Bemidji and the wrong Grand Rapids

Tuesday July 22 we woke up at our campground in Itaska State Park.   Dave took a run and when he returned I ran as well. This was my favorite run of all.  I can't even put it into words how beautiful the trail through the trees and over the wooden bridge is (you can see the pic of us on the bikes on the trail the day before).   After our runs and Peyton practicing on his new bike (he is getting better) we packed up and drove through Bemidji, MN where Paul Bunyan is king.  There are signs of him everywhere, even the restaurants are named after him.  We weren't too impressed so we drove on.  We were planning to stay in the large city of Grand Rapids.  We realized it wasn't the Grand Rapids of Michigan but since it connected two large roads we figured it was a fairly large city (Grand Rapids also sounds big).  We were wrong!  It is a pretty small town with a ton of road construction going on and a Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center that doesn't have any idea about pretty much anything.  It was actually quite funny.  Tanner and I went in to the very nice, large visitor center to get information on where to eat, where to park and where an RV park was.  She said that she cannot tell us where to eat because it wouldn't be fair to the restaurants she didn't tell us about.  She did point us to some flyers  which we used to pick a good place but then realized in the RV that the flyer with the menu on it left out one important bit of information...THEIR ADDRESS!  Then regarding parking, I asked if their was parking for an RV near the city square, which the information center was in, and she said that their was an abandoned Walmart right around the corner we could park at.  It turned out to be 4 miles up the road which was way too far for the hungry Hulsebus' to walk to dinner.  Finally we needed a campground and she pointed us to the fairgrounds outside of town because we would be close to the largest event of the year in Grand Rapids, "the swap meet!"  I actually like swap meets but it was Tuesday and the swap meet was on Saturday.  Anyway, if you ever go to the huge town of Grand Rapids, Minnesota don't bother going to the visitors center.  We ended up eating at Country Kitchen and the funny thing was the lady from the visitors center came in for dinner so I guess we picked what she would have recommended.  After dinner we decided to go against the visitors recommendation for the fairground and we stayed at Walmart.

Stay tuned again

We are in Northern Minnesota along the shore of Lake Superior.  I have a ton to tell you about and some really cool pics but the Internet here is the worse!  I can log on sometimes but it is soooo slow and my connection goes in and out.  It definitely won't let me download pics.  So as soon as I get to a wifi area or my sprint card gets better signal I will post the last few days.  

About last weeks poll.  There really is no correct answer since it is a matter of opinion.  Tanner would say that he doesn't need a hair cut as would all the boys.  So I will give you me my opinion.  Everyone needs a major hair cut (although I couldn't wait till the end of the poll to get mine chopped, so I guess I cheated).  Dave wants to buzz his head.  Tanner would rather get hit by a train then get his cut (he had a bad experience last time I took him to a salon...the only person he trusts now to cut it is my mom since she fixed it after the salon lady destroyed it....so mom you better fly out or Tanner is going to be a rag muffin for a while).  Peyton can't see through his bangs (which I finally decided to cut).  Sterling wants to grow his hair out but I realllllllly like it short. So its the battle of the wills.  Luckily his I can cut in the RV, I'm  just waiting for the right moment to spring it on him.  

Well I hope this posts...I will write again soon.  We miss you all!

Mille Lacs Kathio and Itasca State Parks

Here is a recap of the last few days.

