Voyageurs National Park

A couple weeks ago I took some extra time off so we could spend 5 days up on Rainy Lake at the Cabin. While on this mini vacation we also spent two nights camping in Voyageurs National Park on Rainy Lake. This was my first time camping on the lake and it was wonderful to be out there for a few days! We had the best conditions possible, the water was like glass and the sky was clear blue. If anything, it was a little on the chilly side!

To get to the camp site we got a tow from family.... the canoe was really going fast! We of course were not in the canoe, but in the boat, making sure the canoe didn't tip over while we went down the lake at 30 MPH.

While camping we spent two nights fishing from the canoe. Eric caught 6 fish! While Eric fished, I mostly read a book. I did cast a few times, but I didn't catch much other than weeds.

On our full day of camping we completed a 12 mile paddle exploring part of the Lake. The paddle consisted of crossing a big bay and then winding through a river/creek until it stopped. At the end of the creek was a 1.4 mile portage trail to an interior lake. Eric and I were more than excited to give our arms a rest and give our legs some exercise so we pulled the canoe on shore and started hiking. We got about 1/4 mile in when we came across a boardwalk... unfortunately it was not passable. Looked like a beaver dammed up a creek and it overflowed so much that we would not be able to pass without walking through some nasty water. So we turned around. We were bummed but got back in the canoe and headed back to camp!

When we weren't paddling we relaxed in the hammock, swam, read, and enjoyed each others company. As always we had 2 great sunsets on the lake. We also cooked on the fire and enjoyed its warmth when the sun went down. We were lucky enough to have a meteor shower the night we were there and saw some amazing shooting stars. We also saw a lot of wildlife on our camping trip, we saw deer, beaver, loons, geese, and lots of other birds. I am also pretty sure we had some raccoon visitors on our second night but I was not going to look outside our tent to see :) Here are some more pictures of our adventure: 



Our campsite location



Crazy Busy Summer Time

I can not believe it has been this long since I have blogged last....wow. We have been super busy with being gone almost every weekend this summer. Since going to Kauai we have gone to the cabin, gone camping and hiking, spent time with both of our families and friends, and before we knew it... school started again! So here is a quick re-cap of part of our summer time.....



Spent time with friends at the MPLS Aquatennial Fireworks (Jenessa, Oren and Jason - far right - we in town from living overseas.)



Eric and I ran a 5K called the Color Run with some friend. It was so much fun!



And we had colored powder all over us!



Spent the 4th of July on the St. Croix with my parents and friends DJ & Rachel

 

Spent a lot of good time on Rainy Lake & the St. Croix River

In the next few days I hope to blog about our camping/paddling trip, a summer birthday-costume-ski party, a surprise party for my Dad's 60th and a hiking trip on the N. Shore. Stay tuned!

Garden

wow, so since we went to Kauai I have been blogging non stop about our trip! So here is a update on our community garden: it rocks! We have been able to harvest a TON of green beans, broccoli and lettuce so far. The radishes we done when we got back from our trip but I have planted a new row to hopefully have later in the summer. We also have carrots, peppers and tomatoes still growing and producing. I have a ton of zinnia flowers and some herbs that are doing well also. The garden has been a fun experience. Last weekend we had to pull some broccoli and all our lettuce because they stopped producing. I tried planing some more seeds of various things but I am not sure how they will do mid summer when it has been so hot here. For now we are still enjoying green beans and carrots. Hope to have peppers and tomatoes soon! Here are some pictures I took in June when we got back and everything was thriving:

Kauai: Day 9

Our last day in Kauai we packed in a few more activities. We decided to try a little kayaking. As you know, we are big canoers....but kayaking is whole different ball game! We kayaked up the Hanalei river through the valley and farm land. It was about a 4 mile kayak trip and I was exhausted by the end! It did rain on us but since we were working hard, the rain felt good. It was nice to be on the river, but I am not sure I am well made for kayaking!I will leave this to our friends Michell and Kelly...I still prefer my canoe. :)

After kayaking we had a picnic lunch at a park in Hanalei. Before leaving Hanalei Eric and I also took one last walk on the beach. It was a beautiful afternoon!

We went back to our place, packed up and hit to road to the airport. Along the way we stopped and Duane's Ono-Char Burgers. They are amazingly delicious! My parents were staying a few more days so they dropped us off at the airport and headed back to the rental home. Goodbye Kauai.... until next time.... Mahalo and Aloha!

Kauai: Day 8

Our second to last day in Kauai was pretty low key. The day started off nice and Eric and I headed back to Hanalei beach for him to do a little surfing while I relaxed on the beach. The waves on this day were pretty small but Eric still had fun just hanging out on his board.

After surfing we had lunch one more time at the taco truck and explored the pier at Hanalei Bay with my parents. The water was a beautiful jade green and I couldn't help myself taking a lot of pictures!

After the lunch, we headed back to our place and then Eric and I decided to do a walk to Tunnels Beach. Along our walk we saw a sea turtle hanging out in the shallow waters so I jumped at the opportunity to get a picture of her!

Tunnels is a beautiful beach with a great view of the mountains. We didn't snorkel here but I wish we would have! We did set up the hammock and relaxed in the shade while watching the ocean. It was a great day of relaxing!

Kauai: Day 7

Today we did a sailing trip with Captain Sundown. Captain Bob and his son Larry took us on an amazing sailing trip on their catamaran up the Na Pali Coast. We started out in Hanalei Bay early in the morning with about 10 other people. We followed the cost for a good couple of hours rolling with the swelling waves. I had to keep my eyes on the island and the Na Pali cliffs or I would start to get a little sea sick but it was a beautiful ride! Along the way we could see the hike we did the day before and then Larry pointed out the valley we saw from our hike at Waimea Canyon. It was cool to see the places we had already been from a different perspective.

We hiked the left side of these cliffs the day before.

The ridge line in this picture is what we hiked on the Na Pali cliffs

Once we got down to the end of the Na Pali cliffs we stopped for some snorkel time. The reef here was cool with lots of pockets and holes that the fish swam in and out of.
The water also felt great after being in the sun for a while on the boat.

After snorkeling we headed back down the coast back to Hanalei Bay. It started out slow while we at a sandwich lunch following the coast line closely. We were able to see a lot more of the details along the coast. There were a lot of waterfalls coming off the cliffs and caves as we headed to Hanalei. After about 20 min we turned a bend along the coast line and ended up going against the waves. This part of the boat ride was like a wet and wild roller coaster. We kept going up the big swells and then came crashing down onto waves and ended up getting soaked in the process! Each wave we hit came over the catamaran and drenched us. It was a lot of fun, but I wont lie, I was a little nervous about staying in my seat! Obviously, the camera went away at this point in time. I did want to get it wet!

Here is a picture though, of they bay once we returned.

Captain Sundown was the BEST tour we have ever done. It cost a lot but was worth every penny! I highly recommend him if any of you ever make it to Kauai!

After our sailing trip we laid low the rest of the day. We had some appetizers back at Kalypso before heading back to our home away from home. Then we basically crashed for the rest of the evening. But we did make it onto the beach for a quick glimpse of the sunset before retiring for the day.