April Sentiments

This is Paul taking over the blogging reins for a single post. I'll try to follow the excellent example my mom has set thus far in weblog posting.

The spring season just doesn't feel complete without a bus trip. When April comes and goes, and the big green bus is quiet and unmoved something seems to be missing. We have felt that way for the majority of the month, enjoying the cool spring air of Gunflint Lake instead of Montana or New Mexico. Although it is beautiful here-very few mosquitoes, sunny days, cool nights-a restlessness has uprooted our thoughts. This April Bus Trip is so ingrained in our lifestyles that we just don't feel satisfied without one. That is why we started the bus up this past Sunday, after packing a picnic dinner.

We didn't go far. Instead of turning left on the Gunflint Trail we turned right and proceeded onto the End Of The Trail campground. It was a sunny afternoon and the Trail was green and beautiful, and on the way there we saw some kind of hawk soaring in the sky.

The End of the Trail means pavement, so we brought along some bikes and took those around the looped highway. There were many things to see while biking; looming trees, placid water, and glimpses of the nesting eagles are some of the things we observed while pedalling.

After our short bike ride we stopped back at the campsite to explore some. We were situated on a hill overlooking Seagull Lake, and at times during our stay we looked out to see frolicking otters. It was too bad we didn't have the binoculars at the time. After a good amount of exploring we went to a Walleye spawning area and looked around for fish. At first it was difficult to see because of the glare, but it didn't take long to spot the patient walleyes, waiting for their turn to attempt climbing the river. At places there were at least ten fish together, and some were quite large.

Soon it was picnic time, so again we went back to the camp and enjoyed a very good picnic meal. When everyone was finished eating we pulled out the Boules, a lawn game in the style of bocce, although the balls are smaller and made of chrome. Our style of playing however is slightly more extreme than your normal lawn game, going into as treacherous territory as we could find.

Finally we packed up to go home. Even though it wasn't Montana, it was still a very enjoyable and beautiful evening; complete with wildlife, good food, and boules!