Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Parrish Family Vacation 2010

Call me crazy, but this year I just didn't want to drive out west and spend forever and a day in a car with a 1 year old. Not my cup o tea. In lieu of a epic adventure out west, we decided on taking a trip up north to Lutsen, MN, which is on the North Shore of Lake Superior, and and about 1/10 of the driving distance!



Driving up was a breeze. We stopped in Duluth and lucked out as they were having a "big ship" festival. There were enormous ships lining the harbor and both Jackson and Max thought they looked like pirate ships. They confirmed their suspicions when they saw a goth girl walk by and concluded she was a pirate.


Day two was spent split up. John and Jackson took a kayak trip and Max, Sadie and I drove up to Grand Marais. Yet again we lucked out. The town was holding their annual dragon boat races. We watched a few races, stuffed our faces, and played a round of mini golf.

From there it's kind of a blur. One afternoon, we played a round of disc golf where we managed to loose two discs on the first throw of the first tee.
We went on a few breathtaking hikes. Sadie inevitably fell asleep every time.
This could be my favorite picture of the whole trip. If you scroll through this blog you'll see how hard it is for me to get a genuine smile out of Maxers. Well, here it is folks!
We celebrated my 31st birthday in style by spending the day on the Alpine Slide, and driving into town for some fresh caught fish. Yum! John also surprised me with the perfect gift, a Garmin Watch! I felt so spoiled!
Jackson proved yet again that he lacks a safety chip in his brain as he refused to apply the break the entire way down. He was proud to beat John, and catch air a few times!
Many a hour was spent lounging by the lake, skipping rocks, and roasting marsh mellows.
We had great weather. The few times it rained, we happened to be in our car or it was after bed time.
Our trip home we visited Split Rock light house. Jack loved it, Max, not so much. He was over hiking and didn't like the fact that we had to climb a couple hundred stairs for a photo op.
We also stopped by Gooseberry Falls to see what all the fuss was about. From the looks of it, Sadie liked the scenic view. I myself thought it was beautiful, but way to crowded.

We had a ton of fun. After all of this family fun and togetherness, I am so ready for school to start.


2 comments:

Hot Diggity Daws said...

How fun!!! What a great trip. I am hurt that you didn't want to drive across the country for me, but as I HATE car trips, I 100% understand and applaud you for opting out of that marathon ride. Gorgeous scenery. Could Sadie do any better of a job looking super easy?!

Papa Parrish said...

Glad you are making memories. They will last. Nana