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" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />Camping is a lot of work. Often we go camping and remember how hard it is, and decide we’d rather not go EVER again. Then, we forget. We proceed to pack an enormously embarrassing amount of stuff into the truck and every so often when a voice speaks to our heads that says, “It is more trouble than it is worth. Don’t do it!” we push it away. We shake it off and keep cramming and planning. After all, you simply can’t call yourself a resident of Alaska (that is the least these Alaskans will let us get away with) if you don’t go camping during the glorious days of summer. And really and truly, we like to camp just enough to continually try to, at the very least, balance the camping trials and tribulations with the satisfaction of being surrounded by the great outdoors.
We were only stopped here because My Friend (the dog) puked all over the backseat.
The wind was blowing me a comb over do.
It was a great quantity of puke. Chuck had it clean it up.
Chuck’s savage like need to find the salmon, brought us to “King for a Day” campground on the Klutina River. Now, I hate to be negative, but I am going to be honest…you know I am going to be honest. Do Kings like to poop on the top of other campers' poop? Just answer honestly. Do Kings like to take toilet tissue and antibacterial hand sanitizer to the bathroom so to wipe the urine off the seat that some kid just sprayed all over the cobwebbed stink hole that they call an outhouse? Or, do Kings' wives (Queens, I suppose you’d call them) like to accidentally run their finger across the urinal that has turned green from years of corrosion while she is trying to get turned around just right so that she can hover and avoid the dreaded splash back??? Now for the record, I am down with outhouses. I am cool with them. But these outhouses, are the worst I’ve seen yet.
Back home, Oh! Susanna and I started this game. The object is to find a toilet in the world that flushes louder than the one at the Gadsden Public Library. Now, my dear readers, I have a new game that I am going to share with you. I am going to try to find a bathroom nastier than the one at “King for a Day” campground. Excited? Now, it would not have been right to take actual photos of the interior (the poop hole) of these particular outhouses. That would have been too much to bear. You’ll just have to take my word for it. It was nast-E. Ordinarily, I would fret about who might read this and who’s feelings I could hurt by my opinions, but..come. ON, people at said campground. It is time to tear the outhouse down and start over.
Reckon I’ve said enough about that? Mom? Do YOU think I have said enough about toilets and poop in general?
While I am on a roll, I am just going to get all the negatives out of the way. Ok. So there are bears in Alaska right? Aren’t we supposed to be “King for a Day” at this campground? Right? Well then, honest mistake. They must have meant to call the place “Let’s Lure in Bears with This Garbage, Then Maybe the Bears Will See Our Paying Customers and Find That They Don’t Reek Quite As Bad as the Garbage Falling Out of the Dumpster and Eat Them Instead!” Maybe that’s what they meant to call it.
ON the bright side, to my knowledge no one got eaten at during our stay. If they had, as fellow campers, we probably would have heard about it. So. That is good.
Upon arrival, we set up our 3 man dome tent and Oh! Susanna’s private play tent. All in all, I’d say the time spent playing in there equaled the time it took Chuck to set it up. In the camping world, this is called a good balance.
Chuck makes an excellent cheeseburger...or a "burger" as he calls him these days.
Our particular site was great. BUT, if you are a grownup who often finds yourself in a drunken stupor OR if you have trouble with vertigo OR if you are a child OR if you are a dog who had to be saved from drowning twice (in a row) OR if you are the mother of a child or dog who cannot swim that is in attendance, then our campsite is not the campsite for you. You see, the Klutina River RAGED just about 10 feet beyond our zippered door. Chuck seemed totally cool with that but I, on the other hand wanted to tie Oh! Susanna to a tree.
This all sounds very negative doesn’t it? There were good things about our first Alaska camping adventure too! Let me get a check list going…hold on.
Bathroom: Where is the thumbs down button?? Oh dang there’s not one. Well then, NO STARS for the bathroom. (In all fairness there was a bathroom and shower area that I did not get the chance to visit. It could have been better.)
Raging River: Not family friendly AT ALL. Great though for those without any of the conditions outlined above.
Pet tolerance: Excellent
Price: (Compared to tent sites in Alabama only) Not good. $20.00 a night
Attitude of those working there: Great!
Weather: Does weather count? Wonderful!
Ease of getting stuff out of truck and to campsite: Excellent.
ALSO, God did an almighty, awesome job with the views and sunsets.
Other good things….
My Friend stayed by our tent (Chuck wouldn’t let him in) the entire night and growled at the fishing guides who walked across our campsite speaking loudly at 6:30 a.m. Good dog.
