Thursday, June 5, 2008

That Minnesota trip you've heard so much about...

I promised pictures - here ya go!

We started on our trip early - 3:30 a.m. - so that the boys could sleep for a good portion of the 10+ hour trip.

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Sunrise, near Madison, WI

We had a packed vehicle - with the cost of gas these days (I know we Americans have nothing to complain about compared with other countries, but this is the story of an American road trip, so you will hear American-style griping throughout) we decided the more the merrier. In our Suburban we had myself, my hubby, my three brothers (yes, all grown men) and my two little ones.

Having made a pact with the hubby that I'd stay awake with him, I kept myself alert by taking pictures through the window.

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The sandstone rocks that make the "dells" - this structure is found just outside of Camp Douglas.

The dreary day made it tough to stay alert!

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Finally arriving at our destination, Lost Acres Resort in Blackduck, MN, we found the weather to be a pleasant 70+ degrees! We started to unpack our things and I took the boys to stretch their travel-weary legs at the park.

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Only shortly after we "moved in", a cold front came through and brought with it a terriffic thunderstorm - AND HAIL!

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The crazy weather made for some bad fishing the first few days, but never fear - we conquered those fish!

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We had lots of time to just be together as a family.

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We also found that the key to getting Will to walk was an acoustic guitar! My brother, Jeff, brought his along (what's a trip without a guitar?!?) and from day 1 that kid would walk all over the cabin to find it!

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There was a lot of other wildlife...

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...and more beutiful sunsets than a person has a right to see in an entire lifetime.

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On top of all that beauty and family love and bonding, we found Will would fall asleep EVERY TIME we took him out in the boat. Instant nap time! Love it!

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And just so you don't think I'm all hippie love and peace and bonding and nature, we *did* have more than our fair share of adult beverages, as confirmed in this picture I like to call, "Anything'll stick to your forehead if you just lick it."

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My poor brother. He had to know this photo would end up on the Internet.

So, that's it, in a nutshell. It was a great trip and we caught enough fish to have a big fish fry for the entire extended family, as is tradition. 10+ hours in the car with two little ones? SO WORTH IT!

(Did you miss my pics of the great roadside attractions we saw on the way home?)

Take a look at all my vacation pictures on Flickr.

13 comments:

Marni's Organized Mess said...

I opened up too many comment boxes to remember which is which, but I love all your pics and posts!! Especially the forehead one. ;-)

Suzie said...

Great trip and phots. Im going away Saturday and I cant wait!

Kristen said...

Looks like fun. I can't wait to get away!

Kate said...

What a fun, and crazy, trip! That's neat that your brothers joined in. I love the picture of your little one asleep in the boat. Too funny!

Anonymous said...

Hi! Looks like a great trip and what amazing scenery and er . . . forehead shots! My fav photo is the one of your littlest one asleep on the boat! Mine did that last time we took him out on a boat ride too.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a great trip - we don't do road trips really, we would end up in the sea after 10 hours which ever way we drove!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the nap picture! Too cute. The scenery is amazing. And 70 degree weather sounds awesome to me :)

Unknown said...

Wow. Looks like you all had a blast!!! I love the last picture. That looks like something that my family would do to my brother. LOL. Thanks for the kind comment you left on my blog about job searching that meant a lot for me.

Jen said...

Looks like you guys had a fun time on your vacation!! It sure makes me want to go on one now.

Kim @ What's That Smell said...

The picture of Will on the boat is just priceless....I need to get a boat...

Denise Patrick said...

Looks like it was a great vacation, despite the unpredictable weather.

Happy TT!

Mama Smurf said...

That looks like the PERFECT vacation! LOVE it! And that photo with your son sleeping on the boat is classic.

Bethany said...

That looked like such a fun trip! The pictures were great!