July 1, 2009

We left Fr Hennepin this AM after being there for th emonth of June 2009. And Surprise - they asked us to come back in 2010. So far we believe we will do that. We enjoyed ourselves and really love that lake and surrounding area. We saw snakes,bear,deer and fawns, albino deer, an owl and a momma grouse with 7 chicks. How much nicer can it be.

We're headed to Itasca today to hook up with some of our family. Just got groceries in Wadena at a Super Walmart and are going down the road now just out of Sebeka. There are sure alot of places for sale everywhere we go. No place calls to me yet.

We'll be back at Carefree on the 8th of July and that will be nice too !
Michelle and family are using our site at Carefree while we are gone. They like it alot.

Bear Update

The bear cage has been moved out - he didn;t come back. A mother bear and 2 cubs were also sited so they feared that if the mother or the cubs were trapped it could be more dangerous than just letting them roam. We didn't actually see the cubs and mom.
But last nite we saw a horned owl and her nest - what fun.
The berries are plumped up now that it's rained. So they have something else to eat. That's a good thing !!
The mosquitoes have also plumped up - on my blood I think. But that comes with the rain.

June 2009

We're back at Fr Hennepin after a weekend at Grand Marais with our WIT club. What a beautiful setting with an automatic air conditioner - Lake Superior. We had fun playing cards - won a little money playing Texas Hold em.
Next week when we leave here we're heading to Itasca State Park with some of the family. Then back to Carefree CC - we're excited to head back there for the rest of the summer until fall.

I don't think we'll ever go into a public bathroom without thinking about how disrespectful some people can be when using rest rooms. Yikes - this cleaning crew deserves a medal. I don't think they could possibly pay them enough. Now that the park is full almost daily it's even worse. And the kids play near the bathrooms and stuff the toilets full of paper and grass.

We're having fun and it's already the last weekend of June 2009. Time flies -

Life in June 2009

The McKenzie's are beginning to think about our next stop at Itasca State Park for the 4th of July. It will be good to be at Itasca but we're also looking forward to getting back to our lot at Carefree CC. The month of June at Fr Hennepin has gone much faster than we anticipated. We've gotten into a routine and met some very nice local folks. I don't think I will ever go into another public bathroom without thinking of these bathrooms. These employees who clean these bathrooms are saints - believe me. The things people do are just atrocious. And now that the campgrounds are full almost every day the activity is increasing as well as the bathroom usage.

We spent a weekend at Grand Marais during this month. Grand Marais is so quaint and has a natural air conditioner - Lake Superior.

More Bear News

The bear came back today - same path. Only this time he went into the woods and caught a fawn and killed it and ate it. He sat right there within view and chewed that poor little 3 week old fawn into shreds. All that was left was 4 little legs.
'So they called the CO's back again and they came with a trap to catch it so they can get it out of here.
They hung donuts and sweet frosting in the trap. The tenter had to relocate so they could put the trap near the scene of where it killed the fawn. The albino momma deer was running around like crazy they said - I didn't see her. Denis got some pictures.

So this has been quite an event here in the park. We shall see when we get up in the AM if the bear has been caught. We shall see !!

Bear excitement in the Park

We had a bear come into the park on Thursday. It was in the other campground and then wandered into a vacant site here near the lake. It then went down to the water and then back up here walking down the road as if there was nothing going on. It was about 4 feet tall on all 4 paws. They figured it weighed about 150 lbs. We called the Conservation Officer for Mille Lacs and they came however most assumed it just got lost and was gone for good. I guess since the berries aren't ripe yet they don't have any food.

The CO's made light of it and joked that he was looking for a picanic basket!
So we thought nothing of it and went about our business. But we did visit each site and notify them to make sure they put all their food in their vehicles and not to leave their dogs out.

Very interesting. This is the first time we have seen a live bear in the wild.

Fun at the Park

We celebrated a 91st birthday in the park. Doris Carlson asked her family to take her camping to celebrate her birthday. So her 3 sons and daughter and families camped in the park with her and catered to her all week and had a bday party for her. What fun !

I hope I can live long enough to camp in my 90's. She stayed by herself in her trailer and they had a baby monitor for her in case she needed them. She and her husband had camped here at Fr Hennepin for over 50 years.

What a delightful family.