August up North...

In August, we had the opportunity to take a trip to Babbitt, MN...the hometown of some dear friends of ours. They no longer live there, but keep the house they grew up in as kind of a "vacation house", which they offered to let us use for a long weekend. Babbitt is a tiny little town about 15 miles away from Ely, MN. Way up north, der, eh? There is a grocery store, a couple of gas stations, and not much else. PERFECT. Just what the doctor ordered!! We loaded up our van with bikes and playclothes and hit the road. Within five minutes of arriving in Babbitt, our kids were on their bikes riding around everywhere (something they can't do in our neighborhood at home). Pete had not yet learned to ride without his training wheels, but on those quiet Babbitt streets he had it down pat within minutes! There is a bike path that leads from Babbitt, through the woods, and down to the lake. So each morning Tim and the kids got up and took a nice long ride. One morning, a young black bear crossed the bike path right in front of them! We swam in the lake, enjoyed bonfires in the backyard, roasted marshmallows, did some sightseeing in Ely (and bought souvenirs of course), saw the Wolf Museum, and RELAXED. It was GREAT.