Saturday - Drove from Walmart to Pine City, Minnesota.  We went to see a reinactment camp about fur trading.  The museum was called North West Company Fur Post.  When we walked in we were greeted by a woman who claimed to be living in 1804.  She was part Ojibwe Indian and part French Canadian.  She took us back in time with her so that we could understand what it would have been like to be a fur trader or Ojibwe indian in the early 1800's.  She was a terrific guide.  The coolest thing about the tour was that the boys could feel and hold anything on the tour.  They felt the many different types of animal furs, tasted what the voyageurs were cooking, played with the Indian children's toys, tried on the chief's hat, and even made a toy out of a stick and a pine cone.  We all really enjoyed the tour.  I've posted a link to the history of the American fur trade if you want to read more.  We finished the tour just as a huge storm hit.  When it rains out here it is like standing under your shower when the water is on high.  You stand in it for 5 seconds and you are soaked.  We drove in the rain to Millie Lacs Kathio State Park.  The state parks in Minnesota are very pretty.  I love all the trees that arch over the roads.  The kids met a boy named Damien and had a great time playing with him.  Peyton opened a chipmunk restaurant and had many small visitors.  It was actually quite amazing how long Peyton could sit still and watch the chipmunks scurry under his chair.

The next day I went for a run on a trial in the woods.  It was quite the extreme from the mall run.  I literally had deer running in front of me on the trail.  It was really cool.  Dave went for a run after I got back, but didn't get lucky enough to have the deer friends run with him.  We packed up while the boys rode their bikes to the lake with their new friend and his parents.  We drove to met them in the RV and the boys had a great time swimming and geocaching.  We then we hit the road and drove northwest to Itasca State Park.  This is the Yosemite of Minnesota.  It is a beautiful state park with lots of bike and hiking trails.  It is also famous for being the point  where the Mississippi River actually begins as a small stream.

On Monday, after Dave worked all morning on insurance stuff, we rented a couple more bikes and went on a bike ride to the historical river headwater.  It was actually pretty cool.  We crossed the rocks at the mouth of the might Mississippi River which is actually only a few feet wide at the start.  We then walked down the river in the water a half a mile.  It was really fun walking down the Mississippi { "stream" :-)  }.  If you didn't know...the Mississippi starts in Minnesota and flows into the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana.  This is a 2552 mile, 3 month trek, through 8 states. What a journey!  We hoped back on our bikes and rode around for quite a while and then headed back to the RV.  

                                      Do you see the chipmunk?

                                     Start of the Mississippi

Stay tuned

We are finally have WiFi again and will be able to post again tonight.  Sorry that we haven't posted in a few days but we have been staying in state parks and there has been no Internet or cell in some.  Actually, we don't have cell here but they have high speed WiFi..weird.  We will be here till tomorrow.  If you need to reach us send us a email.  I have a lot to tell you about, but Dave has been working on the computer all morn on insurance stuff.  He finally finished so we are going to get out of the RV and go on a bike ride.  I promise to post tonight so check back!

Minneapolis, Minnesota yet again

I know you all think we are in love with Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Well the funny thing is that we haven't seen that much of this city (except for the inside of the Apple Store).  We have spent most of our time running errands.  Today was no different.  We spent the night in the Mall of America parking lot.  We thought for sure we were going to get a knock on our door telling us to move.  We made it through knock free.  In the morning I decided to go for a run in the mall.  I'm not sure how much of a mile each floor is but it sure seemed far.  I ran the first floor and then the second.  After the second I was told by a security guy that running was not allowed so I walked fast around the third floor and around the second again.  I really enjoyed exercising in the mall.   It was rewarding and motivating in many ways.  First, I get to window shop.  Second, I see clothes I really like and it motivates me to run faster so I can fit into them.  Third, I was the youngest exerciser in the mall (there were quite a few other mall walkers but they were much older and quite slower) this made me feel more in shape then I really am.

After the mall we went to IKEA for lunch.  I remembered they had kid meals for .99 (when you are on a budget .99 cent kids meals are a big deal!)  After lunch I headed back into the mall.  I once again had to go to the Apple/Mac store.  I have come to learn that a visit to the Mac store always lasts at least an hour.  Well, this one lasted over two.  After the draining 2 hours I left with my phone working and a new hard drive to store all my photos and everything else that has eaten up all my memory and caused my computer to drag.  

