August means a lot of things during summer. School is closer to starting, county and state fairs are in full swing, and of course our family camping trip! This year was a new adventure. It would be Claire's first time tenting and it would be Aunt Kate's first "real" camping adventure.
Tuesday morning we loaded the cars. Thank goodness Kate had a vehicle too, we had a lot of stuff! Brian taught Kate how to attach the canoe.
The girls were excited, although this picture looks more like really mad and scared.
We all got loaded in.
Our traditional family photo before our trip....Claire still isn't quite able to get in on the picture.
So we got a backseat shot too!
Breakfast at McDs.
After we got north of Duluth, we got out for a picnic lunch by the lake. This spot had a great walk out area that Anna loved.
Ooh! Water!
Ahhh, vacation.
The rock hunting and throwing started right away. Claire really wanted to throw rocks like Anna and by the end of the trip she was starting to get it.
Kate was loving the nice weather.
Katie and Anna checking out the lake.
We continued north and stopped at Gooseberry Falls of course. The girls were there with Brian in April when it was frozen, this time the water was flowing!
Exploring.
More rocks.
Here Mom!
Kate and Anna in front of the falls.
Sister's exploring a cave!
Claire wanted to walk up the stairs with Katie.
So Anna got to ride in style.
We also stopped at Palisade Head before we headed to camp to set up.
We had our choice of awesome sites to set up camp and we picked the best one! It was wonderful to have three adults to help do all the set up.
Once we were set up we got to cooking dogs and brats for supper over the campfire. Mmm.
Our shelter and campfire.
Our site.
Tents.
Anna spent many hours of the trip hunting for pine cones, which she first kept calling coconuts and then transitioned to pine cobs before she finally got the name right.
One highlight of the trip was the maiden voyage of Anna's new paddle, made by Daddy just her size.
First canoe trip of the day!
Ready to go!
Kate, Anna and Daddy
Day two of our trip means our hair is already a bit wacky, so Mommy always wears a bandanna. Anna wanted to match.
Cute Claire.
Canoe ride with Mom and Dad.
Claire didn't like that Mommy left for a canoe ride, so our ride was pretty short, then Daddy and Anna went back out for a father-daughter ride.
We headed that afternoon to Temperance River State Park to check out the scenery there.
Daddy and Anna are trying to find their way down to the beach as Kate checks out the jump into the water....will she do it?
Claire and Mommy took the easy walk down to the beach.
Testing out the water temperature.
Love the baby rocks stuck to our feet.
Getting cozy in the rocks.
Do I have something on my bottom?
She did it! Kate jumped in! Brrr!
After a few more jumps from Kate and some lunch while she dried off, we headed out to do more hiking.
We didn't get too far before we had to head back due to tired girls, but it will still fun!
Back at camp....Kate and I decided to head out for a canoe ride.
Claire and Daddy played while Anna took a nap.
Once Anna woke up it was time for some fishing.
We didn't catch anything here.
Jason arrived that night with his boat so he and Brian went out with Anna and Jason caught one fish.
It's a beautiful night on the lake.
On day three Brian and Kate went hiking with Jason to find this great fishing spot. Apparently they never found the great fishing spot, but they found lots of places to fall down and fall in the river. They came back with battle wounds and wet shoes and pants.
That night we were ready for our annual dinner at the Tressle. Yummy food and of course they have a tire swing outside!
On our way back from the Tressle, we decided to stop at Echo just to see if we could catch anything. We weren't having luck right away so Claire was playing with my pole while it was in the water. She was trying to reel when the bobber went under and she had caught a fish! We reeled it in and took it home for an evening snack.
Jason taught me how to filet the fish.
My supervisor.
Cookin.
Friday morning we decided it was time for a shower and a trip farther up the shore.
We stopped to clean up at the Temperance River State Park. The girls were being silly after they were all clean!
Our first stop after the shower was the Alpine Slide in Lutsen. Anna LOVED it.
You ride a chair lift to the top of a big hill. She loved the chair lift ride. I am not such a fan of heights, but went for it anyway.
Kate followed right behind us.
The view from the top!
Anna and our ride to the bottom.
Ready to go!
Anna drove the whole way down. She went really fast down the dips!
Katie came down behind us.
She loved it so much, she went up again with Daddy!
Here they come!
Smiles!
We were starving after all the sliding, so we headed to Grand Marias for pizza at Sven and Olie's.
And for dessert we got donuts!
Chocolate donut by the water. Doesn't get much better!
While in Grand Marais, Anna bought a chipmunk. She named him Chippy. We had lots of chipmunks coming through our camp site the whole time looking for food. They had no fear and would come right between your feet to get a morsel.
Claire held Chippy while Anna threw rocks.
More beach and rock throwing.
Family photo!
Our rock climber.
Claire loves the rock beaches too!
Our best attempt at a family photo...
Walking the rock wall on the way to the car.
All that hiking wore us out!
Roasting marshmallows.
The last day :( Our camping crew!
North Shore 2013.
Sisters.
We hadn't gotten Claire out yet on a canoe ride, so after we got everything packed up, we went out for one last spin.
On our way south we made a couple stops before Duluth. We went to the big flea market to check out the treasures and of course got some candy at the candy store!
We also went to Canal Park in Duluth to see a ship come through and get some smoked salmon.
The girls loved playing in the water features along the sidewalk.
The trip was wonderful. We all had a great time, even Kate for her first camping experience!
We are already excited for next year, when Claire is another year older and even more excited about the trip. She did great for her first time tenting. We did have to go for a nightly drive to put her to sleep, but it was a nice way for everyone to unwind.
On the way home, Anna crashed.....
Claire did not.
B. Grizzly drove....
And I documented.
Looks like a wonderful trip! Thanks for sharing!
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