Summer Weekend Warriors 7/27: Camping Fun

Friday afternoon/evening was my company's summer picnic, at Minnehaha Falls Park. The temperatures were cool, and as I shivered in my short sleeves, I was thinking, "I really want to go camping!"

Truthfully, I had been thinking about camping the entire week, because my dad's side of the family was having their annual camping weekend in Lake View, IA. I really wanted to go, but the 4-hour drive in the context of some other trips coming up was not too enticing, and I did have the picnic on Friday. But these cool temperatures made sleeping in the tent sound so good! So instead, I made a last-minute reservation at the KOA campground near Jordan, MN, just a short drive from our house. Lucy was going on her first camping trip! 

It was just a Mommy/Daughter trip, as our tent is really only big enough for two, and we didn't want to pay to board Buddy, so Husband stayed home. I chose the KOA because it was pretty low-maintenance; a few things to keep the kid busy, not too expensive, and an enclosed pool so we could still swim even though it was cooler out. 

So we made the trip, and it was a great time! We went swimming shortly after we got set up, and then roasted some hot dogs over a campfire. I had a little trouble getting the fire started. Lucy "helped" by finding paper in my car, and I say "helped" because we narrowly missed burning my car registration! We ran out of paper and the sticks were in short supply, and the wood was just not taking off. I must have been generating a lot of smoke because one of the neighbors came over and offered me his lighter fluid. Worked like a charm!

She was less than thrilled at having to sit still. Note the absence of flames.

I could barely get Lucy to sit still long enough to eat a hot dog, because the playground was about 30 yards from our campsite, across a big lawn. It was actually kind of convenient, because it kept her entertained, and I could still sit by the fire and keep an eye on her. She tried her first s'more, and was not all that impressed until she found the chocolate...and we discovered she'd probably just prefer to eat that plain!

The first bite, before she deconstructed it.

The playground called...

I really would have loved for her to sit on my lap and snuggle by the fire, but it was not to be. She played with her new friends at the playground until the sun went down, and even a bit of flashlight play after the day was done. In between meeting new kids she was greeting people who walked by and asking anyone with a dog if she could pet it. When she finally settled down, she was ready to go to bed. The firewood was gone, so I was ready, too. From 10:00 PM until about 9AM she slept like a rock! I slept well, but woke up often to make sure she was covered up, because it was gloriously cool - barely 50 degrees overnight!

We finally got to wear the "Laabs University" sweatshirt
passed down from our Laabs cousins!

Sunday we got up and there was more play while I packed up. Before heading home, we made a stop at Minnesota's Largest Candy store. I just love that place...full of nostalgia.

Now Lucy has camping under her belt, and my hair still smells like campfire. It was a really great way to spend part of our weekend!

We crossed something off the SUMMER! list: camping

North Shore Adventure

We are back from 3 days on the gorgeous Minnesota North Shore. We covered a lot of ground in a short time; there is so much to see and do! We were lucky in many respects; for one, the weather was gorgeous. Although rain was predicted, we didn't see a drop until Friday afternoon on our way home. It seemed luck followed us on our daily journeys too - for example, a bald eagle hovering directly overhead as we pulled into a beach; a man offering ice cream coupons as we headed to a boat tour where we were planning to get ice cream.

Overall we had a really good time, and I think Brandon enjoyed the trip. He had never been to the North Shore before, and none of us had been as far north as we ended up going. It was an adventure and I was happy to see that Brandon was up for the challenge. He even did a little exploring on his own, around the campground and the beach in the mornings.

We definitely wore ourselves out; lots of walking and hiking. We ended up leaving a little earlier than planned on Friday due to the weather, but we had packed a lot in to the time we were there. When we arrived home we continued the "vacation" by going to see the new Batman movie (more on that later), and then I went to pick up our beloved Buddy from boarding at our vet. We missed him, and I think he missed us too...although he made quite a few new friends at the vet! All of the techs had to come and tell me what fun he was and what a pleasure it was having him there.

