Outdoor Fun!

Outdoor Fun!

The kids inside the Chippewa National Forest chalet at Shingobee Hill on Saturday, January 14.  Pictured (l to r) in front: Cherylann Watkins and Aliva Olson. Back: Abigail, Nikolai and Marcus Olson.

By Allan Olson
Finally, a break in the winter weather! There were no impending snowstorms and no sub-zero temperatures over the weekend, and we made good use of great conditions.
Saturday was the busy day of the weekend; Sunday was a lazy day. 
On Saturday morning, Nikolai and I attended a free movie in Bemidji about the OshKosh Airshow, and afterwards we met up with the rest of the party. Our destination and plans were to go sledding at Shingobee.
The first time I had ever explored Shingobee Hill was this past fall. It was a struggle for these out-of-shape legs to get up the hill then, and I knew it wasn’t going to be any easier in the winter. I had barely gotten to the top of the hill and kids were already taking off on their sleds for the bottom. Abigail chose the wrong path and didn’t get very far, veering off into an area that had yet to be packed down. My niece and Alivia shared the maiden voyage on a new sled, and after I saw them go airborne off a mogul I knew I wasn’t going down that path.
Alivia struggled to get back up the hill with her short little legs, and when she finally reached the top she said she wouldn’t go again. When my niece got up to the top, she also said she wouldn’t go again, because she hit her head on the bump they went flying over. Nikolai went down the hill a few times, as did Abigail and Marcus. Alivia went down the giant slope one more time before calling it quits (again), along with a friend of the girls who had to be coaxed down the hill a third time just to get hot chocolate in the chalet.
I finally made my voyage down the hill, but I was very careful about where I went to make sure I avoided the bump that sent so many others flying. It was certainly a fun ride, but one I wasn’t anxious to repeat, even if I managed to get all the way down the hill without flipping over.
I convinced the kids to go over to the chalet for some hot chocolate and to warm up a bit. They were also able to try their hand (feet?) at snowshoeing around the chalet. A couple of them really liked it, but the rest – not so much.
After a few hours of outdoor winter fun, we headed for home, for some warmth and food. I had plans of watching a movie with the kids, but they weren’t really interested so I headed off to my room for a nap instead, which proved to be a better choice for me in the end. The kids did their things and I did mine – it all worked out.
On Sunday, I slept in until about 8:30 a.m. but didn’t leave the room until closer to 10:00 to make breakfast for everyone. Sunday is usually my day to make breakfast, but since my wife is on her annual winter fishing trip this week, I couldn’t even convince her to make it this time. After breakfast I found that I was still really tired and a short time later I was enjoying another nap while Nikolai watched television in my room.
That afternoon I was trying to get motivated to go outside and to get Nikolai and Abi outside, since the other two spent most of the afternoon out there. I finally unplugged the internet, which caused some confusion, but ultimately did shift the other two outside. I went out to empty garbage, but didn’t stay outside near as long as I should have.
It was nice to be finally experience some warm temperatures outside; it makes me look forward to more spring-like conditions. Thankfully, spring is only 57 days away. Alas, we still have the short, cold month of February to get through before we can really get serious about warmer weather.
I know we weren’t the only ones enjoying the great outdoors last weekend. It looks like the milder weather will carry through the rest of this week, so perhaps I can go geocaching this coming weekend, although the deep snow certainly hinders that sport.

Please remember to watch out for the buses that are carrying our most precious cargo. Also snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.

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