Southern Minnesota Shake Down Camp

Hi all
Day 12 of our first Shake Down Cruise.
Maybe not as serious as it should be,
since we spent 4 days at the Carlson Gathering near Mille Lacs Lake.
From there down to Maple Springs Campground near Wycroft, MN.
Beautiful smaller park with well kept grounds and great management.

About half of the place are seasonal sites and the remaining sites are reservable.
During the week you may even be able to show up for a night or two without a reservation.
Weekends it is full, but call ahead, you never know.
Andy may fit you in somewhere, especially if you are self contained.
Great trout fishing in the creek that flows through the campground.
State parks nearby and a few caves in the area to explore.
Large Amish presence in the area and tours are available in the area.
Spam museum in Austin, Bily Clock museum, Lanesboro, MN, all within an hour.
Forestville State Park has some great trails, kayaking and historical townsite.
Too much to do for just one weekend so either plan more time of come back.

Did a little touring with Cousin Ken.
Our families have inhabited this area for more than 100 years and
Ken knows where all the family secrets and bodies are buried. LOL
So we got to see the "Spotted House" and even found one where
the Atrium had gotten out of control.

This weekend we had two picnics with other relatives joining us at the campground.
Ken and Muriel hosted both and we sure enjoyed seeing them all again.
These two generations of cousins are getting smaller so we must make the most of our time together.

Millie and I visited Niagara Cave, just south of Harmony, MN.

Lots of steps and no elevator.
Going down was a breeze, since no staircase was very long,
and returning to the surface was a good workout for this old guy.
You do need to get the blood pumping every now and then!
The cave was not in the Carlsbad class.
Was still interesting how it was found and with good guides lots of neat info.
The 60 foot waterfall in the cave was very surprising.

It is advertised, and much better than I expected.
The caves in the area have lots more active water than any others I have been in.
Lakes, waterfalls and underground creeks.
The creek through the campground comes out of a cave.

So we have had a great time out for the first time actually camping.

Figuring how to rearrange and what has to be modified to make our use better.
Is an ongoing project that we hope to enjoy for years to come.

Make your day great
Tom and Millie

Family Weekend

Hi all
Here we are, out for the first time in the new Arctic Fox.

Spending the weekend with Millie's side Family Reunion,
or as we call it the Carlson Gathering.
Central Minnesota, lots of green and lots of lakes.
Great food, fun and games and late night visiting and catching up.

Three generations of three sister's families.

Not all of the cousins were able to make it this year
and we missed each of them and their families.

Wisdom shared across generations.

We had wonderful weather and the kayaks were busy on the river.

Games were enjoyed by young and old alike.

And every once and a while I get a great photo of one of the family.
Love ya Amanda, thanks for the pose.

Another day here for us to relax and get ready to move further south in MN.
Next stop Maple Springs Campground.

Make your day great
Tom and Millie

Hi all
We picked up our new RV last Friday.
Spent the weekend living on Millie's Sister's front lawn.
Tows like a dream almost no effect from strong cross winds.
Backed it into the driveway with no more work than the old BWB.

Hard to believe that it is nearly as tall as the house.

Now the hard part has begun.
Finding a place for all the "stuff" we had in the old trailer.
On day 2 of loading and finding places for everything.
Still have some storage features to make when we get enough moved.
So I can access my table saw.
Maybe some photos of us and the interior when we get everything stored.
Only working on it during the morning and some in the evening.
So hot and humid.

Off to bed for me.
Make each of your days great
Tom and Millie

Getting a jump on Independence Day

Hi all,
I know it is only July 3, I do always get excited for a holiday.
However the sunrise was pretty good and with the weather potential
may not get much color tomorrow morning.

Going to be entertaining family and friends tomorrow
Hoping to get decent weather with few or no T-storms.
Been warm and very humid around here for a while.
Temps are tolerable, just would be so much better with less water.

End of this week we get the new trailer.
Still have not decided on a name for it, just may have to wait till we sleep in it.
Once we get moved in we hope the name will present it self.

That's about it from here,
Stay cool, and enjoy our Independence Day holiday.

Make your day great.
Tom and Millie