Well, you may be wondering why I picked such a weird poll topic!  Well, I guess I was thinking about hair since my hair has been driving me nuts.  So I made an appointment with a hair dresser that I knew nothing about and went in for a hair update (which basically means cut and color).  My new hairdresser Stephanie was really great and I cut my hair to my shoulders (don't worry I didn't go black this time, it's still blond).  I really like it and am glad for the change.  I feel like my hair is so healthy again and also so much cooler for the hot humid weather out here.  I will post a picture when I get one taken.  So if you had planned to pick me for the haircut pole I suggest you change your vote.  After my hair appointment we hit Best Buy again (I know it's very sad how much we go there) and then went to Target and bought Peyton a bike!  It is a 20' frame and it does not have training wheels.  We are going to be very busy the next week teaching Peyton how to ride a bike.  My dad told me that he taught me by pushing me down a steep hill (Dad, by the way, I never believed you).  We will keep you updated on his progress.  We are back sleeping at our other frequented store Walmart.  Tomorrow we will finally be leaving Minneapolis.

Minneapolis, Minnesota Again

We are still here!  Amazing!  We spent the day at the RV park.  I got up and ran and Dave got up even earlier and started working on my computers.  After 8 hours and a lot of tedious work Dave did an awesome job and got the job done!  He thinks he is turning into a handy man.  I can see whats next...tool belt, orange apron and a permanent plumbers crack.  Yikes!  

We got our second knock on the door in a week from the fire department today.  They were once again warning us about a severe storm.  I think they have more severe storms out here then sunny days.  The fire department must get tired of knocking on doors every time it rains.  I have to say that I am kinda impressed that they do that.  Since we hardly watch TV or listen to the radio it is comforting to know that those reliable firemen keep us informed of the weather.  I'm also kinda partial to fireman since I grew up with one (HI DAD!).  

Well after we left the campground we drove to our second most visited store Best Buy.  Once again we left without our problems solved.  I'm really not sure if anything from Best Buy is actually the BEST BUY.  I'm kinda partial to Costco and Sams.  Since Best Buy couldn't conclude my computer needs we decided to drive back to the Mall of America and head back to the Apple Store.  After another long hour in the Apple store I think my computer problem is temporary solved...Yeah. 

We decided to stay in the mall parking lot until they kick us out.  We will let you know how long we last.

Thought of the day:  When I was about to land in Minneapolis the other day.  I looked down from the plane and noticed a train track next to a major road.  Sitting right next to the track and road was a group of houses.  I thought to myself, I would not be able to sleep with the noise from the trains and the cars all night long.  Then it hit me that I was flying right over top of the houses and was coming down for a landing just on the other side of the road.  So the houses probably could hardly hear the trains or cars due to the over whelming noise of the planes.  I guess what I am saying is if you ever think that your house is in a bad location...think again...unless you are deaf it couldn't get much worse then the houses by the trains, cars and planes.

By the way, the answer to the trivia question is Lola.  The kids named her after the navigation system in the movie RV.  But if I were to name her I would definitely name her  Mrs Were-lost-again!  

William Obrien State Park and Shakopee, Minnesota

We had a great time at this state park.  We took a 1.6 mile walk and then went for a swim in the lake.  Later that day we decided to try the Geo Cache GPS's that we borrowed from the ranger.  We got a coordinate that was .5 miles from our campsite so we headed out for our treasure hunt.  The kids had a blast following the arrows until the arrows lead us right into the lake.  That is when we realized that the cache was on the other side of the lake.  This meant we had to walk all the way around the lake.  We were determined to find the treasure so we walked and walked and walked until we found it.  The kids were quite disappointed that there was only a tracking paper and no treasure.  We set out and looked for 3 other caches near the first one.  We found 1 of the other 3 and were disappointed that the treasure wasn't replaced in those finds either.  We brought treasures (one bouncy ball with a smile face, and one WALL-E watch that we got for free when we attended the movie)  and put them in the caches for the next treasure hunter.  Even though we didn't get a treasure the boys had a great time looking for it.  We also figured that we walked over 4 miles on our treasure hunt so it was really fun exercise.  After the hunt we were hungry and tired.  We had a big dinner and watched "Field of Dreams."  What a great "feel good" movie.  Today we woke up to a storm so we decided to head out and get a few errands done.  Then we headed to Mystic River Casino and Dakotah Meadows Campground in Shakopee, MN .  We decided to go here because the casino hotel had a indoor pool.  We also went to the lunch buffet which was yummy.  

