Lil Pumpkin's First Road Trip

I took my Lil Pumpkin on his first road trip! Granted, we didn't go far (not even as far as we had initially planned) but it was still the longest he's been in a car and the furthest he has been from home since birth and it was a lot of fun.

My mother-in-law, her mother, me and Lil Pumpkin started our day with the intention to head south to Kenai, AK because I have never been there and MIL loves it there. Before we can head down the road very far, my father-in-law calls and asks MIL if she's checked the news report for south of Anchorage because there is a fire. After looking at reports on her smart phone and calling 511 for the traffic report for Seward, we learn that the McHugh fire is a lot bigger than we had thought and worried that, if we were to get past it and down into Kenai, we wouldn't be able to get back home that night (we later learned we were right in thinking this). 

Obligatory selfie for Daddy

So we went north through Willow into Talkeetna, AK - land of the Mayor Stubbs (a cat...really). We've been to Talkeetna before, or, the adults have. This is Pumpkin's first time and he seemed to enjoy the trip a good deal. 

Our first stop was for breakfast at Millers in Houston, AK. The best part was the photo opportunities

Biggest ice cream ever!

In Talkeetna we met all sorts of people who told Pumpkin just how adorable he was. One lady made a big greeting, welcoming him to the World. I couldn't help but laugh and thank her before moving along. 

I bought a raven mug that I love (and is the perfect size for coffee. My MIL bought me a book I wanted at the gifts store written by a local author:

The book is a fantasy novel that takes place in Talkeetna. AK and New Orleans, LA. Anyone who knows me can tell you I LOVE New Orlean (I was even married there). So far I'm liking the beginning so expect a review!

We of course took a few touristy pictures while there:

The only down side was the trip was a good big shorter than we had intended so we made sure to stop as frequently as side attractions allowed. 

As we headed home, we stopped at Sheep Creek Lodge in Willow, AK and had a burger (Pumpkin has potatoes and gravy). Outside of the lodge I found a stone with a smile on it and the words "Trail of Smiles Project" on the front and on the back #91 and a bit.ly link. Looking it up I discovered Trail of Smiles site and social media pages. 

I happily posted that we had found #91 and would be sure to pass it along. What a fun project to be part of!

We also stopped at a place where a man does wood carvings. He wasn't there but we made sure to get pictures of the pieces he had outside. 

We even stopped in a thrift store where I got some shoes an a chalkboard for when Pumpkin gets old enough to play with chalk without eating it. 

Now we are home and rested from such an eventful day. I'm sure Pumpkin feels like a celebrity with so many people telling him how cute he is and all the pictures. It doesn't seem to have gone to his head as he plays with his drum and blocks. Looking forward to many more adventures to come.