Tanned and Sore

I got back from my 5-day kayaking/camping trip on the Apostle Islands. It was a blast. We were on alert for black bears but unfortunately (or fortunately) we didn't encounter any. 5 days without running water or electricity. 5 days without internet, phone signal or even a watch. Each day started around 7am and I was usually the last one to get up. (Actually I didn't know what time I woke up, I went to bed or when I did anything. The sun definitely was my guide.) Breakfast, morning paddling, lunch, afternoon paddling, dinner (the best meal especially after a day of paddling), weird stories around the picnic table, and back to the tents for a good night sleep. We saw amazing sea caves, 3 shipwrecks and even my first bald eagle. Plus, attacked by mosquitoes (my experience in Taiwan taught me to always wear long pants), got sunburned, followed by spiders, been spooked by other nearby campers, ate thimbleberries that we found along the trail, lost my tiger balm that I bought for my sore arms, and got soaked by the sudden downpour right after a dinner. It was amazing to see how we could fit two days worth of gear and food for 14 people in six kayaks when we paddled to the outer islands for our overnight trips. I love being so near the water, especially the open waters. The trip affirmed my passion for water. In my previous life, I must have been a daughter of Neptune.

The Wilderness Inquiry people are awesome, and so are the other campers. I met a woman who was visually impaired but who is physically active. She even does competitive cross-country skiing. Among the group there were 3 school teachers (including my two tent-mates), a psychologist, a NWA flight attendant, and 3 boys.

I also spent 3 days in Twin Cities before and after my Apostle trip, visiting the Mall of America (boy, isn't it huge) and Lake Como (the place where I learned to walk 25 years ago). Learned how to fly an F-18 (but couldn't land it on a carrier, only on land) and had dinner at a Bubba Gump (remember Forrest Gump?) restaurant.

A great pre-MBA vacation. Only if it was longer. I got less than a month before I fly to Barcelona. Still got many other things on my to-do list. What's next?