Today, despite the busy week we've had, we're not relaxing much. There is yard work to be done, and we're having people over for Brandon's birthday tomorrow, so there's plenty of cleaning going on too! Though tonight we are taking it easy.

Below is a summary of the things we did on our trip. Photos are also available here. Enjoy!

Wednesday
Duluth:
-Walking around Canal Park
-lunch at Hell's Kitchen
-Maritime Museum and watching the Lee A. Tregurtha go through the aerial lift bridge
-Tour of the S.S. William A. Irvin, followed by ice cream
Checked into Burlington Bay Campground in Two Harbors
Roadside stop near French River to check out the beach
Hiking and exploring the beaches and waterfalls of Gooseberry Falls State Park
Dinner in Two Harbors
Campfire time!

Thursday
Headed north on Highway 61, North Shore Scenic Drive
Split Rock Lighthouse
Hiking at Tettegouche State Park
Grand Marais - Sven and Ole's Pizza, Trading Post, explored coast/beach
Grand Portage National Monument
Canadian border
Hiking in Cascade River State Park
Silver City tunnel and trail (saw peregrine falcon)
Back to the campground, with brats over the campfire

Friday
Souvenir shopping in Two Harbors
Skyline Drive and Enger Park and Tower in Duluth
Homeward bound!

Okoboji Hangover

We're back from Okoboji and still recovering...I think I'm going to bed soon (9:30 is early for me). We had a good time catching up with family, and I especially had fun playing with my nephew Little D. He was in a pretty good mood most of the time and it was a hoot seeing how big he's getting, and how many new things he can do.

Friday night the annual Bean Bag Tournament was held, and Brandon experienced the thrill of victory with my cousin Jeremy. They are both left-handed, so there were many "theories" expressed correlating their win with their southpaw nature. We enjoyed some time around the campfire and all in all it was a great evening, despite the COLD overnight temperatures. We definitely weren't expecting it, and sleeping in the tent was quite chilly. Between that and a leaky air mattress, we did not get a good night's sleep.

The weather wasn't extremely cooperative on Saturday, so that dampened the fun a little bit. Brandon did get out in the kayak for a little while with Dad and Jeremy, but it was still windy and pretty chilly out there. I never got the chance to go out, as it rained most of Saturday aftenroon into the evening. We were all crowded in the cabin, but took a break and went to Pizza Ranch in Spirit Lake. Later that evening Kristi, Emily, Tami and I (cousins) went to a bachelorette party for our future cousin-in-law, Allison. It was a good time and nice to spend some fun hours with my cousins.

Saturday night we slept better on a new air mattress (and with more layers on). Sunday morning we packed up, said our goodbyes to the fam, and had brunch and some nice conversation with Mom and Dad before heading home. Turns out the dog had a few mishaps while staying with the in-laws, so that was a bit of a damper on an overall good trip. All in all though, it is good to be home. Now off to bed I go...

Island Invasion

Well, we're back from our little vacation to Lake Vermilion, and it was great. Although we didn't catch many fish (I personally only brought in one very small bass), we had a wonderful time out on the water and around the campfire. It was relaxing to get back to nature and just hang out with Husband and our friend Lowell.
Each year we go up to Lake Vermilion we camp on an island in the middle of the eastern part of the lake. One benefit of this is we don't have to worry much about bears, wolves, raccoons, etc. (although a deer did swim out one year and scare the heck out of me). This year was no different, except we did have to deal with critters of another sort.

Friday night before going to bed, Lowell grabbed our bag of groceries and put it in his tent in case of rain. The next morning he had a tale to tell.

In the middle of the night he heard noises, like something running across the roof of the tent. He thought they were just bugs, but when shining the flashlight on the ceiling, he saw four tiny feet and a white belly. A mouse! Soon joined by another...until there were two mice running all over his tent, up between the rain fly and the walls and ceiling of the actual tent. Unable to sleep for fear of them getting inside, he did what he could to get them to go away, including punching at the tent to get them off. It was a bit humid that night, and Lowell made the comment that it smelled like a bakery in the tent. I guess the mice were hungry! Needless to say, he didn't get much sleep. I did hear some weird noises that night from our tent, but had no idea that it was Lowell punching his tent to get rid of mice! The mice made another appearance Saturday night in our woodpile, and beneath Husband's chair around the fire.