Nobody drowned. Yay!
Chuck made us eggs and bacon English muffins for breakfast. Bad news: I forgot the butter.
I know this is going to come as a surprise, but in the end, I am really glad we went. I haven’t had a real nap since we left and this may have led to a temporary seriously sarcastic attitude problem for me. I’m not sure. You decide.
Oh, and nobody caught a salmon. Wonk, wonk.
I know. I look like Humpty Dumpty. These are Chuck's waders. Not made to flatter the curves.
Can't stand that camping yuck mouth.
Hand Grit
I was so afraid out there. I know it doesn't look like it in the above photo but that river is seriously rushing past. I was wearing Chuck's waders and his foot is a size 12. I was not comfortable walking out on those slippery rocks with the river so ready to suck me into it. The water is forceful even when you are just shin deep. I knew if I got pushed out there, those waders would fill up like a pelican's bill and sink me fast.
View from my fishing spot.
Oh! Susanna stayed on this piece of land behind us. Looking back, we realize it was not our shiniest parenting moment. We shouldn't have carried her out there so close to the river like this. We shouldn't have even camped where we did. It was too dangerous. I've thanked God several times for keeping her safe.
This particular spot was a slough off of the river and wasn't so scary.
The drive was beautiful.
This is a place where we stopped to eat on the way home. 1 milk, 2 soft drinks, 2 cheeseburgers, 2 orders of fries, and cheese sticks (there were no healthy choices ok.) $40.00 - no joke
Everybody is tired and dirty.
And a little ill too. And strangely, ever since we left here, my phone smells like onions. I don't even eat onions.
Well I've sat here for 5 minutes not knowing what to say but hoping that those fingers would just go ahead and pinch that sweet head of yours off. So I think that means I'm angry. Almost as angry as when I found those pictures of you repelling down a mountain when you were a teenager.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is awesome!! Chock-fulla mad-crazy adventures! You're writing is getting better and better and funnier and funnier. Ethan said you're photography is getting better and better, too. Dem's not bad subjects.. that Alaska land and ya'll pretty people, but you do a good job of capturing it.
ReplyDeleteI've got some toilet situations that can compete with your outhouse holes. Unfortunately, you're gonna have to take my word for it, but the port-a-potties at Woodstock '99 were 'lil torture chambers of unspeakable offenses. I can't even really talk about it, even now in 2010, but there are some things that shannot be spoken. I shannot speak of these horrors. I shannot. I like that word (that's not really a word), shannot. I'm sleepy. Hey! Ya'll look so cute in these pics. Thanks for putting together this detailed post. I miss ya'll, and this blogging thing helps.
Ma, I'm mad, too, for the record. I'm just kiddin, but seriously though will ya'll be careful fer Pete's sake? Thanks.
My Friend 'sick' - oh this sounds familiar:-) Didn't that happen on our fall camping trip? Well, your pics are great Hayley! Looks like it was a great adventure...I am glad you guys are doing fun stuff! Did you get to use the sleeping bag we gave you or did you have to sell it before you left?
ReplyDeleteIf you guys ever move back, Guy & I are going to hold you to all this driving around. Best I can remember, we couldn't get you all to do very much outside of Southside, AL. Do you remember that we couldn't even get ya'll to go to Cave Spring, GA one weekend? And, I guess I should not start on how long it would take ya'll to make a 'little' trip to Georgia...Although, it seems that you guys were getting better...Well, I am only kidding here - I am glad you all are having fun & we miss you guys.
P.S. Thanks for Joseph's box. That was some pretty cool stuff for his b-day! Very funny that he thought the toy gun was somekind of back scratcher or something - I showed him about it and then Jordan went CRAZY!!!! I let Jordan try it, then Joseph started doing it just to get on Jordan's nerves, then Joseph was sent to his room - not to return with the gun - the end!
Your Mom's comment made me giggle...not gonna lie. ;) Great post Haley! I agree.. your photography skills were already way beyond my own, but your pics are just amazing. They are great! Chuck is really a good sport about it too :) He's becoming quite the 'poser'.
ReplyDeleteGlad you guy survived and we are all able to read your post and laugh about it... I love reading about all of your adventures. Be careful... but keep on living it up!
We camped at the OTHER campground across the water. But we have a camper so I don't have to navigate gross outhouses. When you are around fishermen in great numbers you are going to have disgusting outhouses! EWWWW! However, don't let this get you down. I can assure you that there are PRISTINE outhouses (how can that be?!) in Alaska. I've used them and I've blogged about them. Hahaha!
