Summer 2012--Lake Vermilion Vacation (August 4th through August 11th): Northern Delights

And so, another great week at the cabin has passed. I really enjoyed my time up north, and I really needed it after this insanely hectic summer. Of course, the minute we got home, the stress levels were back to crazy, but at least I had that week of respite.

We got up early Saturday morning to head up, and after some last-minute packing up of the truck and boat, we were on our way by 9:30 AM. Of course, we had to stop at Caribou before truly hitting the road because it's one of our traditions, but after that, we were actually on our way. We didn't have Cami with us, though, because she was at We Fest. We had a pretty low-key ride up; not much happened. We stopped at Arby's in Cloquet for a quick lunch and saw my uncle, aunt, her son (my step-cousin), and my actual cousin. They went up a week before us, so they were just heading home. Before I knew it, we were arriving at End of Trail "Lodge," which is really just a collection of privately-owned cabins that are rented out during the year for various lengths of time. We were back in our usual Sunset cabin, the most rustic. The cabin has no shower or tub, just a toilet and sink. The kitchen and dining room are combined into one large space, and against one wall is a bunk-bed. I sleep on the top bunk, and David gets the bottom bunk. The cabin also has two bedrooms. One we use for storing our stuff, and my parents sleep in the other one. It is very simple, but I think it's cute and comfortable. I was feeling really tired when we got there, but I sucked it up and did my exercise routine, which woke me up and made me feel a whole lot better. Before dinner, my brother, my cousin Sam, and I went to Gruben's, the local food-and-bait shop, to buy some candy. While I did not purchase anything, David wanted some gummy bears, so I agreed to buy them for him since he didn't have enough money with him. When we first entered, we saw no one at the counter, just a large goldish-yellow lab resting peacefully on the floor. He came up to greet us, and we all assumed he must be a grown-up dog because he was so well-behaved. Before long, the shopkeeper came out from behind the shelves and saw us petting her dog. She explained that his name was Bobbles and that her late husband Bob (hence the name) had purchased Bobbles for his wife. We learned that Bobbles was only a year old. I was absolutely flabbergasted because Bobbles is such a calm, sweet dog. He has everything to make one think he would be wild: he's a lab, a boy, only a year old, and intact (not neutered). The crazy thing is how he's not wild. I'm usually a proponent of neutering, but in this case, I don't think it's super necessary. I even worry that neutering Bobbles might change his wonderful personality. Wonders will never cease.

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, which was okay because I was starting to feel quite tired again. Luckily, I got a great night's sleep, and I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead.

By late morning on Sunday, David, Sam, and I were already kind of bored (there's not much to do at the lake except fish, read, swim, and eat). Dad gave us money to go play mini-golf at Pier 77. It was really fun because we were there right when it opened, so we were first on a course that was mostly-empty even by the time we finished. We played really well for the first few holes; I even got a hole-in-one on a par 4! Afterwards, I was allowed to write my name in a book that lists all the holes-in-one for each hole for 2012. Anyway, the back holes didn't go as well because we had a loud, rowdy group of kids behind us who were making us uncomfortable and making us feel like we needed to speed up, even though they assured us that it was fine and that they'd just play the holes more than once (which is against the rules). I ended up with a 66, which was 14 over par, so not super great, but it was still a good time.

David is leaning in close like a creeper, and Sam is backing away.

A pretty waterfall trap at Pier 77.

 In the early afternoon on Sunday, the three of us went swimming in the lake for a little while, so I got to try out my new swim shirt and swim shorts. Then, Mom, my uncle's girlfriend Kaye, and I went to a nearby flea market operated by the woman who owns the Pier 77. I was fortunate enough to find a nice vegetable peeler for just $1.07. I hope it will come in handy during this school year.

An old game we cousins play is called Slop, where we basically throw wet sand on a rock. I don't know why. This Slop is designed to look like a heart.

 After dinner that day, I went with David, Sam, and Dad on a little fishing trip. I caught a pretty nice bass in one spot where Dad reminded me I had caught a walleye a few years back. I do not remember that time, but that's my dad for you. He can't remember where he left his glasses or the TV remote to save his life, but he recalls every fish any of us ever caught. Go figure.

Not much really happened on Monday. I think I just read the whole day and played rummy with David and Sam.

Tuesday was our day to go to Ely, something we do every year. Ely is about a 45-minute drive from the cabin, so it is very accessible. It has a large amount of culture, especially for being a northern-Minnesota town. The shops are so cute, and it is just a lot of fun. My main purpose in Ely was to buy some Christmas presents for my close friends at school, and I would say that I met half of my goal. I still need to get a couple of things, but I have some good ideas for where to look in Minneapolis for unique and thoughtful gifts. I also have over four months to shop, so it will all work out. During the shopping part of our trip, Mom gave me 50 cents so I could get a polished rock out of a candy dispenser. I was a little disappointed to pull a piece of rose quartz out (I hate any shade of pink), but it is still a nice addition to my already-vast collection.



After shopping, we went to the Rockwood restaurant, which has very good food (but it's very pricey). Mom and I split an artichoke-prosciutto pizza with a side of sweet potato fries. After lunch, we all went to the International Wolf Center because Kaye and my uncle Kirk had never been. We breezed through the displays in a rush to get to the observation area, where we were just in time to get a quick glance of one of the adult wolves and a large pup before they melted into the shadows of the trees. It was close to midday, so the wolves were mostly interested in sleeping. We debated staying until 3:30 to see a feeding, but Mom and Dad needed to go to Zup's grocery store to pick up some things for dinner, so we decided against it. While the parents were buying food, David, Sam, and I went to get ice cream. I had a delicious homemade waffle cone with a single towering "scoop" of brownie nut fudge on it.

