There's one thing you need to understand about Alaska in the summer -- when the sun is shining at midnight and there's no snow on the ground, Alaskans tend to burn the candle on both ends having fun. Two summers ago, we spent the entire summer with me in treatment. Last summer, we spent a good portion of the summer out of the country and there was only rain upon our return. Greg vowed this spring to make this summer different.

As a result, this summer, we've spent an amazing amount of time outdoors trying new things. The kids have learned some tennis and some golf, we've discovered new bike trails, Greg and Christopher have been out fishing, and this past week I tried camping for the first time in many years. This is marriage in action -- being willing to try something new (without complaining) even though you have no interest in it, simply because it means a lot to your spouse.

Camping is sacrosanct in Alaska -- in fact, I often joke that my lack of camping experience (or desire to gain it) was the one thing keeping me as a Cheechako (newcomer) rather than a true Alaska Sourdough (someone who has survived the tough Alaskan winters). After 15 years in Alaska, I think I may now qualify as a Sourdough after our latest adventure -- 6 days from Anchorage to Dawson City (in the Yukon Territories of Canada) and back. We camped 4 nights and spent 2 nights in a hotel in Dawson.

We invested in a few items to help make the camping portion more comfortable -- a two-room, 6-man tent with a rain vestibule to keep gear dry, a camping shower that uses solar power to warm the water, a warm sleeping bag for me, and 2 cots for the adults. The investments did pay off -- we all slept much better than anticipated. Greg's portion of the "marriage in action" was to make sure I got a shower every day. It really does help me not be a camping grump if I have had a shower.

We also lucked out with weather -- we had sunshine and no precipitation almost the entire trip until the return from Dawson. That last day, the only times it stopped raining was the period when we were setting up camp, taking down camp, and making dinner around a campfire that night. You just can't beat that timing for some dry weather -- it made that final night much more enjoyable to be able to set up camp when it wasn't pouring rain. All in all, we camped one night at Lake Louise, two nights in Chicken, and 1 night at Grizzly Lake Campground between Tok and Glenallen on the return trip.

More photos and stories to come. Here are some photos of our view of Lake Louise on our first night. This trepidatious camper was thrilled with the lack of bugs, the lack of rain, and the beautiful sunset behind the lake (yes, sunset was at about 12:15 a.m. Greg and I were still awake after a late night getting into the campground and setting up camp).