We opened our eyes around 9:30 am to the sound of rain. We met with Jeanie, Matt and Arya briefly in the Costco parking lot before parting ways. They would stay in Anchorage another 2 days and we had reservations at Denali State Park (or so we thought).

The 2.5 hour drive turned into 5 with stops when the kids were hungry or fussy. It poured as Andy drove so each stop we stayed inside. It was nice having space to stetch without having to get wet but it was evident we all needed some fresh air. Once at K’esugi Ken campground we realized we didn’t know our site number. Laurie had made the reservation 2 weeks ago over the phone but never received a confirmation email.

This created frustration for all of us. We were all ready to be at camp but it was after 5 pm so the offices were closed and there was no ranger or camp host on site. We drove the loop twice but our name wasn’t on any of the posts. Luckily we found 1 first come first serve RV site and claimed it. This would be our home for 2 nights and we would call Reserve America in the morning.

Ani, our water child, picked up her shoes, her sign that she wants out. Dressed in snow boots (thank you Jeanie and the Anchorage Goodwill!), rain pants and a raincoat she explored. Miles, our fair weather child, took some convincing. Eventually we all wandered around, until we realized it was 7 pm and we still needed to make dinner.

Once again, we were eating at 8 pm and the kids were going to sleep at 9:30. Andy feels like we are doing the kids a disservice by keeping them up late; Laurie feels it is part of traveling. Sometimes these different view points offer balance, more frequently it feels like we are on different teams.

We eventually fall asleep to the sound of the rain. Ani wakes up about 90 minutes later screaming. She had a fever which persisted throughout the night. Miles offered Ani his singing/star projecting octopus which quieted her down for a few moments. Andy and Laurie take turns holding her all night. Around 2 am Miles wakes up soaking wet. He rarely has accidents but tonight was a big one. We took it in stride, both laughing at the chaos and ensuring we took care of both kids.

Despite having pee from his knees to his armpits, Miles adamantly refused to shower. Not wanting a power struggle, Andy got him new pj’s and Laurie changed the sheets. Just as Laurie was closing her eyes, Miles said he was itchy and wanted to shower. Up again, we cleaned him off, got new pjs and snuggled back into bed.

During moments like this we work well together. We both remained calm and took turns holding an uncomfortable Ani and attending to a wet Miles. Despite many moments of frustration stemming from our, at times, very different parenting styles, we are glad to be out traveling and spending this time together as a family.

We take the following day as a “zero” day. We plan to do laundry in Denali NP the following day so, for the first time in a month, we don’t move the camper. We don’t drive anywhere! We listen to the rain, color and play with trucks. Ani takes a 2.5 hour nap as Laurie walks in circles around the campground. This is one of the nicest State Park campgrounds either of us have visited. The electrical hookup is convenient and lets us use the air fryer – our new favorite appliance 🙂

We spoke with someone at the Alaska State Park office and they confirmed we were booked for 2 nights. Apparently the Ranger had neglected to write our name on the post so someone else took our spot. It all worked out and we were grateful to have secured a first come first serve spot.

We chatted with a woman and her 23 month old daughter who were out walking circles around the campground in the rain. They were a family from the Czech Republic who had been traveling since January, starting in Panama and traveling north. We commiserated about the challenges of traveling with young kids. She and her daughter were flying home the following week while her husband drove across Canada to Halifax where he would ship their truck home. She was envious of our spacious RV, particularly on a rainy day like today, and Andy loved their built out Land Cruiser.

Wednesday we drove to Denali National Park. We do laundry, dump and fill the tanks and eventually make our way to the train depot. We had hoped to get there early enough to put more coins on the track but, as per usual, everything takes longer than we anticipate and desire.

Jeanie, Matt and Arya arrive on the train from Anchorage at 5:45 pm. We are busily picking blueberries when we hear the train whistle. We discovered this blueberry patch 3 weeks ago and have yet to discover a better one!

