Minnesota

back in 2002, just after school was out for the summer, chris and i had some free time before my big sis's wedding in wisconsin... with only a week, there really wasn't enough time for me to move all the way back to VA, and then get back to IN in time to drive to wisconsin... so we decided to go on a road trip... both of us enjoyed camping, and being outdoors, so we devised a plan to visit the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota (near canada)...

sounded like a cool idea at the time... so we got some maps and did some internet searching and found a camp site... and while i still say i like camping, the idea of camping is more appealing to me than the actual deed... i like running water, and private restroom facilities... but i decided a few days in the woods wouldn't kill me...

the first day/night was pretty cool... we got our site setup... took a little walk around the grounds... and fixed my fav. camping dinner (hobo dinners)... the campground was much different than i was used to... back in VA the sites are full of trees and lush greenery... this place had lots of dirt... and the trees looked dead... but we were still having fun anyway... during the first night, it got really cold (despite the fact that it was super hot during the day)... little did we know that each night was gonna be that way...

the next couple of days kinda blended together... i remember we hiked around one day... we had a map of the area, but it looked nothing like where we were hiking... and we kept saying "okay, over this next crest is a stream..." or something like that... and the stream never showed... and the bugs there were horrible... billions of them... all wanting to bite me... ugh...

we also went canoeing one day... hehe... the morning started out fairly nice... and lunch on the shore of the lake on a big rock was warm and fun... the short hike we made away from the shore was interesting too... too bad there were ants... and then on our way back to camp, it started raining... and not just a little rain... a huge storm... so, chris and i are trying to canoe back to a safe place, when i realize all of our stuff is getting wet (incl. cameras and such) and i need to cover them up... well, i guess i was taking forever doing that... and i hear chris paddling away in the back like there's something after us... and after a few minutes, i look up, and we're in the same spot we were in before i stopped paddling... it was way funny at the time...

eventually we made it back to camp... we were soaked, but i think that actually helped us since we were pretty stinky (no showers)... sometime during the night, it started raining again... it was cold, and we were wet... so we decided it was time to pack up and head out... i was never so happy to see a Super 8 Motel in my life...

one day i might go back to minnesota... but not for camping... at least not without an RV with utilities hook-ups... hehe... now that's the way a princess likes to camp...