I think the title says it all. Every year we have some sort of misadventure that, at the time, is frustrating and very unexpected, but in time, it sure makes for some good memories! This year was no exeption. Warning: This will probably be a very long post.
We got to the campsite Monday afternoon, and set up camp in the rain. It wasn't downpouring, but raining hard enough to be a nuisance. But, we still managed to get all the tents set up, with the tarps on top of and beneath the tents (you camp long enough in the Upper Midwest, you learn that tarps are your best friends). We set the campstove up under a tree, and were able to have a good supper in our screen tent without getting too wet. That evening, Dad set up the air mattresses, and later that night he came out and told Mom, "Our mattress won't hold air." She said, "I'm sleeping in the car." And she did. Or, to hear her tell it, she tried to sleep. But every time she got in a comfortable position, she'd hear another mosquito buzzing in her ear. She figures she probably killed around 50 in one night! :-)
It rained off and on all that night (and let me tell you, trying to sleep with the rain hitting the tarps is a JOKE!), and in the morning, one look at the clouds and we knew it was going to be another wet day. So after a quick breafast, we headed into town to get a new air mattress for Mom and Dad. While we were there, it absolutely began to pour outside--it's been a while since I've seen rain come down so hard! So, instead of heading back to the campground, we decided to drive into Valley City, where we had lunch and visited the Bald Hill Dam. That afternoon Carl, Robbie, and Dad got some biking in before supper. That night, it was like a repeat of last year's Wizard of Oz adventure. The wind blew so badly that our entire tent felt like it was going to take off! The sides were heaving in and out like you wouldn't believe! Last year, it only lasted for a couple hours; this year, not only did it last the ENTIRE night, but it was super windy for the next two days, too!
Wednesday was full of biking, canoeing, and hiking time. All of us except Mom love doing the bike trails, so of course we were very busy with that. And everyone except me went canoeing at least once that day. As for the hiking, well . . . last year Mom and I climbed Ridge Line, the hardest trail in the park. It feels like you climb 250 feet straight up, though in reality it's spread out over a little less than a half a mile. Mom said that NO WAY was I going to give her another cardiac stress test this year, so Carl agreed to do the trail with me. It branches off another trail that is one of our favorites to bike or hike, so our whole family decided to hike together to where the trails split. Then Carl and I hiked up, and up, and up . . . and up . . . and . . . up. And when you get to the end of the dirt part of the trail and break out into the grass and sunlight, you have to go up some more! Actually, it wasn't too bad, and we made good time. That night, winter decided to hit. It got down to about 45 degrees for the following 3 nights! I slept with two blankets and a sweatshirt, with the hood pulled over my head! And of course, that was the night Carl decided he wanted to go up and take a 24-minute picture of the stars (he held the shutter open for that long to get the rotation of the stars. He did this last year and it turned out really well). We all went up there, but after getting out of the van, looking at the stars, and trying to take some pictures, Mom and I got back in the van and took naps! Still, I can't wait to see how Carl's picture turned out!
Thursday and Friday were spent doing more biking, hiking, and canoeing. We hit just about every trail possible, and did many of them more than once. We saw quite a bit of wildlife, including having deer jump right out on the trail in front of us a couple of times! Another pasttime we kids enjoyed was climbing the tree in front of our campsite. It was really easy to get up, and is very comfortable once you're up. Robbie actually did some reading while in his perch! On Friday, when we went in to town to get ice for the coolers, we also stopped at a couple little antique-type stores, where Dad found a few things for Mom and himself.