Jeanie and Matt intend to get married the following day so we spend the following hour figuring out logistics and taking them to their hotel.

We rush back into the park at 6:45 to borrow car seats from the bus depot which closes at 7pm. We learned our lesson about buses and car seats and want to have them in case we take the bus. Andy has no interest in busing to see wildlife but who knows what the next 3 days will bring and we want to be prepared with lightweight options.

No matter what we do, we seem to rush. This annoys and irritates Andy. “What is the point of going on vacation if we are constantly rushing?” It is a fair question, but Laurie feels that if we don’t rush we literally wouldn’t leave the RV because each of the 4 of us typically has different needs and speeds. Andy feels there’s a way to do things we all want to do, while serving everyone’s needs without rushing. And that secret is to plan less. But Laurie’s head would literally explode if she didn’t plan so we butt heads every day, whether we’re traveling or at home.

We succumb to the fact that we will get to camp at dark. We eat dinner at a pullout about 5 miles into the park. We smile as cars slow down or pull in behind us thinking we have spotted wildlife.

Within 10 minutes of driving again we see 3 cars pulled over. There, on the right side of the road are 3 female moose about 150 yds away. As Andy looks to pull over we notice on the left side of the road that Denali is visible!

We are more excited about Denali than the moose. Others see us looking and come to see what we see. In no time at all the right lane of traffic is backed up with everyone stopping to see the moose (a moose jam as the locals call it) and the pullout Andy pulled into is full of people taking pictures of the elusive mountain. At one point Andy was carrying Ani in his arms and Miles on his shoulders while Laurie ran across the road multiple times taking in the sights and chatting with other excited visitors.

Seeing Denali tonight was especially memorable because of the constant rain and grey days we’ve had on this trip.

Eventually Andy’s arms get tired, Miles gets bored and Ani looked to be getting cold so we piled into the RV and continued on our way. Ani refused to ride in her car seat and Miles was restless so we decided to have Miles ride shotgun in the borrowed car seat. Laurie tried to entertain Ani with a few Cocomelon songs. The moment Miles heard the music from the back the novelty of being dada’s co-pilot flew out the window and he wanted out of the car seat and into the back with Laurie and Ani.

For Andy this proved what he already believed about how powerful screens are and how important it is to limit screen time for kids, no matter what they watch.

It has been only 3 weeks since we were here with Joanna, but the seasons have changed. The hillsides are yellow and red and there is a definite chill in the air.

We pull into Teknalika campground around 9 pm and are pleasantly surprised to find it relatively empty. We choose a spot and get ready for bed.

We wake up excited Thursday morning because it’s wedding day! Miles is excited to eat the macaroons we bought for the occasion and Laurie and Andy are excited to celebrate the union of our friends. The camper shakes with the large gusts of wind. The weather forecast is for rain after 1 pm, but as we all know, the skies tell a more accurate story.

Jeanie, Matt and Arya arrive just before 1 pm and the sun is shining! Andy walks around with a sleeping Ani, Laurie walks with Arya to get her to sleep and Miles hangs with Jeanie and Matt in the RV while they get ready. The ceremony is lovely despite the wind, a brief rainstorm and whines from all 3 children.

We hang together for another few hours in the comfort and warmth of the RV. It is moments like this, and ALL the rainy days, that we feel grateful for the upgrade in rig size. Four adults and 3 children comfortably fit in this RV whereas 2 adults and 2 kids stand on top of one another in monster truck.

We fell asleep that night the earliest of any night thus far – 8 pm. Miles, Laurie and Ani have colds and we were worn out from the excitement of the day.

Friday is another rainy day. We hold off on making plans with Jeanie and Matt, knowing very well that things change. After a pressured morning and fresh blueberry pancakes, Laurie wants a plan for the day. She wants to do something, Andy, who now has the cold the rest of us had a few days prior, wants Ani to sleep. It was too rainy to hike with the kiddos so we decide to try to meet Jeanie, Matt and Arya at the sled dog kennel. Unfortunately by the time we make it to the dog kennels, they have left.