Thought of the Day:  Sometimes you are just to tired to think!

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sorry about the delay in the blog.  We are all back together in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  I want to thank my friends Christy and Dave for being such wonderful hosts to me while I was in Tampa.  It was an emotionally difficult weekend but I am really glad I went.  I have so much I want to say about my weekend but I just can't seem to find the right words to type so Dave is going to tell you about their weekend instead. 

Well the boys and I stayed in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.  After dropping Cindi at the airport we headed across the street to the highly touted Mall of America.  The new Apple G3 iPhone debuted on Friday.  Since my phone was having serious issue, like people can't hear me, I figured I joined the other crazies and battle the line (with 3 kids) at the Apple store. L-o-n-g story but after 3 and 1/2 hours I finally left the store WITHOUT the stupid phone.  As Charlie Brown would say... "AUUGH!"  Apparently I didn't qualify because I already have an AT&T phone.  Whatever!  We walked around the Mall and right before we were about to leave a very nice mom asked me if I'd like to have 2 free tickets to the amusement park.  So I bought one more and the kids were loving it for the next 3 hours riding rides inside the middle of the mall.

The next day... back to Mall of America to see the movie Kung Fu Panda by Dreamworks.  We enjoyed it but my personal animated favorites remain Toy Story II, Finding Nemo, and Monsters Inc.  After more walking and shopping we had dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe where the kids had some cool balloons made for them (see photos).  I also also bought a rocket for me... and the kids.  It's the kind my brother Doug and I would launch off when we were kids.  (Serious note: I keep telling myself, this is the time to do all those things that I have been "too busy" to do over the last 12 years.  This rocket makes that list.  Now I just need to make the time to build it and blast it off with the kids).

The last day, Sunday, we ventured out and headed to the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul.  The kids are getting overloaded with museums but this one had a special Star Wars exhibit and a special effects movie showing at the huge curved Omnivision screen.  Since the exhibit was sponsored by Medtronic (I really enjoyed working for Medtronic.  It is a great company with great people!) I talked the ticket lady into an $8 discount.  As usual the kids weren't really excited about another museum but hours later I had to drag them out.  After pizza we watched the movie Madagascar in the RV.  I've heard this movie a few times diving down the road back home in Cindi's Denali but believe it or not I have never watched it with the kids.  Albiet a small one, it's another thing I apparently didn't have time for, or make time for, over the last few years.  We did get to watch the movie on the Sony flatscreen I installed but after experiencing the Bose demo in the Bose store yesterday at the Mall, I now need to find a way to install my Bose sound system that was too big to bring in the RV that I refused to leave in storage (that was a long sentence).  We then picked up Cindi at the airport.  Yea! Mommy's back!

Well, I flew back Sunday but got stuck in all kind of weather delays.  My flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was cancelled and so was the earlier flight to Minneapolis.  There was only one more flight out that night.  I was lucky enough to get bumped up on the standby list (there were 86 people on standby) and because I fly a lot I got pushed to #3.  Finally, flying all the time paid off and got on the flight.  I didn't get back 'till after midnight but I was glad I didn't have to sleep in the airport.

We stayed the night at Walmart and then headed to the grocery store in the morning.  After groceries we drove to William Obrien State Park.  It is a nice place and we are very excited to be able to relax for a few days.  We sat and talked to Richard the camp host for quite some time.  He and his family were so nice and gave us many tips as to where to visit next.  One of the best things about this trip is all the wonderful people you meet along the way. 

Thought of the day:  Faith and God's love is the only way to make it through a terrible loss.  I honestly don't know how people that don't believe in the truth make it through such tough moments.