I know what you're thinking...how did the mice get on the island? (FYI this is a very small island) No idea. Do mice swim? Did they make it all the way across the frozen water in the winter without getting picked off by a hawk? It seems more likely that they were brought on somehow. It may be tied to the exorbitant amount of garbage that previous island-goers left behind. Grr.

Another challenge we faced this trip were the bugs. As soon as we arrived and started walking around, we realized we were stirring up hoards of flying bugs that were hanging out in the trees. They left us alone when we were in the middle around the campfire, so we didn't think much of it. Saturday morning, however, around 5:30AM, we awoke to a massive hum. It was these bugs, orchestrating a symphony of simultaneous buzzing. It dissipated as the morning went on, and we went about our business. Saturday evening, when we returned to the island around dusk, the buzz was astoundingly loud, and you could see huge clouds of these things hovering near the tops of the trees. It was kind of freaky, and it seemed there were more of them than the day before. Anywhere we walked, there they were, and we were constantly brushing them off. Winding along the path to the "bathroom" was sort of a Hitchcockian experience, walking through the trees, stirring them up with the drone in your ears...you had to try not to think about it to stay sane. Not to mention protecting the "assets" while tending to business!

This morning around dawn again, the hum was crazy, like the troops were gathering for an attack. It died down again as the morning went on (or did we just get used to it?) I wish I could adequately describe lying there in the tent, listening to it...and also listening to the bugs dropping onto the tent. When we emerged, they were everywhere...the boat was covered, tents were covered. I have no idea what they were, but our guess is some version of mayfly that just happened to be in crazy mode the few days we were there.

Overall it was very relaxing, despite the critters. A definite highlight was the amazing night sky...I went out to sit in the boat to get a full view, and I swear I could see everything. The Milky Way was clear as day. I saw no meteors even thought it was supposed to be prime time, but then again, my watching was cut short...by a bat. Which flew approximately 3 feet above my head.

Critters.

North Woods Camping

Brett and I both took last Friday off and pulled the boat up to Lake Vermilion to do some fishing and camping. Our friends Bobbie and Lowell also pulled their boat up to camp with us. We took our time driving up, and arrived at a boat launch on the east side of the lake (not far from Tower, MN) later in the afternoon. We loaded everything up in the boat, because you see folks, we were camping on an island!














Brett and Lowell have been coming up here for years, and last year Brett and I camped on what they call "the big island." It's really not that big, maybe 3/4 of an acre. This year the big island was occupied (first come, first served) so we headed to "the little island" which is slightly smaller but can still easily fit 3-4 tents. We only had 2, so it was perfect.

As you might guess, this is a more primitive campsite, but there is a fire pit and some rough "tables" constructed between trees. There is also a um...latrine...and I use that word loosely. Bobbie actually brough toilet seat covers to put on it!



But you can't beat the view at Lake Vermilion. It is just a beautiful lake, and the leaves are starting to turn up there, so every once in awhile we'd see a burst of bright orange, red or yellow along the shoreline. There are lots of birds - we saw 3 mature bald eagles and one youngster. One of the adults flew right over the boat. You can't beat the view of that stark white head and tail against the bright blue sky! But of course my favorite by far are the loons. They are wonderful birds with a unique call that can be heard echoing across the water. I especially love the sound of them at night. Speaking of sounds - in the later afternoon/early evening we heard a wolf! We heard one last year too, and went to the International Wolf Center in Ely to confirm what we heard. Such a eerie, but cool sound. Of course one of the benefits of camping on an island is that you don't have to worry too much about bears, wolves, and other wildlife that are lurking along the forested shores.

