Our family camped at Interstate State Park this last MEA weekend.  Located just north of the Twin Cities, Interstate State Park is just two miles west of Taylors Falls, MN.  On the banks of the St. Croix River, the area is known for its immense beauty and geological features such as glacial potholes.

Dismissing the cold nights, the weather was absolutely perfect.  Frosts earlier in the season had killed off the insects, food and beverages were plentiful, and we were able to explore the area.  While camping with seven kids can be trying, I think it is still a consensus that we all had a good time.  Things we enjoyed?  Relaxation, hiking, geocaching, kayaking Chisago Lake and enjoying the campfire.  The thing we liked the least about Interstate State Park is its proximity to MN State Highway 95.  The noise from the traffic, particularly trucks jake braking down the hill, is not what I look for in camping.  While the beauty of the river is enticing, the traffic alone is the reason why I will never again camp at Interstate.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Entrance to Interstate State Park Entrance to Interstate State Park	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Our home for the weekend, campsite #12e Our home for the weekend, campsite #12e	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN A view of the river from our campsite A view of the river from our campsite
2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN The St. Croix River The St. Croix River	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Walking the St. Croix River Walking the St. Croix River	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Bart and Anna messing around in the river Bart and Anna messing around in the river
2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Woke up Saturday morning to a foggy river Woke up Saturday morning to a foggy river	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN An eerie river scene An eerie river scene	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Another eerie river scene Another eerie river scene
2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Molly climbing around the potholes Molly climbing around the potholes	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Laura posing like a ham Laura posing like a ham	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Anna swallowed by a pothole Anna swallowed by a pothole
2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Laura posing again, I should be worried Laura posing again, I should be worried	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN While she'd never admit it, Molly having a good time While she'd never admit it, Molly having a good time	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Anna climbing boulders in Glacial Gardens Park Anna climbing boulders in Glacial Gardens Park
2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Laura attempting to climb the cliff Laura attempting to climb the cliff	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Anna with a river backdrop Anna with a river backdrop	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Laura and Matt Bowers Laura and Matt Bowers
2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Laura and the four Bowers boys Laura and the four Bowers boys	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN Nene taking a break from climbing through potholes Nene taking a break from climbing through potholes	2011 - Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls, MN The Hiking Club password for Interstate State Park The Hiking Club password for Interstate State Park

Our family camped at Bear Head Lake State Park this weekend.  Located in the great north woods of Minnesota, Bear Head Lake is approximately half way between Tower and Ely.  While the area is known for vast populations of wolves and bears, the only critters we ran into were the three bears at the North American Bear Center, located just south of Ely.

Believe it or not, this was our family's first solo camping trip without the presense of other beloved friends and family members.  The weather was absolutely perfect, there were no troublesome insects, and the food was plentiful.  With the exception of a dead battery in the truck and having run out of beer, every one of us seemed to have a great time.  Things we enjoyed?  Relaxation, swimming at the beach, kayaking the lakes, hiking the trails, geocaching, enjoying the campfire, and stargazing at night.  There are many other gorgeous state parks we'd like to camp but Bear Head Lake has certainly made it to our short-list of places to return.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Entrance to Bear Head Lake State Park Entrance to Bear Head Lake State Park	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Our home for the weekend, campsite #53 Our home for the weekend, campsite #53	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Bart at the campsite Bart at the campsite
2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN A view of Bear Head Lake A view of Bear Head Lake	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN A view from the beach at Bear Head Lake A view from the beach at Bear Head Lake	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN A view of Eagles Nest Lake Number Three A view of Eagles Nest Lake Number Three
2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN A view from Bart's boat during the maiden voyage A view from Bart's boat during the maiden voyage	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Molly is a natural at paddling a kayak Molly is a natural at paddling a kayak	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Bart and Molly island geocaching on Eagles Nest Lake Number Three Bart and Molly island geocaching on Eagles Nest Lake Number Three
2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Laura checking out the kayak on dry land Laura checking out the kayak on dry land	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Laura actually went out in the 12' kayak and held her own Laura actually went out in the 12' kayak and held her own	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Laura conquered her first kayaking trip Laura conquered her first kayaking trip
2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN Anna is a reluctant but very skillful paddler Anna is a reluctant but very skillful paddler	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN We were all surprised that Nene got in a kayak, paddled well, and claims to have enjoyed it We were all surprised that Nene got in a kayak, paddled well, and claims to have enjoyed it	2011 - Bear Head Lake State Park, Ely, MN The Hiking Club password for Bear Head Lake State Park The Hiking Club password for Bear Head Lake State Park

This summer Laura has been playing soccer on one of the RAAA 1st/2nd Grade Girls teams.  While Laura is not ready to bend it with Beckham, she is not shy about playing hard and getting into the action.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

  

2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer
2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer
2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer
2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer
2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer
2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer	2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer
2011 - Rosemount Raspberries, RAAA 2nd Grade Girls Soccer

