Camping Adventures (Part 2!)

If you've never been to Alaska, you are missing out.

Besides being gigantic, beautiful and awesome, Alaska is the home of endless places to visit.  One of my favorite places in Alaska is Denali National Park.  It is located about 350 miles north of Anchorage and is the home of Denali (Mt. McKinley), America's Highest Peak! A few weeks ago, Jake and I drove there for a quick weekend getaway.

Always following directions.

A quick stop in Talkeetna for Dinner!

Denali

The perfect Campsite.

If you go to Denali National Park, I recommend you take a bus into the park.  Not only do you get to see the majestic Mt. McKinley, but you will see Bears, Wolves, Moose, Sheep, Eagles, Caribous... and the list goes on.  It is like the African safari of America.  Unreal.  I've been fortunate enough to go into the park many times and have had many close encounters with wildlife.  Jake and I opted not to do the bus this time around because we had little Diego with us and knew he wouldn't last 10 hours in his kennel.  Instead, we drove part-way into the park, went on a walk/hike, and explored the town of Denali.

So hardcore. 

Camping deliciousness.

It was a great trip, and as usual, Diego loved every minute.  Have I mentioned he is the best puppy in the world?  We are so in love.  :)  

Until the next Alaskan adventure!   

Camping Adventures (Part 1!)

My bestest friend, Katherine, was in Alaska for the month of June.  It was the perfect welcome home present for me since it had been two years since we saw each other! It was also the reason why you didn't see me on the blog for a month straight :) Katherine has been my best friend since the third grade when we rocked the leggings with stirrups, puffy-painted keds, and in our spare time liked to trade our collection of Lisa Frank stickers.  Yes, we were awesome.

Fast-forward 20 years, and although we still like to rock the leggings (minus stirrups), I'm happy to say we've moved on from Lisa Frank.  While she was in Alaska, we spent every day together.  Whether it was hiking, running, walking our dogs, shopping, or just talking, it was such a fun month.

Our dogs are best doodle-friends.

Momma and Baby moose in the road!

Copilot.

The next morning, we started our trek to Kennecott.  To get to the actual Mine, you have to cross a footbridge and walk (or take a shuttle) 5 miles.  

Old and New :)

It is annual tradition to do a long camping trip with the four of us, so we took a 9 hour long road-trip to Kennecott Mine and the town of McCarthy.  It is an old mining town that is 314 miles from Anchorage. 

It is only accessible by a 60 mile dirt road that follows the path of the historic Copper River & Northwestern Railroad.  The road is full of bumps, potholes, and loose gravel, so what should take less than an hour ended up taking about 2.5 hours!

When we got to the end of the road, we enjoyed our beautiful campsite next to the river. 

In case you've ever wondered what 2AM in June looks like in Alaska....

Diego held up like a champ and walked the whole 5 miles!  Not bad for a 3 month old pup!

Here are some pictures of Kennecott!

We enjoyed our camping adventure which involved lots of campfires, eating, drinking wine, and laughing.  If that's not what summer is about, then I don't know what is.  

I already miss her like crazy, but hopefully we'll be going to visit her in France next spring.  Until then... Bon Voyage!