Update on the bug bite situation: Woke up this morning covered in welts from mosquito bites. I counted twenty-two – TWENTY-TWO – bites just on my right foot alone. Ahhhh. Poor Brady now has a nice big one in the middle of his forehead and his arms are covered in itchy welts too!
Crazy itchiness aside, Beau and I decided to surprise the kiddos with a train ride later in the day. We told them after we did a little adventure up to Crow Creek Mine in Gridwood. (Beautiful gardens and historical buildings by the way! The blue Himalayan Poppies were stunning).
We hopped on the Alaska railroad train in Portage and enjoyed a ride all the way to Grandview and back. There were only 25 other people on the train and everyone got off towards the beginning of the ride so we ended up having the whole train to ourselves! Times like this when traveling during covid is a major plus. Under normal circumstances the train would have been booked out by weeks.
Brady and AJ loved the train ride, especially the tunnels! This part of the ride brought us by glaciers and mountains we would only otherwise see from a plane. Absolutely gorgeous. We got to get off at Grandview and did a little hike before our return trip. The Alaskan wilderness is just so beautiful. And on our return trip we saw a black bear!
After our 4 hour train ride we continued our journey north and stayed at Black Spruce campground on JBER (joint base Elmendorf Richardson) in Anchorage. Only downside to this campground: bathrooms closed due to covid. However the laundry on site was open? (And thankfully since we needed to do laundry). however, our camper doesn’t have a toilet so we’ll see what happens haha!
Belanger Family Adventures 