Dad and I planned a camping trip and invited whatever family was available and willing. This time it was Dad and I, Katie, Jim, and Uncle Tom. We spent a total of seven days together and yes, it was a lot of together time. The first night we got there it was pouring rain, which is always an awesome way to start a camping trip. So we reserved a yurt in the Porkies. Now, I had never heard of a yurt before but apparently Katie stayed in a real one in Mongolia. (She would). There were two bunks and a wood stove and just enough space for Dad to sleep on the floor. (It was his idea). We got the stove going and heating up really nice and we were all feeling warm and cozy. And then it kept getting hotter…and hotter…so hot we were all sweating and we had to go outside into the rain just to cool off. We managed to figure out how to open the circular “oculus” as Tom referred to it and that let a little bit of air in. Anyway, we survived the first night.
The next day we did a five mile day hike in the rain. We climbed the lookout tower where supposedly you can see Mirror Lake and even the Apostle Islands 30 miles away on a clear day. I couldn’t tell you if this “lake” really existed because you couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of you. But anyway, it was a fun yet soggy hike. That night we ditched the whole cooking in the rain idea and went into the town of Ontonagon and ate pasties. Mmmmm.
Another night in the yurt and then the next day we hiked in several miles to a cabin. We also took a short hike to some nearby falls. The rain had stopped and we were all dried out. The next day we hiked back out to our car and headed to the Apostle Islands in Northern Wisconsin.
We got there and spent some time in the town (which name escapes me) and camped on Madeline Island. In the morning we went to an outfitter who does kayaking trips and we spent a whole day kayaking on Lake Superior and visiting the sea caves along the shore. It was a beautiful day and the lake and scenery were gorgeous.
After this we headed for Minneapolis. We were very grateful for the hotel bed and the showers by the time we got there. The next day we toured the campus of Jim’s alma mater, the University of Minnesota, and we saw the new stadium they built for the school’s football team. It looks like a beautiful stadium and I am sure the students, fans, and the team will love the spirit I think it will bring to Minnesota’s football games. Then we went to see a Twins game, spent our last night in Minneapolis, and went home.
The End.