A Quick Trip

We arrived home after a trip that covered lots of miles in a short time. Basically we visited friends in Rochester, went to a grandson’s birthday in Missouri, went to some classes for outfitters in northern Florida, spent a couple night in Cedar Key north of Tampa, went back to Missouri and then up to Minneapolis (grandkids) before driving home. On the way we picked up a truck load of hickory for smoking, a bunch of small lockers for the zip line administration building and 250 smoked pork chops for the dining room. We were so loaded that people were pointing at us.

We took some classes on social media during the trip. Needless to say, Bruce and I have a lot of catching up to do. As soon as we think we got it down, something new comes up. We also learned a lot just talking to the other outfitters who were there. We are all different and yet all the same. Being a small business person is about learning forever.

In Florida Bruce and I took our first zip line tour. That’s me in the picture. The only reason it’s not Bruce is because he got the camera first. I made it just fine but that first zip was breathtaking and I had to think a bit before stepping off. Bruce, of course, just takes off. I was glad that my first zip was not in front of my staff.

Another highlight of our trip was a visit to the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge near Cedar Key. We took a couple of hikes and saw different trees that we have. For me the most interesting was a visit to a mound of oyster shells. Scientists saw that native peoples have been shelling oysters there for 6500 years. I could believe it looking at the mound. It is covered with vegetation but immediately below the surface are oyster shells. We also managed to find some good seafood. In fact speaking of oysters, Bruce downed a dozen fresh oysters as an appetizer one night. It is not for me.

Sheryl has a friend stopping off to see her. John McCarthy is from St. Paul. He just finished spending three nights and four days cross country skiing from Snowbank Lake (Ely) to Round Lake. Except for a few tracks at the beginning, he saw no people and no ski tracks during the trip. I didn’t ask how long the trip was but it must have been about 40 miles. That is a long ski trip to take alone with no roads or help nearby. Congratulations, John!

There was another deer kill on the lake this morning. All our wolves must be eating well. By noon almost every scrap of food and bone is gone. Even the birds are having a hard time finding something to eat. I don’t feel like any one animal has priority over another and this is just part of life in the woods.