Day Trippin'

So, Curtis was out of town this weekend for work and we've been missing our outdoor adventures since we've been so busy with baseball season, so we took to the road on Sunday in search of some nature, geocaching, hiking and exploring.

We had the whole day to roam and wander freely with no plan or timeline and it was just what my soul needed--and hopefully theirs too!

I had initially planned to head to Wild River State Park--just an hour North of us. The kids love exploring the visitor center there with so many hands on artifacts to check out. The overlook is always great for some ooohs and ahhhs as well. We started on our hike and the kids even began finding the geocaches we were searching for! However, we had to cut our hike short (had originally wanted to do the 3 mile loop) because the mosquitoes were relentlessly attacking us. Like, we could not stand still for a half of a second or we'd be covered. I stopped to tie my shoe at one point and think they got me in at least 10 places. Bugs don't usually bother us that much on a hike, but it just became miserable, so we walked---no, actually we ran back to our car for cover from those blood sucking little buttheads.

So, knowing that Interstate State Park in Taylors Falls was just a stone's throw away, we headed there. Grey was our chief explorer there---I could hardly keep her in one place. All that girl wanted to do was climb and what better place for a kid to climb! Seriously, if you have not been, it is a perfect park for kids to explore. A great "starter" if you are just starting your outdoor adventuring in MN. We climbed and hiked for about 2 hours and got goooood and sweaty! It was so nice to watch the kids encourage each other in tough spots and help each other with a hand as they needed when they were climbing. And nobody fell off a cliff and died so that's a plus.

After climbing alllll of the rocks, we sought out some rocks of our own. Growing up I loved rocks and rock shops---I think every kid does really---and my kids also have this love for rocks. We found the rock shop in Taylors Falls and we all picked out our treasure! We sure took our sweet time in there--something Curtis would be so glad we did without him. Ha! He was not a lover of rocks growing up it seems--it's ok, we've moved past our differences and I've got two on my side, so I win. :)

Our last stop of the day was at the old Drive-In restaurant on the main street. It was a first for me and Everett. I'll be dreaming about the burger I ate for days! Definitely will stop there again!

All in all I think the kids had a great time and I will put this day up there with some of my favorite memories of the summer and even motherhood in general.

Adventures, exploring and fun doesn't end when you have kids and it doesn't have to wait for each member of your family to be present---it might look different and take a little more effort at times, but man, kids make the adventures come alive bring back the childlike magic that can fade away over time. We sure missed dad, but I'm so glad the three of us had a special adventure together!

-Laura

Here are some highlights from our day: