Camping with the Kids

Yes, we all had a great time, and I am still recovering. I am surprised how exhausted I was after this trip; as I laid in bed the night after we returned I thought my legs felt just as if I had done a triathlon that day. So I took another day off of training, but vow to pick it up again Tuesday with renewed vigor!

As you can see (if you'll forgive the horrible pictures, my camera phone takes shots as if there were wax paper covering the lens) the children had a blast. We were fairly non-stop the entire trip minus the late night campfires. We went hiking, fishing, hiking, swimming, Climbed a fire tower, more hiking, read The Hobbit (the kids couldn't get enough of this book and nearly cried at the ending) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court by the campfire late into the night, had a picnic and then did still more hiking. There was plenty of wildlife including several deer, grouse, eagles, a big black Bear (we were in the car when we saw him, so I think he was more startled than us) and of course plenty of ticks (especially depending on the hiking trail we chose) and a few mosquitoes. We were well fed with way more snacks, treats, 'smores and actual food than we could shake a stick at. I'm sure I gained 5 lbs!

Here's a view from the Fire Tower, 100 ft above St. Croix State Park:Zach widdling his marshmallow stick for 'Smores:"I Hate Rabbits""Do we have to go?"

Next time canoeing will be in order. I gotta give my legs a break and work in some cross-training! In any case I should do more camping, I've been trying to work in two weekends a year, but I may try to up that to three.