Dodging showers and mosquitoes

Dodging showers and mosquitoes Cass Lake, MN

Cass Lake, MN

Today is Sunday, so after our typical Sunday breakfast of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, we all headed to the Evangelical Free Church of Bemidji...it's become our "church away from home." We met up with my cousin Paul and his wife Melissa and son Tommy who are staying in the cabin next door to us. It's always nice to reconnect with family!

Since it was a little cool (low-mid 70's) and windy, we decided to spend some time in the afternoon at Itasca State Park. The last time we visited the headwaters of the Mississippi was 5 years ago, so it seemed like a good time for a "refresher course" in walking on slippery rocks and swatting mosquitoes. Maddie had also never been to the headwaters, so we wanted to show her what it was all about.

We parked our cars and began walking toward the entrance when we felt a few drops of rain. I turned around to look at the sky and was surprised to see a wall of rain showers heading right for us. We all sprinted toward the shelter, laughing all the way as we tried to beat the rain. We got a little wet, but dodged most of it. The rain quickly passed and the sun came out, so we headed down to the headwaters. Walking through the Mississippi river is always a fun time!

Tom & I had brought our bikes and bike gear along with us, so we took off on our ride while the kids headed to the Visitor's center for a bit and then headed back to the resort. Although it's more costly to drive two cars everywhere, we've found it to be quite convenient when the parents have one agenda and the kids another!

Our bike ride on the Wilderness Trail around Lake Itasca was great! Fifteen miles on a curvy, hilly paved road was a good challenge for me, but Tom was a great cheerleader, and the surroundings made it more fun than work. The trail included about 7.5 miles of a one-way road that was technically closed because of some tree branches lying around. While we did see a couple of cars and two other bikers, we basically had that whole section of the trail to ourselves. We biked through tall pine trees that were planted by the CCC some 75 years ago, and enjoyed the beautiful views of lakes and forests all around. Although the weather was a bit threatening, we were able to dodge a few showers, and as long as we kept moving we dodged most of the mosquitoes as well. All in all, it was a great Sunday!