Camping at Whitewater

Tis' still summer in Minnesota (sigh) and summer means camping! Every year, more or less, we go camping with our Bible Study Group, and this year was no exception! This year we went to Whitewater State Park which is know for it's noticeable lack of mosquitoes. It has been so rainy this year, we actually did notice a few, but very few. I think I got bit twice all weekend and if you are a MN native, you know this is a big deal.

Unfortunately, I didn't pull my camera out much, so for this post you are going to see primarily hiking pictures. The only other thing I really wish I had gotten pictures of was the sand beach which was truly awesome. If you haven't been to Whitewater I highly recommend it!

Anyway, we all know it is pictures you are here for, so here we go.


Getting 35+ people ready for a hike isn't quite as easy as it might appear. There always seems to be one more person who needs to run back to get something and, especially important for kids, just one more bathroom break to take!

Thankfully, in spite of many, many, many delays, spirits were high...


...mostly.


Sara was extra chipper on this particular afternoon, and I'm sure she is even more so after seeing this picture!


Yep, we're original. Taking pictures of each other. Awesome.


Piggy-back rides were plentiful...




...as were ears for holding. This is very important if you are a 2 year old named Kate.


Love this picture. Love these kids.


Still smiling!


I'm not sure, but I'm thinking Jeorge was feeling inferior, what with standing next to Brett and his towering height, so he stood himself on this rock to make himself feel taller. Yep, I'm pretty sure that's what was going on.


And we're off! Uphill. Great.


We have kids. Just a few though.


Ok, so the uphill hike was worth the wait. Very pretty!


Aren't they authentic, what with their sticks and all.


Family photo op!


This is what we look like between takes.


Ok, not hike-related. I decided this lovely branch at our campsite would be the perfect place to stage our own Awkward Family Photo! However, upon posting this picture I discovered that people love it. Hmm.... Jas says he should have been in front of Kate if we really wanted it to be awkward. Oh well.


To sum up, it was a lovely camping trip. Beautious weather, good friends, good times. I highly recommend.


Summer, you can be done now. Don't make me put up the snowman.

Up North

This past weekend we went camping up on the shores of Lake Superior. Given the opportunity, I would live up there. Or at least spend a good chunk of my time up there.


For this trip we were in Wisconsin, and apparently were on the South Shore, rather than the North Shore as it is called in Minnesota. Who knew? I don't quite understand what makes the MN side the North Shore. Wouldn't the North Shore technically be up in Canada, eh? I get that WI is definitely on the South side of the lake, so that makes sense, but are we really calling the MN side North, based on its relation to the WI side? Don't get me wrong-I prefer saying "The North Shore". It sounds lovely that way, I just don't quite understand the mechanics of it. But I digress...

The campground we stayed at was a municipal campground in the town of Herbster. Some of the campsites were right on the lake; ours was a mere hop across the road. We had a really beautiful view from our site.


The water was "warm" enough for the girls to swim. Not just wading with some getting of the clothes wet-I mean fully submerged swimming. For those of you familiar with the icy waters of Lake Superior, you know this is not the norm, and for the girls it was quite a treat!




We spent Friday morning wading...


...swimming


...collecting rocks


...and more rocks


...throwing sand at the mom


...and warming our toes in the sun.


It was a lovely relaxing morning...





Then came the inevitable idea to bury everybody in the sand.




Even Kate.



The end results were not pretty!




We won't even talk about the massive amounts of sand that came back to the campsite (and ultimately into the tent) with us.


Friday afternoon we realized the ice in our coolers had reverted to its original state and we decided to make a trip to Bayfield to buy some more ice and to see the marina. It was really hot and everyone was very tired and as a result I took only 2 pictures just to show how everyone was feeling-



Let's just say it wasn't the most pleasant experience of the weekend.

After dinner we went down to the beach again to play in the sand and wade and watch the sunset. This was my favorite time.




More burying in the sand. I love this picture-It gives the impression that Maddie is wearing the Earth as a skirt.


Meg was wishing we could swim more, hence the happy, animated, not-at-all-pouting expression.


Sunset.


This picture doesn't exactly fit in with the rest, but Jas was so excited about the campstove and coffee pot he got for Christmas, I had to throw it in. :op


Saturday morning we woke up and slowly started to pack up. After a bit I looked over and saw a black line of clouds on the other side of the lake. Heading our way. Fast. We kicked it into high gear...


...and failed miserably. By the time we got everything crammed into the car and the topper the kids were squished (packing quickly does not lend itself to comfort!) and Jas and I were soaked. Let's just say it was an exhilarating way to end our trip!


T'was a good trip, nonetheless.