Father/Son Plane Camping

Well, Quinn went up in the airplane for the first time, on a camping trip with Dad.  They flew into Grand Marais, and the weather was perfect.  Apparently, it was quite the "guys weekend", with taboo activities like shooting a .22 and using a knife for whittling.  You know - those things that the overprotective Mommy doesn't like her 9 year old doing.  And yes, I have to do a little "I told you so".... Quinn did cut his finger with that knife.  Not all the way off, but it is a pretty deep cut.  I'm just not up to taking him in for stitches unless I absolutely HAVE to, so I cleaned and bandaged it really well and we'll all just hope for the best.    Good mom.  I know.  SHEESH.  Dad just says "Hey - it wasn't a gunshot wound, so he's fine."

Apparently, the first night they were there, Quinn was in the tent sleeping, and Dad was wandering the runway in the moonlight, when he got a distinct sensation of  being watched.    That feeling of being watched turned in to a feeling of being stalked, and Rob was getting more than a tad freaked out.  Dad and son, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night.  Talk about sitting ducks.  Great.  The .22 was in the tent with his sleeping son - it wasn't of any use at the moment.  There was definitely SOMEONE at the edge of the runway - he could see a silhouette as it passed in front of the moon's reflection.  Well, long dramatic story short, it appears that Rob WAS being stalked... by a US Border Patrol agent with an automatic weapon and night vision goggles.  Rob was in the cross-hairs for a good long while before the Border Patrol agent made himself known.    Comforting, eh?  See - this was a remote strip that hardly ever got any traffic, and when the border patrol agent saw a plane fly in, he had suspicions of drug-running, so went to investigate.  Quinn, who woke up when he heard the two men talking,  had the situation all worked out in his head... Dad being attacked outside by a madman with a gun, Quinn coming to rescue with the .22 (even though he reportedly can't hit a can from 10 feet away with said gun).  Regardless, it makes for a good story, and I have a feeling that Quinn won't forget THIS camping trip any time soon.

Father and son fished, hiked, read books, went target shooting, whittled (slicing finger, see above), and ate like kings for 2 days.  There was reportedly a plague of grasshoppers of Biblical proportions that ate through the tent, but other that that, I'd say the trip was a success!!