By the way,  the state park we are at does not have cell service so if you are trying to call us you are out of luck.  We are getting hardly any internet either.  It goes in and out and I am hoping this will post.  If you need usin an emergency send us a email and we will drive somewhere to connect with you.  We have pics for this post but they won't download due to lack of internet so we will add them later.

Tampa

I am in Tampa and Dave and the boys are in Minnesota.  I have been emotionally drained and have not had a chance to post.   I promise to post again on Monday.  Love you all!

Wisconsin

The last few days I have been working in Wisconsin helping to put on the Get Motivated Motivational Seminar.  It is great to be in a nice hotel for 3 nights again but I always have a hard time finding a moment to write during these days.  This show was particularly difficult.  My wonderful boss, and dear friend Marlo, headed to the airport when he found out that his wife Jheri (they live in Tampa, FL) rushed their 3 year old son to the ER.  Before he was able to board the plain he learned that his son had passed away.  This happened just a week after he had lost his mother to cancer.  My heart is completely broken for him and his entire family.  Marlo's faith has always been an inspiration to me. He is a man of God and lives his life as a testimony to his faith.  I know God has big plans for this family.  Their love for each other and for God will give them amazing strength.  

As you can imagine I (all of us) had a very difficult time getting through that show, but I also realized how blessed I am to work with such a great group of people.  We all held each other up and we gained strength from each other.  Dave and my boys even came down to the arena to help support the team.  I really do thank God for the many very special people he has put into my life.  I really am blessed.

So I guess I have very mixed feelings about Madison, Wisconsin.  It's a very pretty city with a lake right downtown.  It has a college town feel (University of Wisconsin) with a hint of class.  Although I did speak to the rudest lady I have ever met in Madison (we actually had to kick her out of the arena).  We had our RV TP'd which in a strange way made us feel really loved.  Maybe it was the, "We love the HustleBUS's" that was written on the window, or maybe it was the smiling faces of my entire team covered in toilet paper sitting on the seventh floor when the elevator doors opened.  Not sure, but it did help to lift my spirits in the mist of such a difficult day.  I don't think I ever want to return to Madison, WI but I am thankful that God is good even when things are bad.

After Madison we decided to drive toward Minneapolis, MN.  I have decided to catch a flight with my United Airline miles to go to Tampa on Friday and Minneapolis had the best flight options.  We stopped in Osseo, Wisconsin at this great spot called Stoney Creek RV Park.  This place is exactly what we needed after Madison.  It has a great pool, a full volleyball court, basketball court, mini golf course, cafe, arcade and even a skateboard park.  The kids had a blast until it started storming.  Actually, they have really enjoyed the storm as well.  At about 11pm we had our second fire department warning... they drove through the campground and on a loudspeaker warned of a severe storm warning.  They said to take shelter because the storm was getting worse.  I'm writing this with the thunder and lightning at their worse.  Good thing we have one of the larger "houses" on the block.

I also have to mention that Dave worked really hard today fixing things that needed fixing, handling things that needed handling, and paying things that needed paying.  Thanks Dave!

One last item of note... Thanks to our English side of the family we have our first International reply on the hulsebusfamilydream.blogspot.com!  Thanks for the comment Alastair (Dave's youthful, debonair, 007 uncle)!  We have our eyes pealed for an Alastair and a Clova sign.  Take good care of your house guests.  (FYI to the all readers... Pop and DeeDee are visiting all our family in England).

Here are some pics of the boys enjoying the campground:

Posts and name game

We will begin posting again tomorrow...So check back!  In the mean time here are some more of the names we have found along the way!  If you didn't read before, we have been playing a game in the RV to pass the time on long drives.  We find names of our family and friends and then all rush to grab the camera and snap a picture before we pass it.  We have passed quite a few, but have also found a lot.  If you do not see your name, don't give up.  We still have a long way and a lot of signs to go.