O' Canada

Wow!  Has it really been a month since my last post?  Time flies when you are having fun.  I am a little behind on getting our vacation post up.  We made the trek up to Canada this year to stay at the family cabins on the Lake of the Woods.  It is about an 18 hour trek from Kearney so we split that up into three days.  Thatcher did really well in the car thanks to the movie "The Lorax" - which I think he watched at least ten times and now wants to go around cutting down trees- I think he may have missed the message of the movie! 

We stayed in Grand Forks on Sunday night and that is such a nice town.  They have bike trails all over the town and there was one right out the front door of our hotel- which worked out well for me.  I am a big believer that just because you are on vacation doesn't mean you can't work out.  You get to see a lot of where you are staying by getting out and going for a run or a hike!

We made the rest of the trip up on Monday morning.  Here is picture of our picnic lunch in Baudette, MN where we cross the border.  It was amazing how green everything was up there.  The flowers were everywhere and in full bloom.  You forget how summer is suppose to look until you get away from your surroundings. 

( That is a UPS truck in the back.  They just stop in town and let people come to them!  I inquired :)  You would never see a UPS man in Kearney taking a break.  It is definitely a different pace up there!)

My grandpa built these cabins over a period of time many, many years ago and we periodically make the trip north to get away.  Nothing has really changed in the 20 or so years that we have been going there.  Even the little town- Sioux Narrows- seems to still be stuck in the 1980's.  The stores still look the same, the resort next to the cabin still looks the same, yep you kind of step back in time.  There is no cable TV, no Internet, and spotty cell phone service- you are in a bubble where you are not sure what day it is or even what time of day it is.  We did a lot of fishing, a lot of relaxing, and a lot of nothing.  The president could have died and we would have had no idea!

On our first full day up there, Mike and I went fishing with my cousin's and our guide from our trip 6 years ago.  That guides name is Thatcher- in case you were all wondering- and yes - we stole his name.  The morning was pretty slow and we didn't catch much but did get enough to eat for lunch and caught quite a few in the afternoon but nothing to write home about.  There is nothing like fresh fish on a shore for lunch.  The lake was like glass that day and the weather was so nice. 

The next couple days were kind of chilly and rainy so we ventured to the dump to keep the kids busy.  Who would have guessed that going to the dump is a tourist attraction in these parts?  See the bears hang out at the dump all the time and you just go and dump your trash and watch the bears. 

The wildlife up there has no concern for the humans and really doesn't even pay attention to you.  I saw lots of deer while I was out running and we found tracks right through the middle of town.  It is a little nerve racking to run next to high brush and know that there are bear sightings in the area- good reason to keep going and not stop!  I had some really great runs up there.  Even with all the hills the no humidity really made me feel like I was a runner again.

Here are some pictures from the hike I went on with my aunt and cousins.  It reminded me a little of what the Hunger Games would look like if I was partaking in that game. 

All in all we had a great time doing a whole lot of nothing.  Thatcher enjoyed hanging out with the twins- Ryan and Jake.  I still have no idea which one is which when they are not together. 

I am sad that it is over but happy that the Hoesing tradition lives on and that Thatcher was able to visit a place my father visited and that I went to as a child.  My grandmother's handwriting is all over the cabin on little notes so it is nice to see that some things can be preserved in time.