packing and bumming around

I arrived home from the Boundary Waters road Trip on Sunday evening and have yet to do anything very substantial in the whole prep for China deal-o. I did however make a packing list, which seems to have been a good idea, we'll see how much I end up adding to it over the coming days. As for the road trip, it was a lot of fun. On our way through Wisconsin, Jess and I decided that you can't drive through Wisconsin and not stop at a Cheese factory, so we found this one in Mauston and I bought some really good kurds and amazing Gouda! Both of which were devoured around a day into our stay at Wilderness Winds. Driving up on Thursday went okay, considering we had a minor detail just into our trip that added around an hour (called Abby forgetting her luggage) and then some heavy rains in northern Wisconsin. But I think it went pretty well considering I drove the entire way, and Jess made a fantastic navigator/driver supplier of water/etc. We finally pulled into camp to be met by a rather unofficial customs block and a strange man requesting our licenses and registration, and of course it only took Jess and I a little bit to demandingly inquire if this was Becca or Zeb's doing. The appearance of Becca shortly after pointed the finger towards Zeb. The strange man and Zeb's partner in crime was Nathan, a staff member, who on the plus side provided valet parking. Friday was spent helping out with various things around camp, and doing a lot of dishes! But it was nice to be there and to actually help out, even if in a very small way. Then on Saturday Zeb, Becca, Jess and I went into Ely, walking around, hitting up the library and various shops. We packed a lunch, but then for supper went to the Northern Grounds Cafe, quite the tradition and a wonderful meal. Then we went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I enjoyed a lot more than I had expected. There is nothing like going into a movie with rather low expectations and then enjoying it greatly. Johnny Depp was amazing, and also amazingly unattractive, an impressive feat for a man with his looks to pull off. :) Then on Sunday we left at the absurd hour of 5:30am for the drive back, which surprisingly enough was my idea. Not usually one to favor waking up early, I decided that the benefits of an early start out-weighed my wish to sleep. With another stop at the Cheese Factory in Mauston, we headed home, fairly uneventfully and I arrived home around 7:30pm after dropping the other three off.