6 Wheelin Camping
Bill got back from his Anchorage trip and we decided to go for a quick camping adventure Thursday and Friday. We loaded up the 6 wheeler and headed out Thursday morning.
Overcast and drizzly in Valdez. We were looking for a little blue skies and sunshine. But as we headed into the pass we hit a small snow storm. Yuck!
Yup! It actually was snowing. As we headed for Bernard Creek the snow stopped and the skies lifted. By the time we headed up the trail at 74 mile to park our truck and take off on the trail, the sun was coming out but this is what we met.
Last fall’s flooding took a toll here as well. There was no way we were going to get the 6 wheeler through this stretch. We did get out and walk for a while up the road to scout out the area. The lupin are in full bloom right now.
Bill thought we might be able to pick up the back side of the trail over by Tonsina Roadhouse. We decided to swing through and talk to the owners. This is the lodge that’s supposedy haunted. (Their sign by the road advertizes this.)
We were in luck. The owners let us park at their place. We got things organized and headed up the trail. There were several large puddles to go through on the way in. This one had a large moose standing in the middle of it as we came around the bend. Didn’t get my camera out quick enough to get her in the picture though.
Here’s our mighty guard dog. We decided he was in sensory overload on smells and sounds. His nose was in a constant state of quiver and ears perked at the ready.
I didn’t get a good photo of our home away from home. But here’s our make shift kitchen for the overnight.
Remember how I said this was kind of spur of the moment adventure? Well, we managed to forget silverware in the packing stage. Here’s a picture showing the chopsticks Bill carved for our cup of soups. They worked great!
Back to our tent. We had given Katie our little 2 man tent last year. Ever since Bill has been looking for another small tent. He picked one up a couple months ago. It’s a tight 2 person fit, but it has 2 nice vestibules on the sides for backpacks or extra gear.
We slept in and packed up and were off by around noon on Friday. Here’s a picture from the trip back down.
We lucked out on the weather. After lunch up at the Copper River Roadhouse and a quick stop at “The Fisherman’s Widow” we headed back to Valdez. It was a fun get away and a great way to break in the new 6 wheeler.