The other critters we were coveting were of course, the fish. We took Brett's boat out for awhile on Saturday morning/early afternoon, and didn't have much luck except for a smallmouth bass. He did teach me some different methods of fishing, like drifting and trolling. I also baited my first leech. We came back to camp and took a little nap, snacked and went back out around 4:30. Brett caught another smallmouth, but we really didn't have good luck until around 7:30, close to sunset. I was trolling and got something on the line - my first walleye! I was pretty excited. Shortly after that I caught a good-sized perch. Brett wasn't fishing at this time, so that's why I got all the glory - of course I couldn't do it without him, because he nets the fish and takes it off the hook! I tried again but got caught on some rocks and lost our last Shad Rap. The fish didn't like the other lures so well. It was getting dark so we went in. We photo-documented my walleye before turning the fish loose. Not enough of a catch to really go to the trouble of preparing them to eat. Bobbie and Lowell caught a few, but no keepers for them either.

We had a nice, relaxing time and enjoyed some good conversation around the campfire. All in all it was a good trip, but a little chilly! It got cold out on the water at times, but in the sun it wasn't too bad. Nighttime was the worst - it was in the 30s! - but we came prepared with sleeping bags and a lot of blankets. Good times, and we'll definitely be back!



Remembering 9/11

After returning from Lake Vermilion last Sunday, I turned around and left early Monday morning for a work trip to Chicago (talk about a change of scenery)! It was, quite frankly, a little weird flying on 9/11, at the same time of day the terrorist attacks occurred exactly 5 years ago.

So how is flying different these days? I flew to Washington DC about 3 weeks before the actual 9/11 events, and I have flown on average 2-3 times a year since. It's probably changed in a lot of ways we don't necessary see (i.e. they say there are many more air marshalls engaged now than there were then). But there are also obvious changes. Five years ago a loved one or friend could also greet me as I stepped off the plane. Now I catch up with them in baggage claim or the outdoor pick-up area. And of course now there are greater restrictions on what we can and cannot carry on a plane. Five years ago I could carry scissors, nail clippers, etc. Not so now. Five years ago I didn't always have to take my shoes off before going through security. Now I'm required to take them off every time. Five years ago I could carry on a single bag for an overnight work trip. Now I have to check that bag because it contains hair gel, lotion, and other products that are considered a potential threat because they could house bomb-making materials.

I'm not complaining. Granted, it is a bit of a pain to not have some of those items on the plane, and there is more of a chance of my luggage getting lost now, but checking and picking up a bag only takes a few minutes. I haven't really encountered any long lines for security - airports have staffed up and it doesn't take too long. But there's always that chance of a long line tugging in the back of my mind, so I'm often at the airport plenty early (which actually, I like to be anyway).

Consequently, I made it to Chicago and back again safely. But it is true that the way we travel is changed forever. We will always be reacting to the next event and attempting to avoid such a tragedy again. As I walked out on Navy Pier in Chicago with a group of people on Monday night, I looked back at the Chicago skyline and saw a tall office building lit up with an American flag and the date "9/11." We remember, and we won't be forgetting anytime soon.

I can't believe it's Labor Day! Holy cow. Where did the summer go?

This weekend we went camping at Sakatah Lake State Park with our friends Amy and Broc (and their dog Gus), who drove up from Iowa. This trip had been planned for awhile, and it was our first camping trip with them, so we were pretty excited. We drove down later Friday night (about 14 miles west of Faribault, MN) and set up the tent in the near-dark. Amy and Broc arrived shorty after us, and we enjoyed a beautiful, cool evening by the campfire. It was perfect camping weather! The campground is pretty nice too - shady camping spots, and the restrooms are modern and clean. The weatherman had threatened thunderstorms that evening, so as we headed for the tents, we braced ourselves for a potential storm. But it stayed cool and clear all night, and the next morning was beautiful as well. We cooked breakfast and made a quick trip into nearby Waterville (the self-proclaimed Bullhead Capital of the WORLD), population about 1,800. The guys and Gus explored the lake, which turned out to be a 6-foot deep, green algae mess. But they got a good little hike out of it. We cooked brats over the fire for lunch.

Amy cooking wieners













Gus wanted some too!


