Divine Beaver Sighting and Skeeter Syndrome: Our first few days

Bearhead State Park near Ely, Minnesota was our first camping experience with both kids.  We spent the day canoeing, skipping rocks and getting eaten by gigantic mosquitoes.  Our main objective was to find a beaver dam and, hopefully, spot a beaver.  After a friendly inquiry at the Ranger Station we were hopeful that a beaver sighting might be in our future.  This was Milo's only desire on this gigantic trip and, frankly, Mark and  I were both a little concerned that we'd break his little heart if we didn't find one.  It didn't seem like an easy task but with a little persistence and extroversion (something neither of us are all that good at) we were able to meet TWO beavers.  This involved leaving for our second canoe trip of the day at dusk.  Both kids were crazy excited to head back to the beaver dam.  I, for one, had no hope that we could keep Odelia quiet for any length of time.  I was wrong.  She was quiet as a mouse for over a half hour, waiting.  In the end, we saw the first major sighting about 10 yards ahead of us.  He was swimming and as he went under the water he gave his tail a big flap.  Awesome, right?  The second one was nothing short of a 4-year-old's dream come true.  We were about 1/4 mile away from the dock when Milo and I spotted another one swimming right towards us (he was swimming into the sun).  He came so close to our canoe that both Milo and I got splashed by his big tail.  We all cheered and Milo spent the next 24 hours telling us every fact he could think of about Beavers.  His favorite being that beavers don't just flap their tails to keep enemies away (us) but also to warn their friends to stay away.  It was one of those moments I'll remember for the rest of my life.  He was so excited and both Mark and I relished the simplicity of the moment.  

Both kids were troopers, learning the ropes of camping and outdoor living.  Unfortunately, Odelia had several unfortunate meetings with mosquitoes before we left Wausau and just as we arrived in Ely.  She looks like a prize-fighter as her eye was swollen shut for the day from some freakish reaction to the mosquitoes.  She spent the later part of last week with a blistery, swollen, oozing ankle from a different mosquito bite.  We've already gone through a 1/2 bottle of bug spray.  It seems to be doing the trick but when even one sneaks a taste of her she ends up looking like Mike Tyson.  Man, that girl is tough.  My mom has informed me that this type of allergy has a name, Skeeter Syndrome.  No kidding.  

Milo requested a schedule for the day.  Always workin'.

The Beaver Dam

Two turtles

I'm telling her something very important, I'm sure.

Canoe: $20 well spent

This is what I've been dreaming of doing for months.

Our first hike.  Turns out that 2-year-olds haven't mastered the art of rocky terrain quite yet.

Yee Haw, Cowboy

To the lake for some more rock throwing

Milo also requested a written list of our destinations so he could "check them off after we do them and we should start with Rice Lake so I can check that off already".  I've created a monster!

An amazing start to our trip

Prize-fighter or Skeeter Syndrome Sufferer?