Grandpa and Grandma's Place

So many wonderful memories from Grandpa and Grandma's place, the back yard along the pond, the deck - and enjoying the last of the wonderful summer evenings before our return to school.

Gabi Photo

We went for a photo shoot for Gabi and ended up with this pose - what a wonderful young woman - and so, so proud!

Mo's

Of course, any trip to the Oregon Coast isn't quite complete without a stop at Mo's.  So fun to have the clam chowder and the delicious food that is always a treat.

Oregon Coast

We headed out to Land's End and visited Lincoln City, seeing the coast.  It was, of course, a beautiful day and there is something pretty spectacular about the wide expanses and big beaches at the Oregon Coast. While dad sat and enjoyed the view, Doug and his mom went for a walk down the beach.

Blueberries!

Doug had the chance to go out to Oregon to spend some time with his parents.  We called up the McGee's and they said it was a good time for blueberry picking.  We ended up with gobs (80?!) pounds of blueberries - and came home, did some cleaning and freezing.  Fun to be out picking blueberries with dad!

The End of the Trip!

After two-and-a-half weeks of travel, we were returning to Toledo!  A final time of packing the back of the van - we have that down to a relative science - and with less concern for having our coolers full, there was a bit more space! 

The trip around Chicago was quite painful - with repeated tools and long lines - plus lots of traffic - and not sure the best route - but it seemed to go forever - winding our way around the city from NW to SE. 

HOME!  Yea!

Group Shots

For our final morning of our trip before our long haul between the Twin Cities and Toledo, we got some group photos - a few more serious and some more fun.  So, so wonderful to have Kevin and Michele's incredible hospitality and such a wonderful time hearing their stories, catching up on their lives, hearing parenthood wisdom, as well as work challenges and opportunities. 

Kevin & Michele

After spending the night in a hotel a few hours out of the Twin Cities, we made our way to the Mall of Americas and spent some time seeing the largest mall in the world - as Kevin & Michele were at a Twins game.  We then made our way to their beautiful house and they took us out on their boat - for a lovely time on the lake.

It certainly felt cold - at least from our tropical perspective - but fun to go for a little swim and do some jumping off the boat as we explored various parts of the huge lake. 

A Hot Hike (Short)

Daniel, Tracy and Doug decided to go for a short hike just up from the Visitor's Center.  The three Woodward kids decided to chill in the air conditioned comfort of the Visitor's Center.  It wasn't a very long loop - but did result in some great views as we looked around the area.

Badlands

They say that there really isn't a landscape quite like the Badlands - indeed, it was quite amazing to leave the interstate and drive through the Badlands - seeing the amazing viewpoints and stark landscape.  We heard stories from the Visitors Center of the history - and the continued futility of trying to farm the land.  We also recognized how incredibly HOT it can get.  When we first put together our itinerary, we had considered camping here, but realized just how treeless and stark the landscape is and that one of the campgrounds was without water - but rarely used - so would be a challenge for logistics. 

Instead, we enjoyed the Badlands for a few hours as we drove through. 

 A typical shelter - where we had our picnic lunch.

Breakfast and the Pack Out

It was time to depart Robaix Lake and our nice campground - so we packed up and left on a beautiful morning heading east with a pass through the Badlands as our goal for the day. 

Wind Cave

Going into Wind Cave National Park was quite an experience - the intricate amazing level of caves is something that is quite impressive - and continues to be explored.  The history of how it was discovered and how it became a National Park was fascinating - as was the rare cobweb patterns that are so rare and form when there is limited moisture inside the cave.  In building the main entrance (much better than the small entrance that was used in the early years), they've been careful to maintain the same air pressure so as not to alter the intricate balance of this this phenomenal structure.

 Above:  The small entrance that was the original place that the cave was discovered.  Seems like a challenge to get in and out of!

 A photo inside the cave - and the intricate patterns that are unique to Wind Cave (below).

Hiking in Wind Cave National Park

It looked like a storm could be coming in - but Doug and the kids thought that we could bypass the rain and go for a short hike to a loop up to a fire tower.  This was while we were waiting for our timed entry for one of the Wind Cave tours. 

There was quite a viewpoint looking East out toward the Badlands  - seeing the landscape changing as the Black Hills give way to the prairies.   We had fun taking some pictures jumping off a bench at the top.