The Brink of An Adventure

The weather forecast for Saturday looked about as perfect as could be. So Mike and I decided that we were going to take the gang on an adventure. We hadn't decided exactly where to go, and were volleying some ideas back and forth. The kids were super curious and wanted details. So I looked at them and said (in my best English accent): We're on the brink of an adventure, children. Don't spoil it with too many questions. It's a line from Mary Poppins Returns and they were sufficiently unimpressed by my wit.

We decided to head over to Afton State Park in Hastings to go hiking (and maybe put our toes in the St. Croix river). It was the perfect distance away - only about 45 minutes - and we figured we'd grab lunch on the way. Fiona and Dec were excited, but poor Quinn had a bit of an anxiety attack. Remember, years ago when I would write about having to peel her off of me to get her to participate in anything? And how hard new things were for her? Well, sweet girl has been home for 3 months and all those "try new things" muscles we developed - they are out of shape!

After Q and I looked at pictures and the park map on my phone so she felt better about what to expect, she begrudgingly got on board. [Parenting note to selves: we need to do more "new things" this summer to help re-condition those life skill muscles.] We grabbed some McDonald's on the way and arrived right around 1:00. There was a long line to get in and we debated bailing - but decided to stick it out. It actually only took about 10 minutes before they let us in. So glad we didn't give up! [Second note to selves: don't arrive right at lunch time to state parks. Bad plan!]

The park was pretty crowded, but we found an "off-road" trail that was muddy and slippery - and required a lot of tree grabbing every few feet. Those qualities made it delightfully fun for us! We navigated down the bluffs to the river - and despite her best effort to not have fun, Quinn clearly loved it. Impersonating a mountain goat is really her happy place!!

We climbed down to the river's edge and threw some rocks in. Then hopped over to a sand bar beach where the kids and I took off our shoes and waded in. They wished for their swimsuits, but enjoyed jumping in the waves and throwing more rocks. We found a couple agates and Q found an anchor point that she carried for the rest of the hike ... so it now lives at our house.

We hiked back up the off-road trail when we were done. Up was easier than down - but holy smokes, you could feel it in the glutes! Two out of three back seat occupants fell asleep on the way on home and five out of five Vs were happy for an adventure beyond the borders of Shakopee! Mike bought a year pass to the state parks - so we plan to go back to Afton and explore a few more parks this summer.