Earlier in the season Joe and I had perused a lot of the Minnesota State Parks online to pick our top choices for visiting and camping. Whitewater immediately rose to the top of our list due to the relatively short drive from our house, beautiful description of towering bluffs, a winding river in a lush green valley and last but not least, the promise of a "noticeable absence of mosquitos."
I loved Whitewater from the moment we rounded a corner, headed down into the valley and my cell phone faded from 4 bars to 3 bars to 2 bars to 1 bar to No Service while nearing the State Park sign.
Our campsite was in a good location right along one of the branches of Whitewater river, and near the bathrooms. Which was great for me as I stayed hydrated. But meant nothing to two toddler boys who thought Daddy and I weren't catching on as they repeatedly rushed to the edge of the woods exclaiming "Oooohhhh, I have to go pee sooooooo bad and I waited toooooo long I can't make it to the bathroom." To which we'd point to the trees and say "No worries, just pee right there." We had to change our tone and words very quickly come Sunday afternoon while enjoying time at the outdoor exhibit at the Science Museum ("Don't you dare pull your underwear down. You've gotta hold it till we get to the bathrooms inside the museum!")
We camped two nights this time and all went well. While bottles are a minor annoyance, the boys are in their element outside, in the woods, getting dirty - annoying bottles are well worth it for peaceful boys.
We spent time hiking some trails, fishing in the river, swimming on the beach, exploring the campground, making campfires and cooking over them.
Pitching our tent. The boys are great at getting the rods extended so Joe can lace them through the tent.
Wren loving crawling around in the dirt. I love how gratifying baths and laundry are following camping trips.
Our little monkeys swinging from the clothesline.
Learning how to build a kindling teepee to help start the fire.
Lounging by the campfire
We started our hike with Otto and Wren each in a backpack, but shortly after starting Otto decided he wanted to hike too. The boys did a great job on a moderate trail and made it to the top for a gorgeous view overlooking the river valley.
Gone Fishin'
Helping Otto reel in his first of two catches!
1st catch: An itty bitty fishy
Asking Otto if he wanted to kiss the fish he caught (a tradition that we learned of while on a fishing excurion on Lake Michigan several years ago), to which he said No! It was a slightly bigger rainbow trout that was "gut hooked" so we kept it for a "shore dinner" that night. Max loved the fillet (with ketchup), but not Otto.
A morning stroll through the campsite. In PJs for Otto and underwear for Max.
A wolf on display at the Visitor's Center. Apparently wolves and bears are still sighted nearby.
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