AAK! IV....trip report

“Birch, Abby and I got home around 6:30 tonight.

It was a wonderful trip...

Thursday we arrived at the trail-head, followed shortly by Crash Bang. The rain started just as the weatherman reported "No chance of rain" on the radio, and lasted our entire hike in.
The temps were pretty warm so the rain felt good, but made the sandy trails more difficult to negotiate.

We nabbed the campsite we wanted, set up, and Abby asked when the other kids would be here about 20X. The sun broke through the clouds in time for an evening swim in the ultra calm lake. A new game was invented called Dunejump 2006. It consists of climbing to the top of the biggest nearby dune and launching yourself off. Points are awarded for grace and form.

We had a nice bonfire and rested up. Later that night we would have to fight off starving raccoons and Birch would stalk skinny dippers. Crash Bang was very upset he wasn't included in the skinny dipper stalking. At one point, Birch pretended to be a ferocious raccoon eating monster, (to the starving raccoons, not the skinny dippers) and at another, I had to snatch my lovely backpack from the wiley grasp of a baby raccoon and beat him with it. It wasn't a pretty sight. Campers for miles around could be heard screaming "here they come again!" and "Arrrrgh! They have the hotdog buns!!". So, sleep wasn't super Thursday night.

Friday dawned beautiful. We had enough time for a swim before hiking out to the trail-head to meet JimmySan and his Fam. We had a lazy morning and Crash bang and I headed for the parking area around 11:30. We didn't find a single person we wanted to take back to camp with us, but got some icy cold cokes and left directions for the rest of the gang.

We watched people pour into the parking area, including a high school soccer team there for conditioning and to camp for the weekend. Those boys had about 8 coolers to carry in 1.7 miles, at least.

Back at camp Birch and Abby played, ate lunch and napped.

The JimmySan clan came in a few hours later and the kids got down to business, playing in the water.

We all enjoyed dinner around the campfire and s'mores. At one point we went and laid out on the dunes to watch the stars ad admire the milky way. The Celtic-helinka-canucks came in around 1am. We talked a bit, warned them about the raccoons, and went to bed. Trixie the wonderdog kept us safe for the night but the Jimmysanians got to know the pests well enough to name one Bob.

There had been talk about a daytrip to the lighthouse again, or east towards Hamlin Lake to play in the dunes where few people tread, but the Sun and the Lake sapped all desire to hike from us and relaxation and play won out. It was a great day.

Saturday night we all enjoyed dinner around the campfire, more s'mores and the kids sword fought and did tricks with glowstick bracelets. No raccoons even dared step paw into our camps. I think the Jimmysanians may have convinced them, the previous night, that they were wasting their time with our two-bit operation, and that they needed to focus their energies on the soccer players' camp.

The waves Saturday got to be gigantic. They were enormous fun to play in. They continued crashing on the beach all night long.

Sunday morning the beach was washed clean of footprints. It was difficult to leave such a beautiful place.

We all hiked out and met up at the Northwoods Cafe' in Scottsville. The food and company were good and we had to leave too soon.

The weekend was rejuvenating and more fun than I've had in a long time. The kids were all great fun and very tolerant, (grown ups too). Thanks everyone for making this trip so wonderful.


Here's a link to an explanation of how the dunes were formed and how they remain so constant for Birch and Jimmysan: http://www.geo.msu.edu/geo333/dunes.html

And here are some of the two zillion pictures we took: http://community.webshots.com/album/553336684POqXNC
last edited: 8/21/06 12:27:01 AM”

“Thanks for the wonderful TR.
I'll look at the pictures tonight.”

“Great pics. I haven't finished, but the ones in the 80's look like the Gulf Coast.

The pics of everyone jumping off the dunes are really funny. There's one of CB where his legs are out parallel to the ground as he falls. That must have been some dune.”

“I'd guess it was about thirty feet tall. They're big. Enough to make one's knees cry by the end of the weekend. =)”

“Love the sunset photos! Glad you guys had a good time.”

“Your little girl is stretching out, Sass!

Crash Bang is one of the kids alright!”

“It looks like you were all having a blast! What a great week-end...I'll bet all those kids won't every forget it..however, I did not see anyone being buried in the sand...

I have found that if you shine a really bright light into a raccoons eyes, you can walk right up and hit them on the nose and they just stay frozen until you turn the light off...fun!

I remember having those Dune jumping contests off Sleeping Bear Dunes before it became a National Lakeshore...back in 1965...it's so much better when you judge for grace and form!

Glad you had a great week-end...just how many kids were there...not counting the adults, I mean...LOL...”

“30', wow, now that's a dune. I was picturing it larger than the ones we have on the coast here, but not near that tall. Very cool. I still wish Reece and I could've come up. Maybe airfare won't be as bad next year.”

“Keep your eye on tickets this winter Dayhiker. We'll schedule it around you if need be. Just try for sometime in the first three weeks of August. Everyone who attended this year voted for the same place next year. Look for Detroit Metro Airport. You wouldn't need to worry about transportation or lodging after you get here. We have enough room for a few more people here, and a spare car.


