to pack up and ship out of here. So happy winter from us to you! Get outdoors and enjoy yourselves!

Viruses, Children, and this Crazy Winter

 

 The children were/are/will be sick.  First, it was Sophia. The fever came up the Sunday of a three day weekend. After four days of sitting on the couch, we took her in to confirm our suspicions...yessir, influenza. The poor girl stayed home all week.  She missed the awards ceremony (she was due to receive another academic excellence award) and the spelling bee she worked so hard to study for.  The following Saturday, she was (finally) okay.  But then Liv had come home from school the day before and immediately laid down on the couch. 102.6 fever. *Groan*  This morning, Dylan's incessant coughing woke me. *oh, no* He insisted he just had a small cough (he has basketball games every day this week). Mean momma made him stay home.

Kids will get sick from time to time. This winter has been pretty brutal for this fam, though.  And now, they all want to be ill right before I start work.  Ugh. You would think as it is cold as all h3ll (-20, high of ZERO) these viruses would just freeze.

Staying Ahead in the Game: Summer Planning

Ya'll have called me crazy, I know. Summer isn't for another six months, Winnie! Yep! I'll smile and say, "Yes, I know." But hey, when you're smack dab in the middle of July on a bright sunny beautiful Alaska day, and you say, "Hubby, we really should go camping in this weather!"...and then spend the rest of the day cooped up indoors trying to search for a campground with a vacancy and FAIL. I'll be the one snickering (I'm not that nice, you know.) We learned this lesson the hard way last year, and even now, some facilities we wanted to reserve again are already booked.  

Last year, the fam figured out just how extensive an adventure we could pull off with the munchkins. The one that comes to mind is Dylan's birthday, in Denali National Park, and the girls dragged me up to the Mt. Healy Overlook 2.5 miles straight up and another 2.5 miles down.  I'd say they're capable of plenty. So much more camping, hiking, adventuring to do!

Remember last year when I obsessed and obsessed about finding the only iris field in south-central AK? Well this year our family photo will be taken here...lupines this time. And yes, I know where it is. 

One on our hiking list: Virgin Creek Falls

I'm also bound and determined to hike the Hatchers Pass area, with Gold Cord Lake Trail as the first on the to-do list. And maybe, I can convince the girls to hike the Butte in Palmer.

Our big trip this summer is here:

Homer, Alaska

Every year since we've been in AK, we go on a special trip for Dylan's birthday. We were first considering taking an RV there, but since we want to explore more of Kachemak Bay Park (that swathe of land across the bay) rather than Homer itself, it didn't make too much sense to do that. (Halibut fishing is not an option for us. (Little Livy is allergic to fish --the other one (Sophia) who loves seafood gets seasick)

We will stay here across the bay in an ocean front cabin. Sweet!

 

One of the days in Hideaway Cove will have us hike the Grewingk Glacier trail, and kayak in its lake. 

The next day, we'll water taxi it back across, stay at a local inn and explore the town, Bishop Beach, and it's tide pools (we are timing it just right during a negative tide...yeah I looked that up, too). Needless to say, we are excited.

Camping? Yes, please. Our traditional Memorial Day camping trip to Otter Lake will once again take place on my birthday. :-) Calendar is marked the day reservations will be accepted for Eklutna Lake (group), Russian River, and Williwaw.  

Biking? The Bird to Gird trail is still the biggest item on the biking bucket list. 

And this doesn't count all the other stuff we're gonna take my sister's fam to (the Rigby's are coming for a visit in June).

So much to do! Now if only winter would speed up!

Better Late than Never?: Fam Och Holiday Newsletter

 As organized as I proclaim to be, sending holiday mail on time or at all is always a task I fail year in and year out. Gomenasai! We hope your holiday season was as blessed as ours. Here's to another year!