The Solas family went camping this weekend up in the near north: St. Croix State Park, a delightful and huge state park following the St. Croix river as it traces the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin.  I say "delightful" here in the slightly hypothetical, for while in retrospect and from the safety of our truly delightful deck the trip was a success, the park itself over this weekend can be summed up in three words: Full.  Of.  Bugs.

We arrived about 8:30 Friday, ate and played some games, then hit the sack about 10:30, both tired from long weeks.  This was Bruno’s first time in a tent, and we were anxious to see how he would do.  No fool, our dog, he would wait for either of us to sit up to adjust the lantern or grab a book and then quickly lay on the most comfy part of our sleeping bags!  Having none of this we tried a few arrangements for his bed and finally settled between our feet, where he was content to alternate between leaning his full weight against one of us or just resting his head and chest on our feet.  The rain I expected never came, and it was 6:30 (doggie breakfast time) before we knew it.

Anticipating bad weather, we got up and ate and decided we should go hit the trails – there was a CCC-built camp a few miles away that looked interesting, and the trail followed the river.  Perfect.

Almost as soon as we got out of our campsite, the mosquitoes began their attack.  We made it to the camp, and I kept telling myself it would get better soon.  We pressed on a bit, thinking we’d come to a lake we saw on the map — surely, it will get better soon.  There’s a breeze, the sun is out, they have to stop swarming sometime, right??

No.  The answer is no.  I’ll spare you the details of my freakout, but as long as there is sweet human (and doggie) flesh anywhere in range, the mosquitoes of St. Croix will rally to the feast.  I don’t know if I’m more sensitive to their bite (I used to get quarter-sized welts that lasted for days, and it’s still pretty bad), or just taste sweeter, but it was Out.  Of.  Control.

Perhaps most troubling was the fact that everywhere around us there were happy campers wearing only shorts and T-shirts, sitting around their camp sites with no visible protection.  (This pic of K is in the one hour on Saturday where they calmed down enough we could take one more walk)  How could they survive the onslaught?  Were they hardy midwesterners used to the bugs?  Were they simply tougher, or less tasty?  Why could we not poke our heads our of our sanctuary without being swarmed by the bloodthirsty hordes?  I think the answer is deet, which we were slightly reluctant to slather on ourselves, but saw no such hesitance in our fellow campers.  Not complete fools, we did use some bug spray, but it seems that without a visible sheen it’s just not enough to ward them off.

There were a few highlights: the screen tent we got from my grandparents (a.k.a. the Sanctuary), the "Pudgy Pie" maker we got from them, and the sweet marshmallow roasting sticks from Karen’s parents (up at the top of the post).  The pie maker produced the most amazing ham and cheese sandwich, tuna melt, and finally a bacon, tomato and cheese delight.  Yum.  Karen discovered her all-time favorite S’more combo: ginger snap cookie, marshmallow, and mint chocolate.  Whoa.

We also stopped by Taylor’s falls on the way home, a pretty amazing geological site along the river.  K had been out there before, but it was my first time – very cool.  And hey, no bugs!

Tired of the biking updates?  Sorry.  :)

I’ve been a bit of a slacker after indoor soccer season ended (although we’re getting a game together this Sunday!), and the beer was beginning to turn into a belly.  Time for more miles on the bike, and what better way than to extend the commute?

This new route to work clocks in at about 12.2 miles — although I actually think it’s 12.5 with all the curves and small hills I couldn’t map.  Bottom line, though, is it’s the most beautiful route ever.  (And I couldn’t even find pictures of the part that feels like you’re zipping through Endor on a speeder bike…)  It’s amazing that other than the beginning and a few blips between the lakes I can basically feel like I’m nestled in the woods somewhere on some fairly remote trails.  The trees are exploding with growth, the streams are full, the birds are singing…  Just amazing.

Note to everyone else:  my left hand up means I’m turning right.  I’m not waving at you.  Also, turn off your iPod:  I need you to move over when I yell "On your left!!"  Listen to the birds.  Listen to the river.  Listen to your wheels humming along.  Listen to your breath.  It’s safer to turn off your iPod.

Took this route three times this week, and I’m loving it.  Fast bike, good weather, hard ride, what can I say?  It’s a beautiful thing…

I stayed home from work today to save time on commuting for an offsite meeting, so I got to see Karen off to work on her bike — and snap a few pics!

Her messenger-style bag seen here is actually pretty uncomfortable so I loaned her mine, but I think we’ll end up getting her a rack and pack to go on there.  It’s just a lot easier ride without a bulky pack on your back…

She just got home after riding into the wind all the way and it sounds like it was a rough ride…  especially after working out yesterday.  But she made it, and going to go again later this week!

Last week we found these sweet Ikea chairs at a local garage sale and snapped them up.  Here’s a shot of one of them and Bruno sleeping next to it – where we want him to be.

Unfortunately, we’ve been finding dog hair on the chairs lately.  Seems Mr. Man has been climbing up there for a little nap while we’re gone…  So I built a booby trap, old-school style: a simple buzzer circuit with a gravity switch.  The circuit is completed when the nickel (attached to a thread from the top of the chair) drops between the two strips of foil, and the buzzer goes off.

Today I came home from my meeting to find two Bruno-sized paw indentations on the chair – but no dog hair!  Now I guess I just have to set up something for the other chair and hope eventually he stops trying…  Naughty dog!

Bruno was kept extremely busy tonight checking on all the babies and making sure their faces were never more than a few seconds away from a healthy doggy-lick.

Lilyana on the left, the youngest of the group, is luckily well-versed in doggy lick acceptance — they have a very friendly dog of their own.

Frances and Ayla managed to avoid most of the licking with their superior bipedal skills and masterful piano duet.

Not satisfied with her reception from the piano solo, Frances decided to show off by donning a pair of adult shoes and going for a stroll.

Someday, kiddo, someday all too soon…  :)