Montgomery Bell State Park

We have spent so much of our summer working on the house, so last weekend we decided to take a little day trip to a nearby state park.

We canoed around the lake.  Harper got her first chance to help with the paddling.  She was so excited. 

The kids and Mitch were able to do a little fishing.

Then we went swimming in the designated swimming area.  It was the perfect way to spend the day.

This dragonfly was hanging out on the car antenna as we were getting ready to leave. I couldn't resist snapping a bunch of photos.

Canoeing the Elk River

On Saturday we decided to head to the Elk River for a day of canoeing and fishing. I brought the point and shoot along so I have photos to document the day even if the quality isn't the best.

It was overcast and there was a fog over the water. It made the river look very eery. All Miller wanted to do was fish for trout. The river is very cold and it is stocked with trout.

Mitch managed to catch one trout. He promised Miller that they could keep it and cook it up for dinner. He was very excited about eating a fish that they caught.

This is how Harper felt about it. She was so upset about the killing and eating of the fish. She declared she was becoming a vegetarian.

Fishing isn't really my thing, but I sure do enjoy the canoeing part. I just wish it had been a little warmer so that we could swim in that ice cold water.

Canoeing Adventure

We went on a little canoeing adventure yesterday. We decided to change it up a bit and canoe around a lake rather then down a river. That way we did not have to worry about where the car was going to be and where we would end up at the end of our trip. We envisioned nice calm water, some swimming, and fishing. The water was pretty choppy. At times it felt like we were in the ocean. The kids were pretty nervous about tipping, but we eventually found a nice cove and the water was calmer. We found a nice spot on an island and set up camp for the day.

We brought the point and shoot so the photos aren't the best quality. I am still adjusting to taking photos with it especially in the bright sun. Mitch took most of the shots though.

The kids each caught a fish.

Mitch caught a baby bass. It was a fiesty little guy.

Harper was hesitant to get in the water, but once she did she had a blast.

After much persuasion Miller joined in on the fun too.

He wouldn't let go of me though. He had a death grip around my neck. I had to convince him there were no sharks, alligators, or crocodiles in the lake, just fish (and maybe some snakes, but I didn't mention that...shhh.)

My arms are a little sore today from all that paddling, but not as sore as I thought they would be. We estimate that we paddled around a mile each way. We all slept well last night.