A Quick Trip Up North

On Thursday, the boys and I headed up to Jay Cooke State Park for a night. Long story short: we got snowed out when we were supposed to go up there in late December, and they had an opening here in February that they gave us instead. So I taught my morning class, picked up my boys from the neighbors (because they didn't have school Thurs or Friday), loaded the car, met with their teachers for conferences, and hit the road around 1:30 pm:

Loaded up in the school parking lot.


Passed out about 15 minutes later.

We stopped off at Tobie's for a snack (apple fritter for Henry, glazed donut for Charlie, and a blueberry jelly-filled roll for me), and then drove another 20 minutes to get to Moose Lake State Park:

This was our 52nd stamp in our "MN State Parks Passport" in the last 2.5 years.


This was the (unplowed) road to the campgrounds...


... and this was the unplowed road down to the lake...


... so we snapped a silly selfie and hit the road again.

So we obviously need to stop back some time to "fully" experience this park, but we DID officially get our stamp! It was maybe another 30 minutes to Jay Cooke. We got in just as the office was closing at 4 pm. We got the car unpacked and the cabin set up by 4:45:

Walking around our cabin - nicely tucked in the woods!


Hauling stuff with a sled.


Our picnic table and fire pit.


They brought in a large porta-potty for the 2 cabins. (Beats a longer walk to a vault toilet.)


STOCKED!!! With all the partial rolls left from summer usage.


A cutting board / pot holder and fake flowers in our cabin.


They bomb balls at each other from the top bunks ASAP.


Playing out in the snow as I finished making beds.


Two deer on our way back to the Visitor's Center (a butt on the left, and a face on the right).


Parking lot snow hills.


The snowy view from the Swinging Bridge! It was QUIET
too - the rushing water was quite muffled under the ice.


Hiking just a bit across the river.


Sliding down the snow-packed trails. (Charlie loved that.)


On the bridge.


Yep, Dad was hiking in "the boot" with an exposed toe.

I sat back in the car to regain feeling in my left toes as the boys played on that snow pile in the parking lot. (They actually each had their own snow pile.) After 20 minutes when Charlie got chilly, he came in the car. Henry asked if he could RUN back to our cabin behind the car. Sure, OK:

Running in the rear view mirror. Ha!


He ran 0.4 miles in snow boots and snow pants.


Henry helped light the supper fire.


Hamsteak - the usual.


Hamsteak, carrots, berries, and apples.

Charlie wasn't feeling great (tired and still getting over an upper-respiratory infection from Monday), so he hung around inside and laid in his bed. Poor dude. But Henry came out to roast a few marshmallows. After that, we threw a big poster project of his on the fire (we were given it back at conferences 6 hours earlier, so it made the drive with us):

His "recycling" project going up in flames.


Henry pretended to roast a marshmallow with his hand over the big flames.


I got Charlie ready for bed, and he PASSED OUT with the lights on with
Henry and I playing Yahtzee over an hour before his normal bedtime.


Henry tucked in and ready to read for a half hour.


Henry on the top, and me down below.

Charlie slept for 11 hours straight! I heard him cough a few times around 5 a.m., but that was about it. That good night's sleep helped a lot. We woke up to a chilly morning:

23 below 0 on our porch!


I laughed at the sight of all the "zig zag" tracks in the snow around the fire pit from my boot.


Hiking one of my favorite areas over by the Thomson Dam.


Yeah, still in the boot.


We've picnicked here when temps were 90 degrees warmer. :)


Heading to an overlook - you can see parts of the St. Louis River to the left.


Selfie!


Mostly frozen river.


Henry on a rock.


Using it as a slide.


Back in our cabin to warm up with Yahtzee and hot cocoa. I had most of
our stuff packed up, so we used an *actual* stick as our stir stick.


Henry was still playing outside, so Charlie and I played dice.


It had warmed to a balmy -18.


A "Yahtzee" from Henry!...


... as Charlie lounged on my lap.


Goodbye Basalt camper cabin!


We drove into Cloquet and went to Sammy's Pizza for lunch.
Charlie's eyeing the salad bar, and there's a short pizza buffet ahead.


Goofy Henry with a salad. (And the old guy back there was celebrating his birthday!)


Assorted buffet pizzas: white cheddar, 3 cheese (super greasy),
sausage, beef and onion, and pepperoni.


Pizza place bathroom art.


HUGE piles of sawdust/woodchips in Cloquet.


Passed out on the ride home.

Back with more injury updates shortly.