This set of blogs is another Group Vacation. Our 2008 trip was from KC up and around Lake Superior into Canada and then a slight detour to Milwaukee for a few days for the 25th and 105th celebrations for HOG and Harley Davidson. The blogs are broken into sections, each being a day in the trip. The first blog of this trip is here . Clear Lake IA, Sunday 24 AUG 08 -- We were at it bright and early this morning. The deal is that we will grab what we can for breakfast at the motel, but we will have [View Full Entry]

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A couple weekends ago, my sister, Fiona, my friend Nash, Mom, and I went to Duluth. It was very pretty, as always. We stayed in this cute little cabin; it was run like a motel but each "room" was its own cabin. My mom and I have stayed in those same ones before. It is right in front of Lake Superior. [View Full Entry]

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I have my bags packed. Everything is in order here at home (I hope) for my 7 week absence. I am so ready to get out of here. Now I just wait for Ben to get home to take me to the airport. My flight leaves the cities this evening and I will be in Bali Thursday afternoon and in East Timor by Friday afternoon. So, now I am left to wonder about what this trip will be like. I really have few concrete plans. I will try to update this blog whenever possible. I am now going to go back [View Full Entry]

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Hey everyone that stumbled on this Blog... I figured I should set up my account before I leave for China. And a little over 12 hour before I leave seems like the best time to any. **Boring information about why I am going to China** I will be teaching Conversational English at Henan Normal University in Xinxiang, Henan province. I have been planning on going to China for a least a year now, however I didn't know where I would be going in China until about two months ago. It is kind of daunting to find a school in China that [View Full Entry]

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I'm trying out a new camera that Tom got for free at work. There was some difficulty in acquiring a charger, but that mission has been accomplished. These pictures are acting as a test run for my upcoming trip to Portland this week. I went on a quick camping jaunt this weekend with a fellow forester-in-the-making. The goal was twofold. First, I am trying to get some information on a certain species of grass that is considered invasive in the area. It has been widely planted for years as a way to prevent erosion, but it tends to take over and [View Full Entry]

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After stopping in Wisconsin to visit friends and play a few games of pool, we headed west toward Minnesota. Of course, on our way across Wisconsin we did stop to pickup some cheese (yum!). Our first stop in Minnesota was Minneapolis, where we swung by Mall of America just to check it out. The list of shops in the directory was dumbfounding, so we started walking around. In the center of the 100-acre mall is a mini amusement park, with roller coasters, rides, carnival games and ridiculous prizes. Looks like fun, but as we just spent a couple of days at [View Full Entry]

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We're headed up to Canada! We're spending a few days in a park there called Quetico National Park... but we're not there yet. Right now, we're in Duluth, Minnesota, and man... this town actually surprises me. It's strange how I'm not surprised by a gigantic park in the middle of New York City's skyscrapers, but how I am surprised when, while in the quaint port town of Duluth, my family and I stumble across the Leif Erikson park—a gorgeous spread of rose gardens, brick walkways, and fountains along the shores of Lake Superior. It should really be the opposite, no? [View Full Entry]

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The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land. ~G.K. Chesterton July 7, 2007. As we traveled to Duluth along MN scenic highway 61, our first stop was Temperance River S.P. We hiked a section of the river gorge trail. It is amazing to see how the water has worn away the rocks and made a honeycomb. In the contest between rock and water, water will always win ultimately. Split Rock Lighthouse S.P. was out next stop. We took the tour [View Full Entry]

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Duluth 03Jul07 Rode back roads and secondary roads to Duluth. First thing I noticed is that I saw people cycling and running. This is great because quite often I would get a blank stare from hotel keepers when I asked is there anywhere I can go for a run? "Run away from whom?" My hotel in DUluth is located next to the Spirit Mountain ski hill. It's only 6 miles from the centre of town and has a great view of the city from the skyline road 1/2 a mile away. 04Jul07 Went for a brief run (humidity is killer [View Full Entry]

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Another beautiful day here along the North Shore of Lake Superior. 3:35 came early and the best photo op seemed to be as we were driving to Gooseberry Falls State Park about 40 minutes BEFORE sunrise. The lake was awash in the pastel colors you see before sunrise. But there were no overlooks to stop and capture that moment. We spent a little over an hour along the lake shore during sunrise and then went up along the falls for another couple of hours. The time just flew by. On the way back into town, one of our classmates (who [View Full Entry]

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