Pop Up Glamping

May 19, 2015 ~ Crystle ~ 4 Comments

I’d like to go back in time to last summer and smack myself upside the head for camping while pregnant, with a toddler, without a camper. What was I thinking? Such an unnecessarily uncomfortable experience, although it was fun and rewarding at the time.

Isaac and I have been looking at campers since March, and going by the towing capacity of our Toyota Sienna (minivans rule!) we narrowed down our wish list to a pop up camper with an 8-10 foot box. Local sale listings came and went (sparingly), usually selling before we even had a chance to respond. Some had roof rot, and nearly all campers in great condition were far out of our price range. Our sales page diligence paid off when we spotted this 1990 Coleman Columbia on Craigslist. It was within our budget, and appeared to be in fair condition. We contacted the seller just hours after the listing posted, and secured the second appointment to view it. I was sure we were going to miss out since these campers tend to sell the same day when they’re in good shape and priced fairly. Fortunately, the first buyer passed and having sold our old utility trailer the same day, we went to check out the camper with cash in hand. The camper was in amazing condition so we bought the pop up and towed it home the same day. After the kids went down for bed, we popped open the camper on the driveway and clinked beer bottles at the dinette, excited about our upcoming trips.

It was a stroke of genius to invest in a pop-up camper, and an incredibly lucky break to snatch one for sale in the Fairbanks North Star Borough where there typically two or fewer for sale at any given time. This year we have two littles we want to share the outdoors with. Camping with two tiny kids and two tall adults in a tent, on the ground, surrounded by mosquitos, under the Alaska midnight sun was not going to work for us. Sorry tent camping and backpacking purists, we’re a young family with many needs. We are the first to admit — we are sell outs.

Our camper has a two stove burner, two full size beds, and a sweet dinette that folds down into a twin sized bed. Although our coleman has a sink, we did not camp with full water and electric hook ups, and we didn’t rely on battery power. This was our maiden voyage and we needed it to be as primitive as possible for our own adjustment from tent camping to glamping.

Having a place to hang out, away from the mosquitos, while still catching a summer cross breeze was glorious. Our kids were able to bounce around like normal, the dog had a spot on the floor to nap, and I had kitchen space to whip up some hot chow. Vegan chow, no less.

And blackout curtains! Wonderful, gracious, functional blackout curtains! We don’t even have those up at home yet.

Our site was in the Chena Lakes Recreation area just outside of North Pole, close enough to home for us to bail in the event of some crisis, and close enough to town for us to run and buy more diapers, or whatevers that we may have forgotten.

I’m not one to toot my own horn, but TOOT! I did an excellent job packing up for the camping trip, bringing along all the necessities, and even some creature comforts.

Pop Up Camping - Alaska | Yea Yea Pueblo

Isaac is already brainstorming on how to rig some golf batteries to a solar panel to create super efficient energy for our camper. I need a water holding tank so I can stop going outside to wash dishes. And the kids need a few more blankets to keep cozy when the nights plunge into the high 30s like they did this weekend. We were warm enough, but not as comfortable as we could have been. Electric blankets might be in our future, if Isaac can somehow harness the power of the sun. I still can’t believe electric blankets are even an option for camping. Is it still camping? I’m having some doubts on the legitimacy of glamping, but I just remembered I don’t care.

We spent our days exploring the Chena Lakes area. Towering birch forests enveloped us on our nature walks, and the views from a 40 foot retaining wall were humbling. Snow capped hills rolled on to infinity to the North, and to the south, the Alaska range jutted into the sky, faded in appearance by the miles of atmosphere in between.

Our wildlife sightings were limited, fortunately. While we do carry bear mace on our outings, I have no idea how to use it, so we would likely be in a world of trouble if we came upon a sow and her cubs. On our first night out, there was scratching under my bed, and a low rustle in the brush nearby. A raccoon? A fox? We speculated on what it could have been, but never landed on any conclusions about our mystery visitor.

Camping is great. It’s a free pass to not clean, and to be disorganized. But despite my best efforts, I still tried to reign in the chaos, stuffing gear into our storage boxes, delegating chores to Isaac and even snapping at the dog to eat up food bits that fell to the ground. There were still diapers to be changed, mess kits to be cleaned, and trash to be taken out. Par for the course.

I do believe our Coleman Pop Up Camper will see much use this summer. Alaska’s brutal winter is in the rear view mirror, and the midnight sun is hovering on the horizon (all night long).

A Fond Farewell to Summer

September 3, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ Leave a comment

Thirty-nine weeks, folks. That’s how far along I am today. This pregnancy has gone by in a flash, and I’m feeling all sorts of feelings the closer I get to my boy’s due date.

Summer has faded, and the crisp fall air is upon us once again. This time last year, we were saying goodbye to Washington and heading up North to the Final Frontier. This year, we’re long settled in, and anticipating the arrival of our second kiddo, Woody.

Yango is no longer with us, but we have a new dog Sally who is fitting in exceptionally well. We sold our Subaru Forester, and upgraded to a big fat Toyota Sienna. The power sliding doors, blue tooth, remote start, and back up camera are all reminders that it was worth the dive into the ordinary for sweet features, third row, and decent gas mileage. We know we want 3+ kids, so this move to a larger mommed-out vehicle was inevitable. I’ve embraced it.

