This morning, Kasey mentioned wanting to go to his grandson Cade’s third birthday party over in Pine City, about an hour away. Since we had one more night booked at the campground, it presented a bit of a dilemma. Without a towed car, our mobility is limited, and driving the motorhome back and forth gets more expensive by the day. Fortunately, Cece graciously offered him her car for the trip. After breakfast, Kasey hopped in and hit the road for Pine City.
I stayed behind at camp with Tad and Cece, and the three of us set off on a three-mile hike. We didn't pass a single person the entire time. The wide, quiet trails were perfect for walking side by side, and we soaked in the crisp autumn weather while Tad reveled in the freedom, joyfully sprinting ahead and back. Cece and I passed the time identifying tree species and admiring the incredible variety of wild fungi. The leaves are just beginning to turn, with vibrant red sugar maple foliage dotting the forest floor and thousands of red oak acorns blanketing patches of the trail. An hour later, we were back at camp.
Being Sunday, many of the campers were packing up and heading home. I took my bike for a quick loop around the newly vacant spots to see if anyone had left behind any unburned firewood. Between Cece and me, we both love a good campfire, but we were down to our last two logs from the five bundles we started with yesterday, so we were trying to conserve every bit until Kasey returned. To our disappointment, none of our departing neighbors had left any wood behind.
Cece settled in to read a book, so I grabbed mine as well. But Cece is pure high energy and after about two minutes, she was back on her feet, puttering around, telling stories, and sharing how much she was enjoying the trip. Before long, I talked her into taking Kasey’s bike for a spin. We lowered the seat, I gave her a quick rundown on the controls, and off we went. She had an absolute blast! By the end of the ride, she was completely sold on getting an electric bike of her own although she would perhaps get one a little lighter than ours.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing around the fire ring waiting for Kasey. Cece got busy preparing a burrito dinner to use up her groceries before her upcoming move to Ecuador once her paperwork clears. She whipped up fresh salsa and made corn tortillas from scratch, while I pulled out the rest of our supplies:a can of black beans, fresh cilantro, guacamole, bell peppers, and chipotle spice.
When Kasey finally returned with a fresh stack of firewood, we stoked the fire, swapped stories about his trip to the party, and enjoyed a delicious feast of homemade burritos.
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