This morning we drove about an hour further down the Alcan (Alaska Highway) to just outside of Tok. We stayed at what is probably our favorite campground yet- Moon Lake! It was absolutely stunning and we had perfect weather to boot.

We got here at lunchtime and got to spend the rest of the day kayaking and swimming. We usually go-go-go when we’re on trips like this and it was really nice to slow down and just relax. The campground was really peaceful and quiet. Oh! And when Beau took AJ kayaking they saw a moose and her calf in the water just as he turned the corner!

Late morning we set out for Delta Junction which which is technically the end of the Alaska Highway which leads all the way to Dawson City. Along the way we stopped at Rika’s Roadhouse which was such a fun stop! We’ve found that so many museums, visitor centers, and other attractions are completely closed due to the pandemic but Rika’s was thankfully open!

It is a State Historical recreation site located on the Tanana River. The grounds are beautiful, there is a lot history to learn about, and all the historical buildings plus the cafe were open. The lady inside the cafe said that Rika’s was down about 500 visitors a week.

After that stop we drove a few miles further to Clearwater River Campground where we spent the rest of the day riding bikes, picking wild strawberries, and kayaking in the freezing crystal clear river!

We left our camper at the Chatanika campground and headed further down the Steese Highway to Twelvemile Summit. I had seen a particular hike promoted in the milepost (the milepost= the Bible to driving through Alaska Highway and other remote drives in Alaska and Canada). This area reminded us of our drive up to and through the Arctic Circle a few years back.

We were already in the subalpine zone at Twelvemile Summit which is an awesome way to start the hike. The boys were adamant about hiking so we let them hike up Pinnel Trail and they made it about 1 mile up! It was a fun trail which started on boardwalks because it is so boggy and wet in the subalpine tundra. Underneath the top layer is permafrost which means it always stays frozen. Thus, a super boggy topsoil layer!

Anyways, once we reached the trail ridge the views were incredible and we even saw two different small herds of caribou in the valley! Weather definitely changes quickly up there so quick turned back and wore the kiddos so we could beat the rain that was coming towards us. Highly recommend this trail if you ever visit the Fairbanks area!

After the hike we decided to stay the night at Elmendorf Air Force Base in one of the town houses you can rent out. We’ve stayed there before a couple winters ago and they are super nice. Plus, we had a TON of laundry to do somehow!

Before settling down for the night we drove through North Pole (last time we went I was pregnant with AJ!). We visited Santa’s House where the boys each picked out an ornament and got to meet Santa! They didn’t seem to think it was weird that Santa was wearing a mask thankfully. I do think AJ was a little skeptical of him though!

The air smelled so fresh in the morning! We decided to hike up Mount Healey before heading out of the park. I wore AJ and Beau wore Brady and evening though it was quite cool outside we got so sweaty!

The view was incredible and it didn’t hurt that AJ took a nice little nap on the way up as well! Brady walked party down but was pretty tired since he hasn’t napped in days. However, highly recommend this trail if you visit Denali when it’s not crowded.

We scarfed down some pb&j sandwiches (thank goodness the boys have been happy eating those almost every day!) then continued north to Fairbanks. Both Brady and AJ took nice naps in the car.

In Fairbanks we grabbed some dinner at the Blue Roof Bistro (very gluten free friendly!) and continued a bit further to the Steese Highway. We camped at the Chatanika River which was beautiful and empty but full of hungry mosquitoes! It must have rained before we arrived so there were huge puddles everywhere and the boys had a blast going through them on their bikes. Their tuffo suits were soaked and muddy!

After our usual morning routine of brushing teeth, new clothes, and overnight oatmeal, we headed off to the town of Talkeetna. Locals said it’s a super busy tourist destination but when we went it was basically a ghost town. It was kind of eery. We have been seeing first hand how hard Alaskan businesses have been hit by the pandemic.

A few places were open, though, including the Kahiltna Birchworks where they make birch syrup! We learned how they make the syrup (similar to maple syrup!) and sampled it it’s different stages. Delicious! It was a beautiful sunny morning we so enjoyed walking around the town and learning about its history as a precious gold mining town (which is basically most of the towns up here in Alaska).