Pioneer Park | Fairbanks, AK

So as I mentioned, summer is in the rear view mirror, and fall is here again.

And Fairbanks is slowly folding in for the winter. Every night, squawking geese fly overhead on their way south for their seasonal migration. The night time temperatures drop slowly and precipitously, and the sun fades behind the horizon at a decent hour every evening. Summer was nice, but fall is better. Fall feels normal in the land of the Midnight Sun.

September is here, meaning Woody will be arriving with it. Margot won’t be an only child much longer, and if you’ve been following my instagram feed, you’ve seen me clinging to the final weeks of being a family of just three.

Pioneer Park | Fairbanks, AK Happy Toddler - Pioneer Park | Fairbanks, AK Crystle & Margot | Yea Yea Pueblo

I’ve loved staying at home with Margot; watching her grow and learn everyday since birth has been so rewarding.

Lately, Margot’s vocabulary has been exploding exponentially, and it’s amazing to see how independent she has become. She can throw away her own garbage, feed the dog, feed herself, tell me when she has an uh-oh in her diaper (this is a promising step in the direction toward potty training!), and ask for more of pretty much anything. She’s learned to say please, thank you, buh-bye and no at the appropriate times, and has the confidence to repeat nearly any word you ask her to say.

Today she nearly repeated all of the ABC’s as directed, and demonstrated, by shouting at the TV, that she knows both Cookie Monster and Curious George by name. We’re big PBS viewers around here. It’s my parent’s fault for marrying me off at a young age to the television, and it’s my own fault for harboring the relationship, and fostering it with my own toddler. Against better judgement, we watch a solid hour or two (or more — oops) of Sesame Street and Curious George throughout the day. We’re a TV family, and we own it.

When I need more sleep in the morning, I bring Margot into bed with me, queue up Curious George on Netflix, and let her watch for an episode or so, until I’m feeling energized enough to take on the day. Isaac particularly liked this approach when he came home from the Field last week, and needed more sleep during the weekends. My excuse is that pregnancy is hard when you have a giant belly, and a toddler to chase and corral all day. His excuse is he gets up early, and works hard. So there’s your peek into our parenting failures.

Isaac | Yea Yea Pueblo Isaac Antlers | Yea Yea Pueblo

On the weekends when we are well rested and well fed, we have headed out to kick around Alaskaland or walk around downtown Fairbanks, all in an attempt to enjoy the city before snow blankets the land once again. The Saturday activities have all been followed by Sundays of intense cleaning, nursery changes, and project completions. We’ve been busy. And lazy. There’s a balance there, and we’re hitting it in stride.

There are still a few things to get done before Woody arrives, but we’re pretty much ready for his arrival.

Until then, I’m cherishing the final few nights of 8+ hours of sleep, cool fall air, and only child Margot. These are all such fleeting events up here in the North.

Wild Alaskan Blueberries

August 4, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ Leave a comment

Wild Blueberry - Fairbanks, Alaska Wild Blueberry Picking - Fairbanks, Alaska Wild Blueberries Alaska When we lived in Washington, the blackberries were plentiful. I mean they were everywhere. They were considered a nuisance for property owners and like the piled up tumbleweeds of the southwest, they were the hallmark of a neglected parcel of land. On road sides and on empty lots, we wrangled our way through the thorny brush to pluck the seedy wild berries so Isaac could snack on them, and I could can them. We even had them in ice cream.

Alaska has its own wild berry abundance, we’ve discovered. My good friend Jena found a great spot about 30 minutes outside of Fairbanks where she and her family have collected about 6 gallons of blueberries to date. Jena is a self-proclaimed berry-picking addict. After she and her family have their fill of blueberry crumbles, she plans to freeze her bounty for smoothies and treats throughout the year.

095A8133 We didn’t collect nearly as many blueberries as the Smiths, probably because I had a difficult time navigating the boggy terrain with a larger than normal body, leaky rain boots, or some other pregnancy-related excuse.

Margot was content to ride in her backcountry carrier, but preferred to hang out in the boggy terrain with her main squeeze Gavyn. They’re the most sickeningly adorable toddler duo in town, Jena and I are convinced. They sat and munched on berries while the adults harvested. And we were all diligent in scanning the landscape for the grizzly who allegedly lives in the valley on the other side of the hill. No sightings, fortunately.

095A8144 Wild Blueberry Picking - Fairbanks, Alaska The land we were on had endured wildfires some time ago, leaving the dry, spindly trees to slowly rot. Some had already begun their slow descent to the lush ground cover below.

Recent rainfall had pooled in the lower lying areas, making the entire area an ankle-deep pond, with the exception of a few dry, grassy knolls. Mosquitos were of course everywhere, biting any flesh exposed to the open air. My hands have already swollen enough to exclude me from wearing my wedding ring. Swelling is the only way my body handles mosquito bites these days.

Poor Margot has two bites just below her left eye that have her looking like she was in a boxing match, with a few red rash-like bites around her neckline. She hasn’t had any issues with bites this summer so far, but Fairbanks seems to have a cloud of mosquitos over it at all times; we’re all sitting ducks when we head outdoors and it’s inevitable that the mosquitos will bite.

I’ll likely cook my blueberry bounty into a syrup and can the surplus so we can have blueberry syrup swirled into ice cream, onto pancakes, or baked into bread as a sweet reminder of the summer bounty.