Happy Birthday USA from Camp Clearwaters!

Camp Clearwaters 2005

Adam, Johnathan, Naomi, Tim, Matt, Maggie, and I set off for fun and adventure at Camp Clearwaters in Stillwater, WI over this 4th of July weekend. Fun and adventure is exactly what we found!

Although you need GPS to find this place, it was worth it. Kudos to Naomi for securing camping priviledges for us at the camp. With a MN State Park shutdown looming, this was a great alternative.

In my camping educational progression, Adam, Matt, and Tim are slowly weaning me off the "creature comforts" of home for the lure of grease filled eggs, mosquito bites everywhere, and sleeping through thunderstorms in a tent with water all around you. Of course biking, fishing, canoeing, horse back riding, Texas Hold'em, fireworks, and a camping hammock more than make up for any inconveniences...

You really get to know someone on a camping trip. I guess outhouses, Deet, and spotty sanitary conditions tend to reveal things about people that are nicely tucked away under a cozy passive-aggressive surface. The great thing is that after a few "bonding experiences" I found myself talking about things that really mattered.

Tim lost his mucho expensive fly fishing rod on this trip when it fell overboard but we're still hoping that it will show up and an honest person will return it to it's rightful owner. Otherwise, Tim might need a prescription for anti-depressants.

Maggie was living large and went from "dropped food custodian" to "Canoe Lab Patrol Canine" effortlessly. Her swimming skills were again deemed impressive by all who saw her.

The next few weeks will be very hectic so it was especially nice to have a nice holiday weekend beforehand. Sometimes blessings come in unexpected ways. Who would have thought me, camping, and MN? -- you 'betcha!