MEA weekend - Cabin Getaway {Savanna Portage & Crow Wing State Parks}

Well look at that! I am CAUGHT up with my blog. This only happens like twice a year :-) But when it does it gives me hope that I'm doing what I can to document life, share with the distant grand parents, and well I enjoy going back through photos. I also clean off my phone of photos after I blog so it's a house keeping - mind declutter act as well :-) Maybe the kids will go back and read through the thousands of blog posts, haha. They do come in handy when something comes up and we want to look back through. Like just this weekend we weren't sure if we'd been to Crow Wing State Park before or not, I searched the blog and we didn't see it so we hoped it wasn't a repeat. 

Anyway, okay a few years ago, well when we came back from living in Kansas we started a transition of cabin camping over MEA break. MEA break is a Minnesota thing that stands for Minnesota Education Association. It's a weekend conference for Minnesota Educators... however some attend workshops, others get the days off... not quite sure. But it's a much enjoyed break a few months into school and before the holiday chaos. Some schools are out Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but our school is just out Thursday and Friday. I work every Wednesday so it worked out that we didn't head up north until after we got the kids from school Wednesday evening. In years past we went really RUSTIC cabin camping in Michigan in the U.P. 2022. So the thing with cabin camping is in Minnesota the state parks do not allow dogs in the cabins.... so this year - we still had Harpo so I looked elsewhere and found that Michigan allows dogs. They had a big snow dump just before we arrived. Our cabin had a wood stove but no electricity or running water. It was actually super fun, go check out the blog amazing drone photos of the UP (upper peninsula). In 2023 we didn't have a dog at that time. Harpo had passed the previous March and we hadn't yet got Oakley so we were able to experience two different cabins in Minnesota State Parks. We stayed at Big Bog which is WAY up northern Minnesota near Red Lake (gorgeous!) and a night at Lake Bemiji State Park - where Thomas broke his arm just moments before we started our drive home (good timing). Last year was a little pause in the tradition and we went to Kansas City to see grandparents. We were excited to pick it back up this year and since we had Oakley we opted to rent a cabin (house) through AirBnB and try to hit a couple state parks as day trips. 

This cabin was less than two hours north, just west of the big lake of Mille Lacs ("mill-axs"). We arrived after dark on Wednesday so didn't get to see the pretty trees, but did get to explore the fun cabin! 

The boys slept in the loft area (sleeps a total of 6 just up there)

Kyle and I had a bedroom downstairs and the girls had a bedroom each with their own bed in a bedroom next to ours. We had two bathrooms which is GREAT for our family - with two showers. There was also a game room above the detached garage that we checked out the next day. 

We had Oakley sleep in his crate, which he whined about the whole first night. While the cabin was pet friendly they did ask that dogs not get on furniture or beds and carpeted areas = upstairs. 

The next morning Thomas was up about 5:30, which meant so was I... so why not start playing games bright and early. Well not bright because the sun wasn't even up yet. 

Once the sun was up we got to see the beautiful view!

screened in porch facing the lake

Game room above the garage

Drone view:

This cabin was on Smith Lake. You can see Mille Lacs off in the distance in this photo:

Catch in the yard. Oakley LOVED running as fast as he could. 

LOTS of games! and movies! Thursday we did not even leave the cabin. 

Friday breakfast was monkey bread - re-invented in cookware they had. Kids devoured it.

Then we set off on an hour drive farther north to Savanna Portage State Park to hit the hiking club trail. We always try to guess what the password is before we hit it - mid trail. And if someone guesses it then we get Dairy Queen! No correct guesses this time... although it was kinda obvious. 

The weather was perfect. Although cloudy it was about sixty degrees. And while the trees were probably past prime colors, they were still gorgeous! 

We went out to eat at Zorbas after this hike. We'd eaten at a Zorbas before and swore we'd never go again but it wasn't as bad this time. This restaurant replaces all their S's with Z's... Mary said "I couldn't read right for a week after we went to that place last time" LOL. 

Back at the cabin for relaxing. Oakley working on his HUGE birthday bone. 

Saturday we took another short drive, just thirty minutes this time further west to Crow Wing State Park. We packed a lunch this time and ate before the short hike. 

This park was at the point where the Crow Wing River met up with the Mississippi River. 

Pretty fall colors. 

This time Kyle did guess the password so we stopped in Brainard for some DQ before heading back to the cabin. 

Thomas taking some photos while I cut up apples for Carmel apple dessert. 

And Sunday we headed back home.