This week Nene, Anna and Laura have been away at Catholic Youth Camp.  Located near McGregor, MN, CYC is a wonderful get away for the kids during the summer.  The list of activities that are available seems to be endless.  These photos courtesy of CYC.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN
2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN
2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN
2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN
2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN
2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN
2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN
2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN
2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN	2011 - Catholic Youth Camp, McGregor, MN

During our seven day stay at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, many hours were spent at the beach which included body surfing, sand castle building, fishing, crabbing, and general horse play.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2011 - The Beach of the Outer Banks, Southern Shores, NC A look to the north A look to the north	2011 - The Beach of the Outer Banks, Southern Shores, NC A look to the south A look to the south	2011 - The Beach of the Outer Banks, Southern Shores, NC The Southern Shores pier The Southern Shores pier
2011 - The Beach of the Outer Banks, Southern Shores, NC Laura enjoying the surf Laura enjoying the surf	2011 - The Beach of the Outer Banks, Southern Shores, NC Anna waiting for the next big wave Anna waiting for the next big wave	2011 - The Beach of the Outer Banks, Southern Shores, NC Molly building her sand castle Molly building her sand castle

This photograph was taken on Saturday, October 24th, 2009.  The entire Flentje family dressed up for a Halloween party excursion located in the Cannon Falls area.  Boo.

2009 Happy Halloween

A very scary Flentje family.

I really struggle with these made up holidays; Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, you get the picture.  When Nene mentioned to me that we'd be doing something outside today as a family my interest was piqued.  When I was told that it was decided we'd go for a bike ride along the Cannon Valley Trail, I was elated, and tried with all my might to keep from showing my excitement.  This wasn't going to be a geocaching trip but it was the next best thing.

I've been on the Cannon Valley Trail before but only in short fragments while exploring around.  If canoeing the Cannon River was any indication of the views and scenery I could expect, I knew I would not be disappointed.  And I wasn't.  The trip today made clear to me that the required trail pass for this excursion is well worth the $3/each we should have paid.

The Cannon Valley Trail is a privately owned, paved bike trail, along a former railroad bed.  It stretches from Cannon Falls to Red Wing which is roughly a 16 mile ride.  Nene, Sheila, Anna, Laura and Matthew rode the first 3 miles of the trail and then headed back for a 6 mile round trip.  Molly, Ryan and me continued on and rode the trail to the Welch station for a ride of 12.25 miles.  While Molly sat and rested, Ryan and I continued another mile down the trail to grab a nearby Hybrid Letterbox (geocache).  The total distance for Ryan and myself was 13.75 miles.  Nene and Sheila drove around to Welch where we all met to make our way home.

The 13.75 mile route we followed along the Cannon Valley Trail

A graph of the elevation profile along our route.  I'd like to point out that the first 3 miles were all up hill.  The little ones peddled that distance on their own using their training wheels.

After a family dinner at Famous Daves, I called on my own mother to wish her Happy Mother's.  It was only by coincidence that a brand new cache had just been published in Farmington.  I picked her up and attempted to score the FTF on the cache.  Not only did we score FTF, but we managed to score a FTF on another cache published in the same area yesterday.

So, all in a days work, an extended bike trip, dinner at Famous Daves, geocaching with a pair of FTF's to boot..  it really is, Happy Mother's Day to me.  Thank you to my beautiful family.

I have relatives that live in Bellevue, NE who host an annual picnic and corn feed during the air show at nearby Offutt Air Force Base.  We don't get down this direction much but apparently they've been putting on the corn feed for an impressive 20 or more years.  Some of us decided that this year we'd visit the relatives and attend their corn feed as we came up with many reasons to justify the trip.

Besides the fact that we only see these people every 15 years or so, my visiting sister Jane would be heading back down to Texas that same weekend and decided it wouldn't be too much of a burden to take a short detour and swing through Omaha on her way home.  Secondly, and probably foremost depending on who you ask, my mother and I are avid geocachers and we decided to use this as an opportunity to cover a few of the geocaching challenges we're working on such as the county, DeLorme, and state challenges.

While Nene and Anna were away at Catholic Youth Camp, Molly, Laura and I made a quick geocache stop in Blue Earth, MN on our way to Omaha, NE.

During Jane's short stay, someone came up with the wild idea to run the canoes down the Cannon River.  My mother was reluctantly interested, Jane thought it was a fun idea, and I needed to do some maintenance on a few geocaches I have placed on the river.  Chad happen to have the day off and was interested in joining us too.  Overall, eight of us headed to the Cannon Falls canoe landing.  It was myself and four year old Laura, Jane and son Devon, Chad and two sons Leo and Dominic, and our mother, Norvina.  Perfect, two trucks, two canoes, six paddles, and eight thrill seekers.

It happened to be pretty late in the canoe season but this was the first time out this year for both Chad and myself.  I know Jane has canoed in the past and Mom has never been in a canoe and was really nervous.  The river is about 2' low at the moment and aside from a few shallow spots, was running nice and tame.  We canoed from Cannon Falls down to Miesville Ravine, which is about 6.5 river miles and usually takes about three hours to paddle.  We were able to stop and manage my five geocaches on the river and placed two new caches.