The mosquitoes are here, not as bad as the place we left behind. Still enough that I don’t want to deal with them. I set up the tent sans rain fly. We are deep into a forest next to a lake, one of many in northeast Minnesota. I slept well in the cool air. Sometime in the darkness, I covered myself with a sleeping bag.
It is light. I stare into the white sky framed with green branches. The white slowly turns blue. The noise of the occupied sites signals people are up. I lay a bit longer. The camper door opens. Tiny foot steps are now on the ground coming my way. It is Moe pulling Nancy in my direction. He tries pushing his way inside, but this tent resists unlike the screen tent. I unzip and join the two in the soon-to-be hot air.
Afternoon slipped in. We take Moe for a walk to the lake.
I don’t have the desire to ride my bike on the park roads; there are no showers to clean off the sweat and grime. Going to bed icky and sticky would not be pleasant.
I am bored from not riding, which is mostly due to the distance I would need to cover to get to the campgrounds in time to be in sync with Nancy’s schedule. And, the roads have mostly been highways, some with shoulders, that have rumble strips where I would need to ride. Others, no shoulders.
What would be more appropriate than tasting a great beer from HammerHeart Brewing Company, located a few miles away in Ely?
Today is slipping into tomorrow.
