Dave's Den

I spent a week of vacation last week with the kids. First up was our last camping trip of the year, to Spearhead Point Campground and the Mondeaux Dam area. The forecast for our trip didn't look very good, but it turned out to be absolutely perfect, aside from the last day. Things didn't get off to a very good start on Sunday, since my propane lantern fell off the tree while I was hanging it, shattering the glass globe and making it unusable for the remainder of the trip. Then there were the bees. The kids (in particular, Gina) have developed a paralyzing fear of bees, and there were a few buzzing around the campsite, which didn't make for a very positive experience. Thankfully, the bees cleared out later in the evening, and we were able to have an enjoyable night by the fire.

Monday was beautiful again. After breakfast, we went over to the Mondeaux Dam Lodge to rent a boat and go out fishing for the day. At least that was the plan. When we got over there, they only had one motorboat, and they said the motor wasn't working. Their web site definitely gives the impression that they had multiple boats, and my assumption was that they would be in working order. They offered to let us rent their pontoon, but at $25/hr, I just couldn't justify it. We were all disappointed, and I was left wondering how I was going to keep the kids entertained now. We went back to the campsite, and thankfully the kids played nicely in the tent while I relaxed and did some reading. Gina was reading the first chapter of the Harry Potter series, and Zach was engrossed in his Transformers sticker activity book. After lunch, it was starting to warm-up, so we went over to the swimming beach near the lodge and spent the entire afternoon there. Gina saw some fish in the water, and was using a net to try and catch them. She gave it a valiant effort, but came up empty.

Monday night was spent around the campfire. Around 9:30, just after we had some smores, Gina spotted a racoon right in our campsite. This really got her excited, especially since she had done a full report on raccoons in second grade a few months ago and knew all her raccoon facts. We had four different racoon sightings by the fire, and at one point one even jumped up on our picnic table. Needless to say, this was the highlight of Gina's trip. We could also see the Milky Way in all its full glory with a clear, cloudless sky. Gina had never seen it, so I was happy to explain what we were looking at, and she seemed to really appreciate the opportunity.

Tuesday was perfect weather-wise again. We spent the morning biking and hiking around the campground, and then spent all afternoon at the swimming beach once more. All day Gina was excited at the prospect of seeing more raccoons that night, but unfortunately they never returned. I checked the forecast for Wednesday, and it didn't look good. I told the kids we were probably going to stay 3 nights instead of the planned 4, and after some initial disappointment, I think they understood that it wouldn't be much fun spending a whole day in the tent while it rained. I also told them if they were good that I'd consider taking them to a motel with a pool for a night.

I was hoping the rain would hold off for part of the day Wednesday, but we woke up to rain early in the morning. I packed things up during a short lull in the rain, and we were on the road about 11:00am. I found an America's Best Quality Inn in Eau Claire that gave us a room for $52, and they had a nice pool to boot. This made the kids forget the rain in a hurry, and we spent all day Wednesday and most of Thursday morning poolside while it poured outside. We had the whole pool area to ourselves, and the kids loved going back and forth between the whirlpool and the main pool. Thursday after lunch we hit the road and headed home.

It was still rainy when we got back to the Twin Cites, so I took the kids to see the movie "Up" before we went back home. It was a really good flick for kids and dad alike- Pixar can seemingly do no wrong.

On Friday I took the kids to the Minnesota Zoo for the day. The kids enjoyed it more than usual since a lot of animals that are not normally active were out and about.

Saturday I got a few things done around the house and took the kids to Elko Speedway after dinner for their "Eve of Destruction". We got a ride in a monster truck before the event and had a blast watching all the races, jumps and stunts. Behind the grandstand there was a bicycle stunt show that was probably the highlight of the evening for the kids.

Sunday was my last day of vacation, and I took the kids to the Apple Valley water park for the day. It was great fun, and a good way to wrap up the week. We stopped at McDonald's for dinner, and had a Chicken Run movie night to wrap up the day.

It feels like summer is really winding down now, so I'm trying to enjoy the remaining days outdoors as much as possible. I see the kids growing up fast these days, so I try to take a little time here and there to stop and appreciate the little moments that might not come again.

Photos from our camping trip

Camping trip slideshow

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