MarkO, It happens fast eh? Birch and I were talking about what a trooper she was this year (didn't even ask anyone to carry her pack). The first All About the Kids trip we did was when she was 18mos old! She starts kindergarten this year.

Mata, Birch and Abby both got burried. Unfortunately it was when C!B! and I went back to the trailhead so no pictures. The other kids were smart enough to not fill their pants with sand. =)”

“It sounds like you guys had a really great weekend! We were thinking about you. I'm going to sort of make it up to the boys by taking them to the Indiana Dunes State Park beach this afternoon. But it's just not the same without Abby and the other kids.”

“Sounds good Sass. I think the biggest problem I'll run into is that school starts here around August 10 or so. That first weekend in August might be my best bet. A northern trip to escape the heat would be just the ticket by August. 10pm temps here are still running around 80. I saw a 10pm temp of 88 for Tupelo, MS on the weather last night. This is a place about 3 hrs due west of me and 1 hr due west of where I grew up, so it's not like it's down on the coast or anything.

I'll bet that water was cold. Seems like Ruby said last year it was in the upper 50's? Water is usually mid/upper 80's here by this time of year.”

“Looks like we missed a great one.....I can say with great certainty that what you all were doing was much more fun than packing and moving, lol---even with the racoon battle!

Maybe one day we can expand the AAK! trips to two per year....I really hated to miss this one.

Thanks for the TR and pics, Sass!”

“Yes indeed Sass, my backpacker now does everything including sharing the driving.”

“Dayhiker, the water was in the seventies (at our best guess). It was nippy at first but we got used to it quick.”

“NC and Ruby, we missed you guys too. If we can't set something up this fall for the kids maybe we can do something in the spring.”

“the waves THE WAVES!”

“Airlines aren't pricing out to August on the site I use, but BHM to DTW 7/5 to 7/9 is $333. Much better than the $410 it was this year. If fuel will drop a bit that might get under $300 which might be doable.”

“I miss swimming....

What a blast of a trip. This is fast becoming my fav of the year. Thanks all for showing up and making it so great.”

“I'm still stepping through the pics as I get time. The pics in the low 80's are all good. They're mainly just random beach photos. 107 of Sass on the beach is almost framing quality. If her foot wasn't quite out of the photo so that it wouldn't get covered by a mat you'd have it. I don't mean this how it sounds, but I like the way the beach hat covers the eyes. Regardless, it's a really good photo. 108 of Abbey on the beach is really good as well. I haven't seen any of them beyond that yet.”

“What a sweet picture.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/553336684/2844694570039740695OYAgRs

Birch is a rich man.”

“I see C!B! lost his figure he had after his thruhike. ;-)”

“Check flights into Flint Bishop airport, too. They usually have decent prices.

Sorry we missed the trip. Its been very trying around here the last few days, and it would have been nice to get out. Instead, we went to G's parents house to do laundry (to avoid the cost of the laundromat) and hang out with them (i.e. get fed for free).



Did you all see how dirty Abby's feet were in the picture where she is packing up in the tent??? That's a sure sign of a good day camping. :)”

““I see C!B! lost his figure he had after his thruhike. ;-)”
StoveStomper
6:20:09 PM
8/21/06

This is exactly why I didn't post the picture of me in my suit! lol.”

“joy, i guarantee every male who has met you in person has a much higher opinion of your figure than you do. if i coulda snapped a pic in your bikini, it woulda gone straight to the atonement thread

;-)”

“Glad you big kids and little kids had fun-o-la!”

“Crash Bang, I was just trying to make Stovestomper feel bad. Now you've ruined it. ;)”

“We went to the beach yesterday at Indiana Dunes. It just made me think about all the fun we missed a few days earlier. It sure is beautiful on the lake this time of year.”

“actually, sassyfwassy, knowing that he missed seeing a hot voluptuous babe in a bikini will make it very torturous on stovey. he'll be taking it out extra hard on violin, im sure”

“if i coulda snapped a pic in your bikini, it woulda gone straight to the atonement thread

;-)”
crash bang
8:02:45 PM
8/21/06


Please God NOOOOO!!!!!
C!B! would not look very good in a bikini!!!! ;-)”

“btw, did we ever find out what happened to cow patty?”

“I don't think C!B! would fit into Sass's bikini. ;-)”

“Sure he would have. Now you two knock it off.

Cow Patty had been on an extended trip the week prior then had to travel with work and just got tired and decided it would be best to stay home. I had a voicemail from her when we got out. I should have told you guys, sorry.”

“I'm just happy y'all had a great time and C!B! finially came out about wanting to wear a bikini. ;-)”

“lol”

“3 posts in a row about wanting to see me in a bikini. its interesting the things we learn about our friends to the south”

“All the nice looking MS women must've been evac'd by Katrina.

That CB, he shore has a purty mouth.
last edited: 8/22/06 9:43:13 AM”