Saturday was a bit of a mad rush to get everything packed into the two cars and out of the campground by 1, but we made it, with over half an hour to spare! Then came the wonderful job of unpacking! We were all happy to be home, and able to sleep in our own (WARM) beds that night! Still, we really enjoyed our trip, and we had a fantastic time! And here are the pictures you've been waiting for . . .
setting up the tents in the rain
We got to the campsite Monday afternoon, and set up camp in the rain. It wasn't downpouring, but raining hard enough to be a nuisance. But, we still managed to get all the tents set up, with the tarps on top of and beneath the tents (you camp long enough in the Upper Midwest, you learn that tarps are your best friends). We set the campstove up under a tree, and were able to have a good supper in our screen tent without getting too wet. That evening, Dad set up the air mattresses, and later that night he came out and told Mom, "Our mattress won't hold air." She said, "I'm sleeping in the car." And she did. Or, to hear her tell it, she tried to sleep. But every time she got in a comfortable position, she'd hear another mosquito buzzing in her ear. She figures she probably killed around 50 in one night! :-)
It rained off and on all that night (and let me tell you, trying to sleep with the rain hitting the tarps is a JOKE!), and in the morning, one look at the clouds and we knew it was going to be another wet day. So after a quick breafast, we headed into town to get a new air mattress for Mom and Dad. While we were there, it absolutely began to pour outside--it's been a while since I've seen rain come down so hard! So, instead of heading back to the campground, we decided to drive into Valley City, where we had lunch and visited the Bald Hill Dam. That afternoon Carl, Robbie, and Dad got some biking in before supper. That night, it was like a repeat of last year's Wizard of Oz adventure. The wind blew so badly that our entire tent felt like it was going to take off! The sides were heaving in and out like you wouldn't believe! Last year, it only lasted for a couple hours; this year, not only did it last the ENTIRE night, but it was super windy for the next two days, too!
Wednesday was full of biking, canoeing, and hiking time. All of us except Mom love doing the bike trails, so of course we were very busy with that. And everyone except me went canoeing at least once that day. As for the hiking, well . . . last year Mom and I climbed Ridge Line, the hardest trail in the park. It feels like you climb 250 feet straight up, though in reality it's spread out over a little less than a half a mile. Mom said that NO WAY was I going to give her another cardiac stress test this year, so Carl agreed to do the trail with me. It branches off another trail that is one of our favorites to bike or hike, so our whole family decided to hike together to where the trails split. Then Carl and I hiked up, and up, and up . . . and up . . . and . . . up. And when you get to the end of the dirt part of the trail and break out into the grass and sunlight, you have to go up some more! Actually, it wasn't too bad, and we made good time. That night, winter decided to hit. It got down to about 45 degrees for the following 3 nights! I slept with two blankets and a sweatshirt, with the hood pulled over my head! And of course, that was the night Carl decided he wanted to go up and take a 24-minute picture of the stars (he held the shutter open for that long to get the rotation of the stars. He did this last year and it turned out really well). We all went up there, but after getting out of the van, looking at the stars, and trying to take some pictures, Mom and I got back in the van and took naps! Still, I can't wait to see how Carl's picture turned out!
Thursday and Friday were spent doing more biking, hiking, and canoeing. We hit just about every trail possible, and did many of them more than once. We saw quite a bit of wildlife, including having deer jump right out on the trail in front of us a couple of times! Another pasttime we kids enjoyed was climbing the tree in front of our campsite. It was really easy to get up, and is very comfortable once you're up. Robbie actually did some reading while in his perch! On Friday, when we went in to town to get ice for the coolers, we also stopped at a couple little antique-type stores, where Dad found a few things for Mom and himself.
Saturday was a bit of a mad rush to get everything packed into the two cars and out of the campground by 1, but we made it, with over half an hour to spare! Then came the wonderful job of unpacking! We were all happy to be home, and able to sleep in our own (WARM) beds that night! Still, we really enjoyed our trip, and we had a fantastic time! And here are the pictures you've been waiting for . . .
setting up the tents in the rain
what campfire would be complete without s'mores?
consulting possible sites for next year
grass snake that I found and Carl caught
two of my best friends
my awesome family--four of my best friends!
helping Dad pack up the vehicles
2 comments:
Hi, Andrea. Thanks for writing up this account of the vacation time. I was going to ask you for some details, but maybe don't need to do so now.
Love,
Dad
You sure did make some great memories! I love the pictures! :-)
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