I am back. Both to the blog and to civilization. This weekend I went to one of the more remote places left in the lower 48 states: Porcupine Mountains State Park on the shores of Lake Superior. This is one of two annual trips up there with my dad, sometimes my brother, and our friends. The winter trip is a guys only affair, but women and girls can come in the summer, though most of the candidates opt out. Both trips involve relaxation and good times off the grid. Neither are true backpacking adventures since we rent rustic cabins, but it’s about as much roughing it we get for the year. We spend a few days with no electricity or running water, just hanging out and having a good time. I was looking forward to seeing lots of snow and being able to use the snowshoes I got for Christmas, but even up there the snow was pathetic and I was faced with trekking it through the woods in my Bean Boots. Leon Leonwood Bean was a genius for coming up with these boots. They are American icons and are the favored footwear in my closet anytime it is damp in winter, spring, or fall. I know some people even wear them with shorts in the summer, though I am not that adventurous. I received numerous comments on how goofy they supposedly look this weekend, but I know my feet were dry and comfortable in any condition they faced. Even with the lack of snow, it was as always, a great feeling unplugging from my phone, email, Facebook, and yes, this blog. It would be downright impossible for many people,but I think that everyone should take a chance to escape from technology for at least one day a year. It lets your mind slow down for a bit, because pretty much anything you want to get done has to wait until you get a connection back to the 21st century.
After my escape from modern conveniences, I came back to find that Alyssa was roughing it here as well. With the cold weather last week, the water line in our basement froze sometime Friday between when I left and she got back. Lucky for us, the pipe didn’t burst, but Alyssa was without water for a couple of days. She managed to survive though by spending a lot of time at her parents. Her dad got the water going right before I got home so I didn’t have to put my handyman skills to the test. Needless to say, her and Ellie were excited for me to come home. Alyssa will probably agree when I say I think Ellie was more excited to see me though. She is still not used to being home with Alyssa when I am gone.
After all my complaining about a lack of snow, things sure did change today. We got hit with quite a bit of snow this morning and Alyssa took the day off to keep from having to drive in the ice that came first. My Bean Boots got a workout again today keeping me dry as I went to work and also shoveling the driveway tonight. After finally getting snow, Alyssa, Spring Dog, and I got to use our snowshoes this evening. Ellie loved the snow and wore herself right out. She is curled on on the couch next to me sound asleep as I type this.
Check out this great article about Bean Boots and their growing status as a Made in America Icon.
Related articles
- Hot footwear must-have: L.L. Bean boots (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Spring Dog This! 