So we are still having excellent sunny weather, despite having a rainy forcast. Today it got up to 75- which is record-breaking for springtime. No complaints here! This past weekend we decided to venture up to Denali. Although I have been there twice before, Ken and his sister and her boyfriend had never been. We found an absolute sweet cabin on a lake just a few miles past Denali and I highly recommend it if anyone plans to visit Denali. It was through the Denali Outdoor Center. They also have bike, kayak, and canoe rentals and do raft trips. Ken and Joseph (my sister-in-law's boyfriend) rented some kayaks and paddled across the lake (it's only an hour) and very scenic. Salen (my sister-in-law) and I thought about going out after them but after seeing how wet they got, we decided not to. We made some tin-foil dinners while they were paddling. There is nothing better than throwing some ingredients in tin foil, folding it up and throwing it in the fire. There are no dishes, the food is good, and it's so easy! We did potatoes, carrots, onions, and sausage with a lil seasoning and water to help the potatoes boil. Day two we went into Denali and did a nice hike. I don't know quite how far it was but would guess somewhere close to 4-5 miles. We initially took our 3 wheel stroller but with the terrain, that lasted about 1 mile and then we ditched it for the way back, hoping it wouldn't get stolen. We proceeded to carry Kyson and hike into a canyon and up a rocky hill to see some dall sheep. We saw 5 dall sheep, some moose (including a mom and baby), several ground moles, some caribou, several bunnies and some great views of McKinley. We turned around and luckily the stroller was still waiting by the time we got back to it. After our hike in the park, we went out to lunch and ice cream at Denali's little shops and then we checked into Lakeview Inn B&B- which was WONDERFUL with ALL CAPS! It had 2 king beds and an excellent view from every window. Joseph, after using the bathroom said, "that is one loo with a view!" He was right. The B&B was just so relaxing. I think we were all pretty pooped from our hike so when we checked in we took 2-3 hour naps and woke up around 8pm. We were still full from our late lunch so we didn't even start dinner until 10 I think. It's hard to tell what time it is this time of year in Alaska. We are already up to 18 hours- so the sun comes up at 5 something and goes down at 11 something. I love it. After dinner we played some apples to apples and then drove down to the other side of Otto lake (where we stayed the first night) and built a fire for some smores. We took tons of pics, and I will have to post some more pics when I get some from Salen- but here are several...
On our drive up to Denali... a pull out to see McKinley
Our cute litte cabin on Otto Lake
Campfire, tin foil dinners, and smores, what could be better?
Ken's sister/Kyson's aunt Salen
Ken and Joseph paddling
Ken and Ky on Otto Lake
Our little outdoorsman.. or so we hope!
The view from our cabin.
Our hike along the river in Denali.
Where we hiked to in Denali (there were 5-6 Dall sheep)-- got no close up shots though.
Even Kyson was pooped after our hike!
The view from our B&B... quite nice!
Kyson half waving... the other shots of him waving were too blurry!
North America's tallest mountain!
Monday we headed back and Ken and I took Kyson back into the park briefly to check out the visitors center and get some lunch. We then went back to some of the touristy shops and found some super cute Alaskan souvenirs including some fun moose onesies for Kyson. We then stopped at Talkeetna to get some ice cream and check out the town as we had never seen it before. It's about 2 hours from Anchorage and half way to Denali. I surprisingly loved the cuteness, small town feel of Talkeetna. It has great views of Denali and some great streams and lakes. Ken and I are even thinking if we do have a cabin up here, that may be a place to consider.
All in all it was a wonderful, relaxing, fun filled weekend and we couldn't have asked for better weather, sights, or company! I didn't even get one mosquito bite, despite having several swarms of them around the lake the first night, until I got home and was unloading our Jeep. Right when I was unlocking the door, I look down and see a mosquito on my wrist only to catch it too late.
The end.
Kyson had his 9 month check up and is in the 10% for weight at 18.4 lbs and 75% for height. He is doing better this week compared to the last few. We are now starting to work on transitioning him to his crib. His first nap alone today took almost an hour of crying. It was NO fun for him, or mom! I do believe things will get easier- as long as we are consistent. good luck to us eh?!! 
"Oh, come on, give me a big smile!"
Can you see why I love my cutie bug?
