Treasures

By day 5, we were all ready to do a little exploring off of the resort grounds. Translation: the kids were getting a bit rambunctious and we wanted to have them confined in the van for awhile! Knowing the Big Winnie and Chippewa National Forest were out there, but not quite sure what we might find, we set out for adventure. Just a few miles from the resort, we came upon a recreation area. Our first treasure!

The Winnibigoshish Dam, cleverly nicknamed "The Gosh Dam" by locals. History lesson: this was the first dam to be built on the Mississippi River, originally constructed of timber in 1884. Six years later, it was rebuilt with concrete.

The Mississippi River, looking so small and cute only 170 miles from its source (courtesy of the dam, of course)

I thought I'd get a photo of Mariella sitting on the banks of the river. She had other ideas. In the time it took me to move back 3 steps to take the picture, she was scrambling to climb over the rocks. In my scramble to keep her from tumbling head first onto a rock, I dropped the camera. Thankfully, I got to her in time. I'm also thankful that this camera is apparently extremely durable. No real damage done.

This is Mariella's reaction to being whisked away from her perilous rock climbing expedition.

Nothing like park swings to soothe an unhappy Mariella!

After lunch, the resort had a treasure hunt of its own for the kids. A clue at each site helped them find the next location...

The final treasure was hidden in the freezer. Ice cream for everyone!

Jacob, not having napped all week, was tired after the treasure hunt and fell asleep from about 5-7pm. Just when we thought maybe we would leave him and he'd sleep all night, he woke up refreshed. We decided that would be a perfect night to let him stay up late for his very first campfire. After Mariella was asleep, we all went outside to set up. Jacob thought it was pretty cool to be out when it was getting dark.

The fire wasn't roaring yet, but the boys broke out their beverages of choice.

Jacob roasting a marshmallow for the first time, with help from Daddy.

After tasting the marshmallow, he decided he prefers them uncooked. S'mores weren't going to happen with this one, so I gave him the chocolate anyway. That is what he is holding up for the camera. And, finally, here is what he was doing just minutes after eating the marshmallow, the chocolate, and finishing his juice:


He did this for about 5 minutes nonstop. The cabin neighbors were all quite entertained. I think it was the combination of the snacks and his excitement at staying up late.