"June 6, 1980"

Yesterday was gloomy and we sat about reading, or whatever, all day. It’s been windy at night, and there were threatening clouds yesterday, but we only received a few drops of very uncommitted rain.

Today, the sun peeked out finally and we had another beautiful day. It was a little warmer, but that might be due to traveling away from the Lake.

About ten o’clock this morning, we stopped at a wayside near L’Anse, on the Sturgeon River, where there was a trail to the Canyon Falls and Rapids. It was spectacular!

The water went rushing between the steep rock gorges. The dark water tumbled and leapt over oddly jutting rocks, smashed into sheer walls, and turned into orange-colored foam when trapped between rocks or by its own swirling currents. We crawled and slipped along the rocks and cliffs, clinging to cedar trees as we traveled along the river’s high bank.

We eventually had to leave, though, and arrived here, at Bewabic State Park around lunchtime. This afternoon we played Frisbee and sat in the warm sunshine.

I really can’t believe that we’ve had no rain all week. For once we’ve gotten very lucky. There also hasn’t been any major difficulties with the truck, tent or with anything else.

Life out here away from it all is so simple. We can do what we want, when we want and how we want. I just want to be young and carefree, foolish and full of life, happy and only concerned with staying happy. This noon, we bought a large bag of cookies, Hydrox sandwich cookies, and ate them by dipping them in peanut butter. At present there are only two left.

We arrived home the next day without incident. It was the first of many such idyllic camping trips in the 1980s and 1990s.

After we arrived home from

that first trip.