This trip is starting to wear on all of us. The consistent rain is contributing but we feel like we are all ready to be in a larger space with the ability to take breaks from one another. Miles needs friends, Ani needs safe places to walk and stumble, and we need a break from it all. As Andy keeps repeating, “it is unrelenting.” We are either entertaining/taking care of the kids, driving or cooking and cleaning. There is rarely downtime when both kids are occupied or asleep (when we are awake).

And the ridiculous rules around car seats on buses and the long bus rides in Denali National Park certainly add to the frustration. Given all of it, this trip is still worth it. We are making lots of memories, some better than others, and hopefully engraining a sense of adventure into our kid’s psyches.

At the sled dog kennels we pet a few dogs. Unfortunately it started to rain harder. We took shelter where the sled dog demonstrations takes place and ate lunch. Even though there was only 30 minutes to go before the next demo, we decided to catch a shuttle to the bus depot to make our way back to camp. Jeanie met us there for a quick hello and hot chocolate. Luckily there was room on the 2:30 bus so we could take one bus back to the campground without having to transfer multiple times in the rain. Both kids fell asleep so we rode the bus past our campground to the Teknalika rest stop, 1.2 miles further down the road.

Both kids woke up when the bus stopped. Since it wasn’t raining we decided to walk back instead of riding the bus another hour to mile 43 and back to the campground. On the muddy walk back Laurie’s 6th sense for blueberries kicked in and before we knew it she was knee deep in blueberry bushes.

Andy and the kiddos followed. It was the best patch of blueberries we had found thus far, surpassing the ones at the visitor center. We picked for about 10 min before continuing on, hoping to make it back to the RV before the rain came. It sprinkled as we walked, but never a downpour. Miles hiked the whole way, distracted by swinging between our arms or racing.

Once settled back at the RV, Laurie jumped on her bike and headed back to the blueberry patch for another 30 minutes of picking before dinner. She returned with 1.5 Talentis full – enough for blueberry and ice cream for dessert.

We have not used our bikes as much as we had hoped on this trip. Partly this is due to the rain and partly because our burley didn’t fit in the RV and Ani doesn’t like the seat on the back of the bike. It is nice though when we get in a little ride. It makes Laurie feel better about bringing them up here!

Saturday morning we woke up to blue skies. The Teknalika campground is nestled down by the river so we weren’t sure what views we would have but we wanted to make the most of the sunshine. We hurried and left camp by 10. It was gorgeous. The yellow and red trees and bushes were more vibrant under the clouds, but the view of Denali against the blue sky was magical.

We stopped a few times to watch caribou and gaze at the landscape. Miles became fond of looking through the binoculars, even though he often naturally looked through the wrong side.

We were almost at the high point of the road when we came across an especially scenic turnout. Shortly after pulling over Miles and Laurie spread some of (Laurie’s mom) Sue’s ashes. We are not sure if we mentioned this already but Sue lived in Anchorage for 7 years in the 70’s. It remained a special place and one she returned to many times with Laurie. Many of the places we visited on this trip Laurie had been to previously with Sue.

After spending her ashes, Laurie spotted blueberries. The sun was blissful, but the wind was bone-chilling and the kiddos did not want to be outside for long. Surprisingly Miles stayed out with Laurie for about 10 minutes while Ani drove the RV, grinning from ear to ear. From time to time she remembered “bro bro” and “mama” and wanted to venture out and see them but the moment she felt the wind she wanted back in the RV again.

After pulling away from the blueberry bushes with pleas from Miles that he was cold, we hoofed it to the railroad crossing near the entrance of the park. We made it just in time to see the train but we were too late to put coins on the track.

