Summer 2024: Days 64-72

Normally -- at least I think normally -- when I'm blogging summer and on vacation, I am good at updating every day on the trip. In 2024, that hasn't been the case so much ...

Benji and I have been in the Midwest for more than a week, but this is the first recap of the trip, and I'm trying to squeeze nine days of stuff into one post. Take a deep breath and follow along with me:

  • We arrived on a Friday via Allegiant through Provo, and the flight was delayed after a computer on the plane was getting an error message. My dad picked us up from Midway, and through a lot of traffic we made it to SuperDawg. I was exhausted (I didn't sleep well the night before) and took too long a nap, but woke up and took Ben to Barnaby's for thin-crust pizza.
  • Drove to Three Lakes to visit Lori's family, stopped Kopp's along the way (a lot of could-have-been-healthier eating will highlight this trip). Ben and I waded into Maple Lake -- damn those little fish, they freak me out when I just want to wade peaceably -- and went to dinner at Lumpy's afterward.
  • Visited more family in Merrill, ate a lot of food again. Drove back to Three Lakes, and Ben and I saw "Twisters:" in Eagle River.
  • Our Monday was rainy in the North Woods, but Ben and I went bowling and mini golfing, then saw "Inside Out 2" in Eagle River.
  • Ben and his cousin canoed on a peaceful lake near Merrill, and we drove back to Chicago. I managed to change our flight cheaply, giving us a few extra days of vacation to enjoy.
  • Ben, Susy, and Bryant enjoyed a treetop zipline adventure while my Dad and I watched and took pictures. Lunch was SuperDawg (I got a burger, you'll understand why soon) and I was mellow the rest of the day while Ben went for a bike ride.
  • Ben and I went to Galloping Ghost arcade, 885 games, and it was amazing. Three hours passed really quickly -- we need to time this better next time now that we know what to expect -- and we slogged our way back home through Chicago traffic. We met a co-worker for SuperDawg, and I'm officially SuperDawg-ed out for the trip (but it was yummy).
  • Mellower day -- Ben and I went to some video game stores and a dice store, got lunch at Nick's. I picked up Lou Malnati's for all of us for dinner.
  • The heat ratcheted up, so Ben and I went to a pool in Skokie and rode the water slide many times. It felt great. In the evening, we all went to a Chicago Dogs minor-league baseball game in Rosemont.

And that brings us to Sunday, the last full day of the trip before we fly back tomorrow. I'm ready to be home but also don't want the adventure to end. This has been an enjoyable trip, always nourishing, and and great to spend time with Ben before he starts college. Plus, there's only about a month left in summer.

That doesn't mean I shouldn't enjoy today. And who knows, maybe the flight will be canceled ...

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