Rob and Emily Raleigh

This weekend we had our annual fall camping trip at Merrick State Park in Wisconsin. Though it was past the peak fall colors, there was still enough to make it a pretty drive. A little wind Friday night blew the clouds away, and Saturday it was sunny with temperatures warm enough for shorts, which never happens on these trips.

We were without a few key group members this year as Jon and Kim and Mike were all out of town. It wasn't the same without them, but we had a few extra people along bringing the group count to 16. It was Rob, me, Matt, Chad, Leah, Joe, "Other Chad" (or Chad Too, Chad Two, Roommate Chad- he had several nicknames to try to avoid the confusion of sharing a name with another), Tim, Mer, Sarah, Pat, Naomi, Ryan, Angie, Ira, and Adam. Biggins was there again, and his BFF for the weekend was the little newcomer Miles, Tim and Meredith's dog.

Aside from the warmer temps bringing in a host of flies, a few deer ticks found on the dogs, and the giant spider in our tent that almost ate us for breakfast, camping was really no different than in years past. People trickled in to the campground little by little on Friday, with Naomi and Ryan pulling in last after a long drive from Duluth. There were the late night campfires, big group meals, bocce and bean bags, a lovely hike around the park and a carefully constructed group photo Sunday morning.