Andy and Miles enjoyed hanging out near the railroad crossing under the sun and blue sky. Thankfully it wasn’t windy in this part of the park. Laurie was in the RV with Ani asleep on her boob.

We thought there was another train coming soon but we were mistaken. The next train wouldn’t be arriving for another 3 hours, and that’s if it was on time.

So when Ani woke up, Laurie took the kids on a short 2 mile looping hike to Horseshoe Lake. Andy would dump the tanks, fill the fresh water tank and then meet them on the trail.

The kids had fun walking. Miles discovered that when instructed, Ani would promptly sit on the trail, as if she was a dog. This made Miles feel very proud of himself. And Ani was okay with it because she got some of Miles’ snack.

The trail was beautiful. There were a few clouds in the sky and when the sun would shine bright, the deep green color of the lake was majestic. The trail paralleled the swollen river before climbing back up to the train tracks and trailhead. Eventually Laurie carried Ani while Miles and Andy played games bringing up the rear. Spurred on by being swung into the air by both of us, Miles hiked the entire trail back up to the trailhead.

We waited and waited for the train. Finally around 4.30 we left the coins on the track and went to the train depot. There, Andy learned that the train was going to be 2 hours late- arriving around 5:45. By now it was close to 5 and we had waited this long, so we decided to continue to wait because we weren’t going to drive very long to camp that night.

Andy took Ani for a walk so she could sleep while Laurie drove back with Miles to catch the train. Laurie was getting more comfortable driving the RV and Ani seemed to sleep longer on Andy’s chest than Laurie’s.

The train blew it’s horn incessantly as it passed us, probably to make sure everyone was off the track. To access the very popular Horseshoe Lake trailhead one has to walk alongside the train track. And on a blind corner no less. If you don’t know the train schedule, or if the train is running late, things could get spicy.

After a 45 minute snooze, Ani woke up to Andy reading a text from Laurie that the train had just left the crossing and they were collecting the coins.

Andy was excited to see the coins, but knew we had to hit the road. So we did, after a snack break for Miles of course. We are by no means complaining but that boy sure can eat! His hunger feelings seem to come most frequently when strapped in his car seat.

Our plan was to drive 5 to 8 Miles east on Highway 8, also known as the Denali Highway, outside of Cantwell. It’s mostly a dirt road but from reading the Milepost it is usually in decent shape.

We chose to go here because Jeff, our fishing guide from weeks earlier, had recommended going to a campground further east on Highway 8 for the blueberries. So tonight we wanted to get close to minimize tomorrow’s drive.

And what a drive it was. All the rain we had gotten in Denali NP had resulted in snow in the higher elevations. The front range had received a dusting, but the mountains of the Alaska Range had received a lot of snow. Andy wondered how many Alaskans call out sick when the sun is out. It was a truly beautiful day and we were grateful for the views, the warmth and dry shoes.

We stopped at a large turnout at the mouth of a lake and called it home. There was a fire ring and room for at least half a dozen cars. The snowy mountains reflecting in the calm blue waters of the lake was breathtaking. We soaked up the views from the camper and had dinner. Laurie slightly burned the grilled cheese sandwiches so we went outside for fresh air after opening all the windows of the RV.

Not surprisingly we chatted with many people who stopped to take in the view. One such group Andy chatted with were from Boise. Not knowing this, when Andy mentioned we were moving to the Boise area, the older gentleman mentioned how they “have been inundated with Californians”. Andy validated his statements and the conversation remained very pleasant. After they had soaked in the views and taken pictures, the man wished us well in Boise and they loaded up in their rented SUV.

Miles and Ani ran around and played in pothole puddles until the sun sank behind the mountains. Fall has come and the days are getting noticeably shorter.

Many more people stopped to take in the view as we got ready for bed. Tonight the rain is forecasted to return and stay until we leave this beautiful state in 3 days. We’ll see what the weather does, but in the meantime we will continue to soak in the views as long as we have them.