10,000 Lakes. 10,000 Steps.

I’ve been pushing myself to walk 10,000 steps a day recently, based on my Fitbit. It seems like the Land of 10,000 lakes might be a good place to make that happen.

After a whopping two-day streak, I knew today would be an easy one. Our annual trip to the Mall of America to find some deals on clothes (always tax-free in Minnesota!), involves plenty of walking. Tom, Leah, and I hit the mall around 11:00 a.m. after a leisurely morning sleeping in (yes, I finally slept!). Chloe opted to skip the mall this year in favor of a day at one of her St. Olaf friend’s family cabins. She’ll join us again on Sunday in time for the family picnic.

We’ve been getting reports from Seth and Maddie over the past two days. They’ve been taking the upper route around Lake Michigan through the U.P. They sent us a text in the mid-afternoon saying they had arrived at Birch Villa. After two years off, they’re excited to be back and Oliver will get to experience his first-ever Cass Lake vacation. We are looking forward to new kinds of fun this year with the antics of a one-year-old to keep us laughing.

We intended to leave the mall at 3:00 p.m., but with crowds and lines everywhere (we definitely feel like the pandemic is over!), it was closer to 4:30. Running late seems to be the way we roll.

After a couple of hours driving, we stopped at Cub Foods in Brainerd for our groceries before grabbing a quick supper at Culver’s. At some point in the grocery store, my wrist started buzzing. I had hit my 10,000 steps!

Now, onto those 10,000 lakes! Actually, I only need just one. Cass Lake has been “our lake” for the past 17 years.

We stuff what little space is left in the car with our groceries and embark on the last leg of our trip. At 9:45 p.m., we arrive!

It’s, oh, so good to be back.