We looked forward to an afternoon of checking out the park, maybe finding a good fishing spot, grilling our big meal that evening, and making s'mores and sitting around the fire that night.

But that all ended around 2:00 in the afternoon.

It started thundering in the distance, and we started putting things away. The rain came and we headed to the tents, thinking there would be a nice shower that would be over by the time we took a little nap.

3:00PM - Still raining. Tried to go back to sleep.

4:00PM - Yep, still raining. Busted out the cards and played a couple of games of Solitaire, and some War.

4:30PM - I got so bored I got out the digital camera and starting taking photos.

5:00PM - We passed the time by watching the drops of water streak across the roof of the tent, which was a bit concerning because we did have a rain fly on, and somehow the water was getting below the fly to the actual roof. But it can't rain much longer, can it?
5:30PM - Water streaks like shooting stars across the tent roof, collecting into pools which burst and zig-zag like a roller coaster across the surface...ok, I have WAY too much time on my hands.
6:00PM - Seriously, this tent thing is getting old. The rain has not stopped. I go and talk to Amy. Broc has gone to the ranger station to get an idea of how much longer this is supposed to last. Forecast: 2 more hours of rain, a small break and then...more rain. We already have water in the tent.

We all headed to Faribault to get some dinner, since there was no way we were cooking outside in the rainy mess. After dinner we stopped to get some rain gear and extra towels, then reluctantly headed back to camp to survey the damage. Did I mention it rained the whole time?

For some reason, we decided we HAD to burn the firewood that was brought, and Broc and Brett did get one going. So there we were, all standing around the fire in our rain gear in the slow, steady rain. Amy even brought out a tarp and basically wrapped herself in it! We stood there until the fire went out, and tried to dry out the best we could before crawling into bed around 11:00 or so.

We did fall asleep (to the sound of raindrops, of course), but around 12:15AM we were jolted out of bed by a panic alarm on someone's vehicle. Turns out it was Broc's truck! It just kept going off - he had to unplug the whole system to get it to stop. Turns out he had the keychain with the panic button in the pocket of the tent, and it got wet and shorted out! After that, the night went something like this:

2:00AM - Surely this can't go all night. There's a little dampness growing at the top of the air mattress. I shift down a little bit.
3:00AM - I turn on the flashlight and survey the damage. The puddles in the tent are growing.
4:00AM - Dammit, still raining. I check the gear I had placed strategically near the bottom of the mattress, which was the driest place in the tent when we went to bed. It's getting damp. I pull it up on the end of the mattress and curl my feet up.
5:00AM - GOOD LORD. This is getting ridiculous. Every once in awhile I feel drops on my forehead. I scoot down more on the mattress. By this time I am in the fetal position and there's no room for much else. I see Brett has shifted down too. We are also losing air. He's got to be about on the ground by now.
6:00AM - I am envisioning muddy streams of water running outside our tent door. Surely we're going to float away sooner or later. I'm fighting off the urge to pee, but it's difficult with the constant pitter-patter of rain and the water surrounding the mattress...
7:00AM - WE CANNOT TAKE THIS ANYMORE. It's still raining, but we decide to cut our losses and pack it up. Brett's sleeping bag is soaked and he is basically lying on the floor of the tent, which is virtually a big puddle.

By around 8AM we had the wet, muddy mess of a tent and tarp in the back of the Jimmy and everything packed and ready to go. The weather made things tough, but what can you do? Mother Nature at her finest. At the end of the trip we were wet, but still smiling. We'll try it again sometime!


Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

Today we hosted the draft for Brett's fantasy football league. The entire Laabs family is represented, even Brandon and Betty (Brett's mom) have a team! We had about 15 people in the house - lots of guys and a few gals with magazines, clipboards and all kinds of other info to help them make the best pics. It's quite an event that they've been doing for years. Everyone brings their own food and drink and they bid on players. It took about 4 hours to get through! I didn't stick around - Candy, Hayley, Marcey and I went to the mall. Brett is in 2 leagues this year, so it's a lot of football at our house this season.