ALL ABOUT THE KIDS VOL 3

“here we are.”

“You are good. ;)”

“aw shucks...”

“Gimme a few years on this one. I will be there with my daughter.”

“14 hrs. Ouch. Yall have fun.”

“I don't even want to google how far it is for me :)”

“if you leave now, you'll make it on time.”

“It's well worth the travel time. It's so much fun for the kids to hang out with other kids. Kind of makes the forced hikes a little easier on them. ;)”

“This trip is what made me want to setup the SE version.”

“It's alot of fun. I think part of what I love most about it is that my little one loves to play hiking and camping at home now. The kid is going to be the best tarp pitcher from all the "tents" and forts we make out of afghans. She'll take a nap in a heartbeat if I break out her sleeping bag for her. =)”

“Can someone tell me about how far this is from Chicago? I am interested as my 10 y.o. son is wanting to get into hiking. I have done it with my 18 y.o. but it has been a while.”

“Hey y'all. Not sure I can make the July trip. I think it's too close to mom's surgery.

I promised Ariel we'd go, tho, so I'll prolly do something with her in August, instead. I'll keep y'all posted in case there's anyone interested in a second trip or can't make the first one.”

“rmeugene, It depends on which location we go for (although it's sounding more and more like we'll be doing the Nordhouse Dunes area). If we head to North Manitou Island it'll be farther. The ferry to the island departs from Leland, MI(north of traverse city). Nordhouse dunes is closer to Luddington. I'm not sure how many hours or distance from Chicago as we come from Detroit. Ruby might be able to help you with that question though.”

“Birch,

Sounds like a great hike! My daughter is 13, and has day hiked with me many times, but has never backpacked. I'll know closer to the date of the hike if my work schedule is going to workout.”

“The more the merrier Salem! Hope you can make it.

There's quite a range of ages most years. We generally go from 3-4 to 15ish and then the parents/guardians. It's a bunch of fun, alot of playing. So far we've had gorgeous weather 3 years running. Hopefully we'll keep that part of the tradition going.”

“rmeugen & salem it'd be great to have you all make it. News faces are certainly welcome.

Tara, keep us posted. It'd be fun to have you guys again.”

“I'm thinkin I might have to adopt a kid for that weekend :-) sounds like it's gonna be a fun weekend!!
rmeugen - I'm guessing it's about 250 miles from Chicago to Ludington. Not to bad of a drive,it's all interstate except for a little stretch thru Holland MI.”

“Upluver, if you can't find a kid, come without! It's always a good thing to have extra grown-up eyes around, esp with huge bodies of water and campfires, etc. Cowpatty came last year sans kid and it was really nice having her along.”

“rumeugene, I don't know off the top of my head how far away this is. But I live very close to Chicago in NW Indiana, and I have two sons, one of them is 10. I have taken them backpacking and camping many times. I find that it's much more appealing for my 10 yo when he knows other kids, especially close to his age, are going to be there. If you are interested in getting together for a trip, let me know.


I really look forward to this trip. But there is a possibility that I will not be able to make it that particular weekend. Jon is supposed to be coming up the end of July/beginning of August. When he does, his homecoming will trump everything else of course. (God, I miss him)”

“Of course Ruby! Totally understandable. We'll try and keep it so you can decide last minute if need be.”

“My family and I have camped at Ludington State Park several times, but have never been to Nordhouse. Looking forward to checking it out.

UPluver - You can be Brittany's "Godfather," for the weekend. 8-p”

“Mom's confirming the date of her next surgery. She thinks it's the 15th. She'll be out of commission for about 3 weeks which means I'll need (want) to be home during the scheduled hike.

If her surgery is earlier in the month, I'll be ok. So, the short of it is, yes, I'll keep you posted. :-)

Ruby - If I have to wait til August, and you can't make the July trip, feel free to join me. I seem to recall Ariel having a bit of a crush on one of your boys....”

“Sounds like a plan, Tara! Awwww, their summer crush. It sure was cute, huh?”

“rmeugene...

We are in Chicago ... we will be bringing our 10yo son too. As we get closer to the trip & decide which location we are going to maybe we can plan a caravan or something. This is a great trip, fun for kids of all ages!

Just don't let Kevin park your car if we go to N. Manitou. (Boy, Sass, Birch & Sunshine, I can't wait for you to hear the story...this is campfire stuff if ever you heard one).”

“Can't wait to hear it! So far, it looks like me and the two younger kids will be going. Jenny might have to decide between this trip and Camp Batawagama. Either way, it's fun for everyone!!”

“Congrats on the Harley Ruby... I love the soft tails.

