This weekend: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Awesome.
Tomorrow morning we're going to leave early, drive south and set up camp at Squirrel Creek. We had planned to check out Liberty Falls, because the campsites are within view of the falls, and I'm pretty sure that white noise would lull our precious, precocious little girl to sleep. Oh well, another time maybe.
Saturday we'll spend in the park, loving life. We'll drive the McCarthy Road (supposed to be quite a harrowing trip) and walk across the footbridge to the town known (in its day) as the place for wine, women, and good time. Now, it's just an amazing little place in the middle of our country's largest national park.
On Sunday I would really, REALLY like to drive to Valdez and then take the ferry to Cordova. Outside of Cordova is a glacier that is advancing at a rate of 500 feet per year. That is incredible! Lonely Planet's Alaska guide says that you can hear the glacier before you see it. Amazing. Truly. And the viewing platform includes a view of the harbor filled with icebergs that have just come off the glacier. Plus, calving is at its best right now. But the ferry ride will be $420 round trip. That, my friends, is a lot of money. Especially for someone who just lost her job. Anyone want to sponsor my ferry ride?
Even if we don't find a sponsor, Valdez should be interesting. It's in the Alaskan rainforest, and I really can't wait to be in my first rainforest. Especially since that particular rainforest is in Alaska. Awesome. Several short hikes around town offer great views, and if I weren't bringing a baby, I would try my hand a little kayaking. Somehow, taking a baby on a kayak in a fjord full of glacial ice and ocean animals seems irresponsible.
Monday we will either drive back to Fairbanks, or I will have convinced Aaron to head over toward Anchorage. We could see the Zoo, enjoy a few hours of city life, maybe even step foot in an exotic retail environment like Target. If we did that, we could spend Tuesday enjoying Kenai and Wednesday and Thursday we could drive slowly back to Fairbanks. I worry that pushing through all day on Wednesday would be too much for Adelaide. Maybe we should just drive Tuesday night? We might miss all the sights. Decisions, decisions. If I can talk the hubby into a few more days, we can restock the 'pantry' in Anchorage.
[I think the hubby's on board for Anchorage, Seward, and Kenai National Park. SWEET!]
The weather for the next few days looks good. Some rain tomorrow, but that's ok for while we're in the car. A little extra rain may even make the waterfalls more beautiful.
Menu
Breakfast: blueberry bagels with cream cheese, oatmeal with raisins & PB
Lunch: tortillas with PB and honey, PB&J
Dinner: Spaghetti w/zucchini & squash, Mac n' cheese w/ broccoli, and grilled cheese w/ carrot ginger soup
Snacks: pumpkin granola, dried bananas, gorp, peaches
And we don't even need a cooler! Generally, we try to eat mostly organic, and we avoid processed foods whenever possible. When camping, even stuff like pop tarts count as food.
Let's see, our food is packed, my clothes and the baby's clothes are in the pack with the stove, toiletries, and bear spray, and the tent is by the door. I just have to pack the hubby's clothes (or disrupt his nap and get him to do it), get the sleeping bags to the door, pack the baby's diapers and we're off!
Potential numbers to be crossed off: 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 17, 18, and possibly 25.
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