Keeping Up

I still remember the words from Nettie’s Phd thesis acknowledgements/introduction. “Pick your rut carefully, you’ll be in it the next 5+ years” (she said it was from a road sign in northern Maine that said `pick your rut carefully, you’ll be in it the next 5+ miles…’) Anyway (paraphrasing from the Don Johnson flick `The Hot Spot.’ “one of the top ten under appreciated movies of all time”), “I found my level and I’m living it.”

We found our level, and we’re living it! We love this camping lifestyle. After spending the night in Tok (thanks again, Peter and Sara!) we went back to the Cottonwood RV Park on Kluane Lake. We love that place!!!

Living the dream:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

The dogs know it:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Lake Kluane, and midnight, Yukon time:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

If I didn’t know anything about internet etiquette, I would embed the Talking Heads’ song here.. Anyway, we did see some wildlife on our two weeks romp around Alaska.. Feast your eyes:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

After Chuvena, we had pizza at Trapper Creek (yum!) then drove through Wassila and up the Glen Highway. We stopped at the Matanuska Glacier campground for the night, and enjoyed it–there was good scootering, nice hiking, good camping, and more smores!

First, the glacier:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Scootering + glacier:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Nice hiking with the dogs

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

To some nice views and interpretive signs

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Chuvena is a fantastic and relaxing place to be! Thanks Dave, Gina, Harlow, Eli, and Rowan! What do we do there? Best of all, reconnect with friends:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

We like to hang on the dock (and have the dogs around..)

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Canoe around the lake

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Lots and lots of sauna, and running between the sauna and the lake to jump in the lake:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Inside the cabin, the food is great, it is perfect to practice rope work:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

There is a great reading library there:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

and staring out the window at the mountain is a perfect thing to do!!

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

We love Chuvena!

We spent three great days out at Chuvena. First, the ~2.5 mile hike in (and some trail work to remove a tree that had fallen on the trail):

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

And we arrive!

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Well… Faster than the camera on my phone! Hangin at the skatepark on a (finally!!) drizzly Juneau Saturday, after helping out Missy, Chip, and Adelie with their garage sale.

From Skate Park

Torsten made several friends in the campground, and was happy to find other kids with bikes to ride around.

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

We also got a good little hike in at Tangle Lakes:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

(Yep, Carrie is definitely looking pregnant!! Number two is on the way…)

We spent three days at Tangle Lakes, and loved it. Thanks to Don and Anne for bringing the canoes and hangin’ out!!!

Girl canoe:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Boy canoe:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Don/dog hike:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Loons:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

What else could you want?! Oh, some fishin’ action:

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

After a yummy breakfast at Black Rapids Roadhouse (the new one, which is a work of art!), some fresh water (from the spring on the side of the highway)

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

A pilgrimage to the source of the dividend check

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Then we made it to Tangle Lakes, and had a great time w/ Don and Anne (too bad we couldn’t twist Peter’s arm to come along!!!)

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009

Peter came with us on to Delta Junction, where we met Don & Anne. We all went down to Donnelly Creek campground, and got back into the camping, smores, good life..

From Interior AK Vacation, 2009