I agree, wait on the helmets - I don't like mine anymore, they are a very personal thing and the more I ride the more picky I get. & jackets!! what choices do you have there! Kevin loves his FXRG but what a price tag. (thank god the H-D shops don't stock them for women here)

Kevin is trying to figure out how we can ride our bikes, tote our gear, & strap on the kids when we come out in July. He's even talking about buying a side car for the dog! I do believe this is where we need help from the ultraliters! (toothbrush, smooshbrush ?)

Side Note: I finally sold my Honda (to Kevin's delight) & bought a '04 FLHRS for myself -- SWEET!!!”

“Yo...I think this might be a fun trip if I could get a ride...i'm just like a kid :D Mikes not really into packing right now so I have to make my own way into the woods. So how bout it? Anyone think they can give me a lift?”

“What?! CMB isn't backpacking?! What'd you do to him Nicole? ;) I never thought I'd see the day.

If you can get to Detroit (maybe the bus or amtrak?) you can ride with us.”

“Where are you at Spirit? Kevin appears to be bailing on me as well”

“She's in IN I think.”

“I think we can make this trip now. The boys are going to be so excited!

I wish Gonzo was going. I still have his kite poles from last year.”

“Speaking of kids! hehehe
Me and mine just ate bull testicles for the first time ever, a plate in Slovenia, we were there over the 4th, in Bled. Not a plate I'd eat again, or even suggest, but the innocent kiddies shore did eat'em up with smiles!!! We ate shark for the first time this weekend too, now there's a plate I'd buy again!”

“LOL!!!!

And I thought I was a sneaky mom by getting my boys to eat eel. Apparently I'm in the minor leagues.
last edited: 7/04/05 6:37:41 PM”

“LOL Ruby, when in Cali, my 2 precious girls and I feasted on 2 coons cooked with sweet taters, man that was some good eatin!!! Our nabe there was a colored good ole' boy from Alabama, family from way "down South" country. Kinda neighbor you want to pack up with you when you move. He is the one that said I had to try "mountain oysters" someday, lmao!!!! Well, we did.”

“Hee, heeee, Nekkid, those rocky mountain oysters must not have been prepared well! Tasty lil morsels when they are! Maybe the bulls were, well, too much bull - try some young ones sometime, also sheep or pig oysters.

Hey Ruby - glad we'll see you & yours at the kid's hike.

Nekkid - wish you could bring your kiddies to this hike. Would love to visit with them again.

Happy 4th!”

“We are all really looking forward to this. As a parent, I have found that getting out there with my kids away from the usual distractions is so wonderful.

But now a question. Where is Nordhouse Dunes? I can't seem to find it in my atlas. Is it part of a park? What is a nearby town? I'm trying to mapquest it to start to plan our departure time.”

“Can we do a kid/age count? Calvin wants to know.

Mine are two boys, 10 and 5.”

“You have email.

Nordhouse Dunes is in the Manistee National Forest and is federally designated wilderness between Ludington and Manistee. It adjoins a portion of Ludington State Park, but is not part of the park.”

“Got it, Cow Patty. Thanks!!!!”

“Glad to hear you can make it Ruby! CP are you in?”

“Cow Patty's been signed up forever Birch. Geez, will ya get with it? ;)

Great news Ruby! Abby will be so happy Hobbes will be there. She still goes on and on about what good care Calvin took of her at RRG. Not sure what she's talking about but she sure does gush over him. I think you might have a heart throb on your hands!”

“I bought a DVD for my kids last week. It's a real cute family movie. It made me think of you. It's called, "The Pacifier" with Vin Diesel.”

“Mom's having surgery on the 15th, and as long as everything goes smoothly, Ariel and I will be going to the hike. She's 9 now.

No Gonzo? :-(”

“Oh good, Tara!!! Tuck and I just talked about Ariel last night. He will be happy to hear that you guys are going.

Sass, that's not the first time I have been told that about him being a heart throb. Let me tell you, it makes me very nervous.”

“I hope I can make this trip. It's a long way, but the kids haven't been to that part of the country and would enjoy it.”

“Chili it'd be great to meet you! Hope you can manage it. If you need a stoppin' over point you're all welcome to throw a sleepy bag on the floor or set up a tent in the yard. Feel free to email if you need more specifics.”

“Hey Chili! I'd love to see you again and meet the kids. Sure hope you can pull it off. It's a beautiful area; it'd be well worth the trip.”

“Two boys, well, three if Kevin comes

14 & 10.”

“Oh, cool. Tucker will be so happy. (And Ariel, too, I bet.)”

“Well, I've gotten the trip page updated (it's about time eh?).

There are directions to the trailhead , info on where to get parking passes and how much, and also information about a campground nearby if anyone's interested in staying there Thursday night with Birch, Abby and myself.

I think I'll drop Gonzo a special invite, just in case.”