A Trip to Remember

A Trip to Remember

By Allan Olson

In terms of crazy weeks – this last week takes the cake, hands down. Over the course of the last few months, my two third graders and their classmates have been selling raffle tickets to raise money to go on a field trip to the Minnesota State Capitol, Governor’s Mansion, Minnesota History Center, Sea Life – Mall of America, and the Science Museum of MN. The kids reached their fundraising goal, and my wife and I were asked to go along on the trip as chaperones. I was hesitant at first; I could stay back at home with our other two kids and not have to spend two days on the road with a busload of kids and sleep on the floor, but in the end I chose the adventure.

We arranged for my wife’s mom to come stay with Nikolai and Alivia, making sure they got to and from school, and ate something other than Ramen noodles or burritos. We headed to school on Tuesday morning with bags packed, sleeping bags, and two cameras charged and ready to go. Once there it was just a matter of waiting to load prior to the departure.

Shortly before we left, I was given a slip of paper with three boys’ names on it – they were the three kids I was responsible for the entire trip. As it turned out, one young fellow was out sick, so I ended up only chaperoning two kids – my son Marcus and his classmate Keon.  

Capitol Hill

While many people get an opportunity to visit the State Capitol at some time during their school years, I had never set foot inside the building. After some parking confusion because of all the construction going on there, we found a spot for buses and walked a couple blocks to where we were met by our local Representative, John Persell. He took us on a guided tour of the areas still open to the public during the construction. While I don’t profess any aspirations to play in that political arena, it was pretty neat to see where all the business of state government is done, and someday I wouldn’t mind watching the action unfold as it happens.

Governor’s Mansion

At the Governor’s Mansion, we found a very nicely kept house with lots of glamour and beauty. That’s not for me, but the kids were all enamored with the size and glitz, and our hosts were very pleasant and knowledgeable. The entire tour took about 20 minutes, and we were on our way again.

MN History Center

Our last stop before heading to our sleeping quarters was the Minnesota History Center. There we were able to see and learn many things about Minnesota’s history, including games, toys, household items, automobiles and storms. Some of the things on display even made me feel old, as I had to show my son how to use a rotary phone, and remembered some of the toys on display as ones I had used – such as yard jarts, Big Wheels Tricycle, a Schwinn Bike similar to one I had ridden as a child, and many other neat toys of the past. This place is definitely going to be on my “need to visit again” list, and hopefully we will have more time to look closer at all the exhibits.

Sea Life Aquarium - MOA

Our sleeping arrangements for the evening were at Sea Life Aquarium – Mall of America. We arrived there as they closed to the public for the day, so we had the whole place to ourselves. We got a few strange looks as we marched into the mall – there were 84 of us carrying backpacks, sleeping bags, suitcases, blankets, pillows and a mix of other items to get us through the night. The best part was that every kid carried their weight and some even more, as some kids needed help, and others stepped up to help them.

Our overnight experience included a pizza party, a dance party, touring the entire aquarium, even a behind-the-scenes tour during which we weren’t allowed to take pictures. We saw sharks, exotic fish, turtles and sturgeon, and we had a special visit from Santa Claus and an elf that took the time to scuba dive and feed the sturgeons. That evening we finally settled down somewhere around 11 p.m. Our group was divided into sleeping with the sharks, jellyfish or sea horses. Since Marcus and Keon both wanted to sleep with the sharks, and it just so happened that Abigail and my wife were in that area, too, we ended up resting our heads together in that vicinity.

Science Museum

This happened to be the only place of all the places we toured that I had ever visited prior to this trip, and by the time we got there, the only thing I cared about was if they had a coffee shop inside. As it turns out, they did. It didn’t take me long to get in line for a nice cup of steaming Turtle Mocha; M-mm! it was good, and helped wake me up and keep me going through the movie about butterflies that we took in at the Omni Theater. After the movie, we bought some items from the gift shop, then moved on to explore the rest of the building. There was much to see and so little time – it was all great fun.

Back Home

The ride back to Cass Lake was much quieter than the ride down, and when we finally arrived at our home, it was great to sit down and eat a nice home-cooked meal again. That evening it was time to crash, although I didn’t get to bed as quick as I thought I would, as I spent a couple hours looking at photos from our trip. While I was thankful to be home that evening, I was also thankful that I had the opportunity to go with these students on their amazing journey.

Please be safe while enjoying your favorite outdoor recreational activity, and on the lakes, and remember to take pictures to preserve a lifetime of memories. Remember to drive safely, and watch out for those buses carrying our children. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! For more of my columns visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com.