ReplyDeleteThat river is indeed raging, and many people have lost their lives in it. It's full of silt (which is why it's grey) and if you fall in, it will fill your waders and drag you away. They might find you in the spring.
And as for Paxson Lodge... no words. We were going to camp there (they supposedly have an RV campground behind it) in 2004. When we arrived and saw that the *campground* was a broken water pipe and an electrical box that looked like it was going to catch fire, we high-tailed it out of there and camped down the highway a bit.
If you really want to have fun fishing, AND enjoy nicer campgrounds - go to Valdez. You'll be happy you did. You can fish from Allison Point. My husband always catches his limit down there in season. I'm not a fisherman so I don't know when the seasons are, but I know he plans our trips around them. *grin*
I hope to meet you the next time we're in the Delta area. Wish we had more time on Thursday, as we're passing through en route to Valdez.
Oh, and I loved the post. And I'm all for honesty. Maybe the owners of "King for a Day" will see it and make improvements. You should link to their website.
Susan in North Pole
http://www.susanstevenson.com/blog
Speaking of outhouses.... Hayley, Big Mama and I had to use the outhouse at our Grandmother Helen's when were little. Except at night we would use a slop jar. Is that too much information? I think the coctail is rather amusing as well. The scenery is beautiful and I know y'all are having a blast! You are doing a great job with the writings and photography.Just please be safe! I am still praying Psalm 91:11 over y'all. Love,Janice
ReplyDeleteMom, there are more dangerous things I could do, I am sure. Right? That is the only defense I can think of.
ReplyDeleteSunny, I shannot disagree with you about the toilet at Woodstock. I can imagine it was indeed worse than the "King for a Day" campground. Thank you for your thoughts and compliments.
Phyllis, why yes he did throw up on our last camping trip! Although this time I used Dramamine and it didn't work! It usually works. Yes I did use the sleeping bag and we didn't carry any other blankets (totally forgot) and I did not get cold!! I was so happy about that! Of course it is July. And I am afraid Chuck and I were suffering from a case of Gadsden and the surrounding area burn out. Cave Springs GA? What is there anyway? I am afraid I still don't want to go. I am glad Joseph liked the gift and the very bland wrapping paper.
Thanks Tiki. Oh Chuck was always a poser...he is a ham.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I have seen some really nice outhouses here too. I couldn't believe it either. Plumbing does not necessarily equal clean. The silt is too scary and I am really surprised there are so many people around just standing in it. I mean, one false move and that could be all she wrote. People should tie off or something. Did you fish?
Valdez is on Chuck's list. He's heard about the fishing there. It looks beautiful. Have fun!
I have been missing your blog because my connection is too slow to pull up all the photos and if I can't see them all, I'd rather just wait till I can. I'll catch up when we move to a better area.
Janice, you can't post too much information here...I'll always be the one who takes it too far. Thanks Janice. I am going to get my Bible to look that up.
ReplyDeletePffft...good fishing in Valdez??I don't think so! ;) Just kidding. I'm sure SOME people have luck there. LOL.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear that you survived.
And for the record, Alaska inspires a lot of poop posts. ;)
Happy Discovering!
Hi Karla! I'm sorry your luck in Valdez hasn't been good. I know Steve always has luck down there (which is why we're going there now, in August, and in September) Our freezer needs filling! Maybe you should meet us there. Perhaps Steve's luck will rub off on you. *grin*
ReplyDeleteOh man, I want adventure like you guys so bad.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, not the poop adventure...that I could do without...or the raging waters adventure. Maybe one day I'll camp at a Holiday Inn. How does that sound? It has TV okay?
I'm with Karla on the Holiday Inn camping.
ReplyDeleteWell Katie you got the poop adventure anyway didn't you?
ReplyDeleteFunny Karla. I can see that Alaska WOULD bring out a lot of poop posts. Interesting.
Mom we are trying to figure all this out so we can turn you back into a roughin' it type of girl when you visit. Mama knows how to rough it.
all of it is so true. reminds me of our trip to yosemite...gps took us on a "short cut" that i thought would dump our van down the side of a cliff and also by the way added 2 hours to our arrival time. rain, slippery rocks and a 2 year old who wants to do everything the big kids do--yeah, it was fun.
ReplyDeletebut then how much fun is staying at home, right?! here's to adventure!