Last weekend my family and I ventured out on our first
camping trip of the summer. I use summer loosely
because we live in Alaska. What we refer to as summer others refer to as
fall/winter. It’s an acquired concept and one that a lot of people who venture
to this rugged state never acquire.
Always, my family’s first outing is to the Valdez Airshow.
This is our test run with the camper and I’ll admit we forgot a lot of stuff.
Thus the test run. But the breathtaking drive made up for our forgetfulness.
Even though snow still blanketed the mountains, there were definite signs of
spring. Just the hint of melting sends most Alaskans into a euphoric state that
lasts until the first snowfall.
Here are some of the sights we were gifted on our first
night of driving.
Since we left on a Friday night and my husband had worked all day, we drove for three hours and then pulled into a rest stop near Mendeltna. Once we set up camp, my kids got busy. It was like nature’s movie screen. They would wait for a car or truck to pass and flail about, trying to get them to honk. Thank you to all the drivers who made their night by tooting your horns. Ten total by bedtime. Of course this did my heart good not to have my daughters hooked up to electronic life support and instead watch them enjoy the kind of fun we had to settle for as kids.
These are pictures from the second day of trip. We only had
one mishap when the hatch of our camper blew off and we had to backtrack
eighteen miles to find it. Luckily it was in one piece and my husband easily
reattached it, saving us from having to go home.
The Valdez Airshow is where the general aviation population shows
off its stuff. STOL (short takeoff and landing) competitions were the first
order of the day. Some of the smaller planes can take off in as little as 200
feet and land even shorter. It’s amazing to watch.
Being plane owners, my husband’s a pilot, we love to walk
around and check out the other planes. This one I call the monster truck of
planes. The tires were huge and the black paint job only added to its badass
feel.
Also on display was a Japanese Zero. Very cool.
But the best thing at the Valdez Airshow was Fiona, a nine
week old English bulldog. Her owner, a pilot and friend of ours, had loaded the kids and the puppy
into the plane for a weekend of camping fun. Fiona wore a red down vest and needless
to say, drew more attention than the competitions. I wish I could have taken
her home.
Overall, the trip was great fun and I can’t wait for our
next outing, clamming at Deep Creek. I’m sure the weather will still be chilly and
water icy, but I doubt that will stop Alaskans from taking advantage of one of
the first low tides of the season. I can almost taste those clams already. Yum.
4 comments:
Brrrr, Boone - glad your first family outing was fun.
Happy Summer! ;o)
Boone, this sounded so fun! By the looks of the pictures, I'm packing extra warm clothes for this summer.
Definitely pack warm, Tiffinie. Especially on the water. Who the heck knows if it will snow in June.
Do we get summer this year?
Love your post-sounds like tons of fun.
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