David is using a moose hoof as a prop. He and Sam are holding "hands."

David wanted it to look like a moose was about to stomp on his head.

Then he wanted a close-up!

 Sam's boyfriend Blade and Cami arrived on Tuesday, so that added a bit of interest to the day, as well. After dinner, the three siblings went to the Y Store (now called the Ledge), which is a gas station at the turnoff that takes us to the cabin, to pick up some treats. I bought myself a Vitamin Water to keep from buying something I don't need. I have a serious sweet-tooth that gets away from me if I don't watch it closely. Thus, I tried as best I could to limit my dessert consumption during my vacation. It didn't go perfectly, but I think it could have been a lot worse. Anyway, then we returned to End of Trail and watched Hitch in my uncle's cabin (Hermitage), which was the largest and most conducive to a large group of people such as ourselves.

Another interesting thing that happened on Tuesday was that we found a toad sitting on one of our camp chairs. My mom was going to make Dad move it, but I wanted to do it. It was pretty much the cutest toad I have ever seen. The air was still cool, so the toad did not move much, so I was able to get a pretty good look at him. I set him by a birch tree before taking a picture of him.

We're toad-ally friends!

On Wednesday, we took Cami to Gruben's to get a fishing license and to meet Bobbles. We also found out that World Market, one of my favorite stores, is coming back to Minnesota in September. I know what I'm doing when I come home for Fall Break! In the evening, we went to the Vermilion Club, a restaurant that makes great pizza, including a large 24" pizza called the Bamboozler. We started going to the Vermilion Club two years ago. I don't really know what made us decide to go out instead of just cooking at home like we always do. But I'm glad that it's become a tradition because it's delicious! We didn't get a Bamboozler this year because we couldn't all agree on toppings, but we still got our fill.

The best part about the cabin is that by August, the air in northern Minnesota starts to get a delicious tinge of fall in it. Now, as I have explained before, fall is my absolute favorite season, so I am not at all sad when the weather starts to turn a little cooler.

On Thursday morning, I accidentally blew a fuse in Sunset because I was using my hair dryer, and the cabin is not equipped to take the wattage. I was scared for a minute because I thought I had caused a bigger problem than was actually occurring, so I headed next door to the Birches cabin, the cabin Grandma and Grandma (and the six cousins!) used to sleep in before a bat infestation drove them out. The cabin is currently being remodeled, so it was empty, and the bathroom was available for me to plug my dryer in and finish with my hair. It was weird walking through the cabin because it is basically a shell of its former self, which no furniture. It is still beautiful, but it is also strange. Maybe my grandparents will return to the cabin when it is finished and they are assured that the bats are gone.

On Friday morning, I went to the Wayside Cafe with parents so we could check our email and such. I got a nice paycheck from work, which is good because I needed it to pay for my last couple of textbooks. I ordered some iced tea and a fruit cup, but we want to come back next year and have a full breakfast. After reconnecting with the outside world, Mom and I went for a walk on Isle of Pines, a small residential island in Lake Vermilion. Halfway through our walk, we spotted two deer running across the path in broad daylight. It was really cool. On the way back, we met a very old Golden retriever named Rosie, who was very happy to make some new friends. In the late afternoon, I went for one last boating/fishing excursion with Mom and Dad before we had to pack up. It was a fantastic day, and Mom and Dad showed me a cool gazebo designed to look like a lighthouse. We also found an abandoned collection of cabins for sale that would fit our extended family quite well. However, the selling price was $400,000, so I don't think it's gonna happen. But it was fun to poke around the site and dream about the what-ifs. Finally, we ended our day with a bonfire. We usually have a least one while we are up north, and it's typically held on The Point, a rocky outcropping that is just perfect for the job. But this year, Cami and David found a colony of fire ants on The Point, and both of them got bitten by them, so we lit the fire in another fire pit near one of the cabins. We sat around and talked about a lot of things, savoring our last few hours up north.

On Saturday morning, we got up early again and packed everything up, which didn't take too long. We said goodbye to everyone and drove off. We stopped in Virginia for breakfast at Village Inn, then I climbed back in Cami's car and rode the rest of the way with her and David. I'm glad I did, even though I had to spend most of that time listening to Cami's music (country and rap/hip-hop, possibly my two least-favorite genres). In the typical year, I really don't see to much of them, definitely less than I see of my parents, so I feel like I need to spend as much time with them when I can. We got home even quicker than we arrived, mostly because Cami was driving too fast, but we made it safely, so I can't complain too much. Mom and I went to Hidden Treasures so I could pick up my last pay stub and so we could see if the chair would fit in the car (it won't).

Of course, during this whole time, we were watching the Olympics on TV each night, which was really great because I really like sharing important things like that with other people. I'm really glad that the US won the medal count, and now I'm really looking forward to Sochi in 2014.

Well, that's our whole vacation for you. It's back to work and shadowing this week before I head back to Augie on Saturday. I have all of my books in order, and I just need to do some last-minute shopping to be all set for the year. I do still need to pick up a dresser, TV, and twin bed frame before Saturday, but I've already made those arrangements, so I'm not stressing out about it or anything. I also picked up a nice desk from OfficeMax yesterday, so I'm glad about that. I'm equal parts nervous and excited for my last "year" of college (it's more like six months). I am still not sure how this whole off-campus living is going to go, but I'm looking forward to hanging out with the good friends I made last year (like Devon and Sarah and my London pals!) as well as friends from earlier (like Hannah B!). Not to mention all of the vet-related things that will be happening to me (hopefully receiving interview invitations and such) and all of my extracurricular activities. It will be another hectic year for sure, but I think I'm going to enjoy my classes and everything else that happens.