August 22, 2011 – After five consecutive training camps… it was time to unwind a bit and recharge the battery! And what better way to do that than spending time with my family? When I got off the plane from Alaska, I jumped right into the car and drove up for a week at my Grandparent’s cabin on Lake Superior. I love spending time up in Thunder Bay, and it was great to see my extended family.
Ever since I can remember, it’s pretty much the rule at the cabin that at least once a summer, you go to the quarry and do a little cliff jumping. I think jumping in is the easy part though – climbing back out’s much harder when you’re freezing your butt off and there’s big waves!
There were a number of day trips to go out fishing, but I don’t really have the patience to sit still in a boat. I prefer to spend my time on the water in a kayak or swimming. Lucky for me, my Dad and Nana brought back results!
I think one of the best things about being on the lake is taking saunas at night. We’d heat it up and pour water on the rocks until the water in the basin next to the stove was boiling and you could barely breathe. Then we’d sprint headlong into the lake. Sadly, it’s super shallow for a couple hundred yards so we’d run for a while before the water finally caught us around the knees and brought us crashing down. Lake Superior’s so cold that it is absolutely perfect after a sauna.
We also brought out the waterskis, but didn’t have a super strong motor on the boat. So getting up was a bit of a challenge. In the end, it was easier to get out a boogie board and kneel on it, and wakeboard instead! For some reason, I have a little problem of not being able to let go of the rope when I fall, so there were also some good crash-and-drag sessions.
When I got home, it was super weird to have so much quiet time without a house full of skiers! But it was also great to get to spend some time with my family and friends back home. However, I haven’t put in too much down time yet…but maybe that’s a good thing. Just chilling out on the couch is something I’m not too great at.
I got to jump in with the Stillwater skiers during their annual Super Ski – a 25/50km tour around Afton. It was great to see so many high school kids training during the summer! I’ve been putting in some good hours working at my Mom’s store, which I love since I get to assemble furniture, re-arrange displays and load people’s trucks. I had a good time doing a Ski walking and Bounding clinic down in Northfield, MN. I got to meet skiers from the area, and Gus came down to help me coach.
I was able to be home for my little sister’s 15th birthday, and took on the challenge of making her an absolutely monsterous cake. You know how you’re supposed to try to blow all the candles out in one go? That definitely wasn’t possible here.
And then, since it’s been a while since I’ve taken a really good digger on my rollerskis and I was starting to miss the look of road rash, I took a great pole plant this morning. Just because I wanted to, you understand. Not because it was an accident, or anything…
My next camp is with CXC back at Telemark in early September. And since I’m getting a big break in between camps, I’ll be ready and excited to zip over to Wisconsin! Till then, I’ll be enjoying time at home and making sure the roads in Afton remember me.