Bucket List

Did you know there are 75 state parks in Minnesota?  As much as camping has been a part of our lives since we got married, I did not know this until Captain and I put “visit every state park in Minnesota” on our bucket list and I started researching.

Captain introduced me to the joys of tent camping about 30 years ago.  Up to that point, I don’t know as I knew what a tent was.  My family was more the Holiday Inn kind of folks.  Anyhoo, Captain’s family camped frequently and had all the paraphernalia that went with it...Coleman stove, Coleman lantern, tents, sleeping bags, etc.  

Camping was a good option for us when the kids were young because it was so much cheaper than a hotel and restaurants, plus it gave them all kinds of room to run around and burn off energy.  Ask one of them sometime about the cart-in site we stayed at in Frontenanc state park and then hiked 400 feet down to Lake Pepin.  Apparently Captain was the only one who realized that we would also have to hike 400 feet almost straight back up to get back to the campsite!  Camping in state parks also let the kids learn some history of Minnesota and see some amazing things like Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse.  

The thing we most like about Minnesota state parks, other than the obvious nature aspect, is that every single one of them has excellent shower facilities.  I don’t mind cooking over an open fire, using a flashlight to get the bathroom in the middle of the night, or sleeping on the ground.  However, I refuse to do the sponge bath thing to clean up.  I need my shower every day!

Since camping requires organization, I made up an Excel spreadsheet of things to pack from Advil to Ziplock bags.  It still never fails that I forget something.  One time when we had Young Man and his favorite cousin, I forgot the rain fly for the tent Captain and I were sleeping in.  We ended up sleeping in the truck...joy and rapture.  I ended up with laryngitis the rest of the trip, which the kids didn’t mind because I couldn’t yell at them that way!

Then there was the year we took the kids to the Black Hills the summer that Young Man graduated high school.  Kind of a “last hoorah” as a family vacation.  It was the last week in July in South Dakota, and we had to sleep in winter coats, hats, and mittens because it got down to 36 degrees the first two nights we were there.  But, oh, the days were lovely!  I’m not sure about Princess, but I can see Young Man taking Mama Bear and Cubby there someday on vacation.  Maybe not in a tent, though.  

Our absolute favorite state park area is the North Shore.  I told Captain once that I don’t need to see the ocean...Lake Superior was grand enough!  We have visited there a dozen times over the years, and there is always something new to explore and discover along with returning to some treasured spots like Palisade Head, Gooseberry Falls, Tettegouche, and Grand Marais.  Seeing the Pigeon River--where the United States is on one side and Canada is on the other side--was amazing.  

This weekend, Captain and I are sneaking away for an overnight camping trip to Lake Sakahtah State Park.  We’ve been there before with some very good friends and enjoyed it immensely.  It’s only an hour away from home, and there is fishing, hiking, biking, and you can rent a canoe.  Should be an enjoyable time as long as I don’t forget to pack something important.  I promise to fill you all in on it next week, and if I can figure out how to embed pictures in these posts, I’ll do that too!