Summer Camping

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Camping in Alaska this summer, well spring too has been quite an adventure. We started the season at Eagle River campground which was the ONLY sunny weekend, the beginning of May, till now, mid-July! Eagle River was lovely, definitely close to town but also quiet and a great place, especially as none of the other campgrounds were open yet for the summer. It was cold…

We also stayed at Tenderfoot Creek, newly remodeled, paved and clean! It was near the road so a bit noisy but not bad at all. Rained… Mark set up a tarp over the picnic table and I sat in the van typing my portfolio for my last class in my masters’ program. Not as relaxing as I would have liked but better than being at home.

Bird Creek campground one weekend to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Not our favourite place to stay, too close to the road but so wonderful to be out with friends. Rainy though.
Granite Creek campground was great except it rained again. We arrive to the campground, set up our foyer that Mark built, gives us a room to change in standing up and keeps the rain off of us. We’d also acquired a gazebo. Canopy only really, but great to have over the picnic table and keep the rain off of us. We’d begun to try to cook in our Dutch oven with lots of success. Dinners are stews with biscuits on top. Morning is pancakes and sausage or oatmeal or sometimes just cheese and crackers.

This weekend we came to Williwaw campground. I look up at the glaciers surrounding us the Portage Valley while I sit and type this. Definitely one of the most picturesque campgrounds we’ve been at. And sun all weekend!!! So after pancakes we hiked a few hours. Played in the snow from a landslide this past winter and watched for bears. Recent bears in the area the sign says. I’m not particularly brave so it is with a bit of trepidation that I wander around much. After the hike we sat in the sun and read. What a luxury to read nothing more than the latest Janet Evanovich novel and laugh about Stephanie Plum and her friends’ antics. Dinner got started by me chopping vegetables, onions, mushrooms and garlic while Mark made the fire. We had planned on coq au vin… but it is sans vin…forgot to buy the red wine. So a little of this and a little of that and we’ll have some kind of chicken stew. Had some soft fruit that I put in a Ziploc bag with some brown sugar and lemon juice for later. We’ll put it in the fry pan on the fire later and put biscuits on top to cook for dessert. The mosquitoes are about in full force but not too bad, I hope. The sun is so very nice to see out for a change from all those other rainy weekends. Then we woke up Sunday morning to pouring rain. Packed up and came home after a brief stop in Girdwood for coffee. Another wonderful weekend of camping!

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