Camping!!!

Memorial Day Weekend we went camping at the Old Barn Resort in Preston, MN. It was the first time I camped outside of a state park. Instead of sites separated by trees, there was a big field with gravel roads leading to the individual sites. At first, the lack of privacy was unnerving, but once we set up camp, we hardly registered the people next to us and the RV's across the way were just our TV for the weekend. We tuned in only when we wanted amusement.

We went camping with Sarah. Our last adventure with her before she moves to California to be with Jesse. Sarah is an amazing camper. She rolled our tent and sleeping bags into impossibly tiny rolls and packed the car as expertly as a UPS employee. She loved swimming enough to brave the indoor unheated pool not just once, but twice. She also kept the boys entertained with card games when the parents needed a break. Sarah is the awesome.

The true masterminds of the trip were the Zarate family of Ulises, Erica and Oso. We were invited for the fun and are glad they shared their weekend with us. Thanks to them, we biked into Lanesboro on the Root River Bike Trail. We spent a great afternoon there having lunch, hanging out at the park and partaking in wine tasting at the local winery. We had a meet up snafu, so we missed having dinner with them and attending the live local version of "A Prairie Home Companion." Instead we were stuck eating to live music so painful we considered shoving our knives into our ears, but since we wanted them for later, we resisted the urge.

The last day we packed up and went in search of a cave tour. We were thinking of going to the Mystery Cave, but chose the Niagara Cave instead, since it was closer. We skipped eating in Lanesboro and headed for Harmony on the way to the cave. Unfortunately, all of the restaurants (3) in town were closed but there was a grocery store open. We bought fried chicken and potato salad from the deli and ate it at a picnic table we found behind the town bank. The cave was fantastic, but so was heading home. At that point, we were ready for civilization again.

One other facet of the trip worth mentioning was the weather. While we didn't get rained out , we were ill prepared for the chilly evenings. At night, fog descended and the temperature dropped so low we could see our breath. Noah and Stan slept through it all, but Sarah and I were shivering. We should have gotten up and layered our clothing, but even the thought of leaving our sleeping bags was torturous. Thankfully, we learned from our mistake, and the second night we put on 2-3 layers of pants, shirts, sweatshirts and socks. That night it was cold outside, but inside the tent we were warm, or at the very least, not dying of cold.

Camping rocks. I hope to do it at least once more this summer!