the last of the summer camp outs

We spent a few days this past week camping near Duluth. The weather was kind of iffy, alternating between sun and rain, warm and cool. We got to see the Tall Ships come in and that giant duck everyone was talking about, from the air conditioned comfort and elevated vantage point of the Great Lakes Aquarium, one of our favorite stops.

We visited Jay Cooke State Park and went on the famous swinging bridge, caught crayfish in the shallows, and marveled at the view.

On one particularly cool and sprinkly day we went to Moose Lake in search of agates. After procuring a map of public picking areas, we headed out. Shoes wet with red clay, we climbed the walls of old quarries, and slid down hills of sand, picking at rocks of all kinds. Since agates are in abundance in our very own driveway, I found myself more entranced with the other rocks to be had in this landscape. Of course a few stones came home to be felted, but there are other stones that I chose for their inclusions, colors, weird shapes, and shine.

I think it would be amazing to take a rock-picking trip with someone who knew what all of these rocks are, and how they're formed. Most of that is a mystery to me, one I try to solve with books and Google afterwards.

This will be the last trip before the kids return to school and our weekday trips will come to an end. We've had a full and especially adventurous summer and I'm a little sad to see it go. Even if I'm not feeling the same about the mosquitoes and heat.

I'll tell you though, my favorite season is coming and I can already feel my energy lifting. Maybe you're feeling it too?