Minnehaha Falls and Fort Snelling's Pike Island Hikes

We had a random warm day, Scott got new hiking boots and I love waterfalls. So a trip to Minnehaha Falls we went.

Will she ever get bored with waterfalls? Probably not.

Getting down any trail sure takes longer than before we had kids.

The kids just wanted to play in the creek.

We haven't walked the trail to the river since Meadow was Theo's age.

It's still one of my favorite hikes in Minnesota even if it's right in the city.

"What?! The sand is yellow!"

All the fisherman and woman were out where Minnehaha meets with the Mississippi.

The kids would've played in the sand cave all day, but we had to get back before sunset. It was a school night, after all.

I wonder when we'll be back here next. I think the kids hope sooner rather than later.

After some literal tree hugging, we called it a night. They do this everywhere.

On Saturday the kids and I picked up a box of doughnuts for breakfast from Bogart's.

Another hiking weekend at Fort Snelling. While it's our least favorite, we decided to stay close by this time. The kids really wanted to go back to Minnehaha Falls.

It's not my least favorite, but this time of year, after a lot of hikes, I'm kind of ready for leaf canopies to be in full bloom. It's just so gray out right now.

Little tree huggers.

At it again. Goof balls love nature just like their parents.

Hey, deer.

The kids wanted to play in the water again.

At least this was more interesting than the main trail that we've hiked so many times already. Honestly would've been fun to hike one of the other trails in the park, but we're on a hiking club mission.

We found a tree that had been ravaged by bugs. It was pretty groovy.

It's about the journey and not the destination. I suppose.

We made it to the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers.

And the hiking club password.

Hi, Theo.

Theo wanted to be carried but only if he could be carried from the front.

Brooke doesn't think Theo looks like her because he has blonde hair. With a hat on you really see it.

I still don't see it.

Pretending to be a butterfly.

I guess we really didn't do much the rest of the day. We don't normally head out of the house so early. We all admitted we like starting things later and coming home late. We didn't really know what to do the rest of the day.

Finally, Brooke admits that taking your time is better than rushing out in the morning.

Comments

Brooke Turns 40, We Return to the Riverside Cabin at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters

This year is my 40th birthday. We originally thought we'd go to Mackinac Island and also played with the idea of going to Montreal. With a spring break trip coming up we settled on a cabin on the Gunflint Trail. The Gunflint Trail is one of our favorite spots in Minnesota. So, why not? We'd also decided to go on another campervan/RV relocation adventure at the end of the month. So don't act like I don't treat my honey. On our drive up we stopped at Tobie's to get cinnamon bread for french toast. Just like a few years back we stopped at Hungry Hippie Tacos in Duluth. I feel like we have to document whenever these kids get along as it's a rarity these days. We got the frybread tacos, but the kids stuck with the corn tortilla options. We brought along our projector and stopped at Blake's house to steal his internet to download videos. Once we got to Voyageur Canoe Outfitters and unloaded our stuff, we crossed the river to explore the trails briefly. Our feet ...

A 39th Birthday Cottage Visit and Ice Skating "The Glide" in Boulder Junction

Back at the cottage for my (early) birthday weekend. Where else would I go for my birthday? I'm a simple man. Grandpa cleared a rink and a little loop for us. Theo just wanted dig in the snow. Meanwhile Meadow and I went cross country skiing on the Anvil Ski Trail. Meadow said she would only go with me if we did a trail with hills. We hiked this a few years ago and it was quite hilly. She was an old pro on the hills while I wiped out. We didn't make it too far as Meadow complained her boots were too tight. I made her check the fit a few weeks ago and she claimed they were fine... Was a beautiful trail in the Nicolet National Forest.

Backcountry Camping with Kids in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Day 1 Back in May I stumbled upon Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I had no idea there was a National Park in North Dakota and that it was the northern end of the Badlands. Usually our summer vacations coincide with Scott's work trips. Since he didn't have any this summer I thought we should take advantage of actually taking a vacation. What, my workcations are always classics? I suppose a second real vacation this year wouldn't hurt. We definitely have more time than normal. As long as we took Covid-19 precautions and avoided people. We finally settled on a time to go. Blake joined us so we borrowed our dad's van so we could ride together. Scott had just driven from Michigan the day before. Blake had met my parents in Wisconsin to get the van and then drove from Duluth to pick us up. I offered to drive since I literally only drive twice a month. I was still pretty tired from a long drive home. Since we were near Fergus Falls we had to stop by the abandoned state ho...

Search This Blog