After lunch we continues northbound and ended our drive at Denali State Park and stayed the night at Byer’s Lake Campground. The boys did some more mountain biking around a trail on the lake. So many wild blueberries!!! Yum! We also saw some Trumpeter Swans on the lake.

While I was cooking dinner the boys helped Daddy gather some dry grass and sticks to make a camp fire. They enjoyed s’mores galore for dessert! So happy!

We packed up the camper and managed to get on the road by 9am! We drove the beautiful drive up to Hatchers Pass (3,886 ft) and Independence Mine. Beau and I had visited this area years ago but we had more time to explore the mine and hike around this time. Absolutely stunning!

Afterwards we made the trek down to the Mat-Su Valley and connected to the Parks highway to head north towards Denali. We stopped at the famous Miller’s Ice Cream and enjoyed some delicious soft serve!

We stopped for the night at Rolly Lake Campground in the Nancy Lake State recreation area. We got a spot right on the shore and took out our blow up kayak. When I took Brady out we saw two loons with a fluffy baby loon! At night we heard the loons which is always a neat sound. It rained as we put the kids to bed but by the time Beau and I went to bed the sky was a gorgeous orange-gold hue.

Last night had crazy heavy rain but so thankful we have our camper to stay dry! Beau went for a run up to Kesugi Ridge and returned right before the rains started.

In the morning we drove to Denali National Park and were so shocked to see it so empty. We came here two years ago (when AJ was a few months old and Brady not even 2 yet!) and we were kind of put off on how packed the park was. Because of covid, though, the park is awesome! We basically had it to ourselves!

We set up camp in Riley Campground and the kids rode their bikes on the bike path for some time. After dinner we drove as far as we can into the park (about 13 miles) and did the Savage River interpretive hike. So beautiful! It’s funny remembering doing this walk two years ago and how different this trip is now the kids are a bit older (and easier).

On our drive back to the campground we saw a huge male moose in a pond!

So much for restful sleep! I shared a bed with Brady (AJ slept in a pack in play in the closet LOL) while Beau slept in the living room on the pull out bed so he could leave to fly without waking us. Brady. Moves. ALL. Night. Long! At one point he was horizontal in bed. Another time he wrapped his arm around my head. Another time I woke to his feet and legs propped up on my mid section. I forgave him in the morning though, when the first thing he said to me upon waking was, “I love you Mommy” and gave me a big hug. I don’t want this stage of toddlerhood to end!

Brady woke up quite a bit before AJ so he watched some Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger on the tv while AJ slept in his dark closet. (Can’t tell you how many times we have put the kids to sleep in closets while we travel)!!

Beau received his tail wheel endorsement before noon, met us at a super fun playground, and then we were off on the road to head north!

We headed to Mat-Su Valley and stayed the night at Matanuska River Park. Honestly, I haven’t been impressed with the lack of covid awareness in the Mat-Su area. Huge crowds of people, no masks, no employees wearing masks at the coffee shop or ice cream shop we went to, and the campground bathrooms weren’t overly clean.

However, we had a great time exploring the bike and hiking trails within the park. The boys are natural mountain bikers! They ride their bikes over roots and rocks with ease! It took those crazies over an hour to go to sleep … they were wrestling and making all sorts of shrieks and giggles. (Also, we noticed that AJ is teething today, drooling like a puppy, sweaty, and not the happiest. I see a darn two year molar trying to pop through. Boo).

Early this morning Beau headed out to Merrill Field Airport to get a tail wheel endorsement for a small fixed wing airplane. (I’ll see if he wants to write more about that plus his crazy story of how he got to the airport in the AM!) The boys and I stayed at the campground and did some laundry, playing at the playground, and painting Elmo pictures inside the camper. Not going to lie my patience was pretty low today. Oh, and, about that no-bathroom-open situation? Let’s just say I have a funny story about it and ultimately I survived haha!

When Beau got done with his training for the day the boys played so well in the woods by our camper pretending to be Maui and Moana. They have such great imaginations!

Last minute Beau and I decided to stay the night in TLE housing to regroup, reorganize and restock the camper, and HAVE A TOILET.

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!