Friday OT2: Sturgis

8 of us guys who lived on the same dorm floor from '77-'81, meet to camp at Ledges and golf in Boone. We camped one night during Veisha for 4 years (no tents, just sleeping bags), and when we had our 10 year reunion, we camped, and have been doing ever since. What used to be a one night campout has grown to 3 to 4 nights.
 
Minus 2020 I either follow the Basketball team to a tournament or go out of country, sometimes both. I go ice fishing with the majority of the men in the family of a Lake of the Woods in Northern Minnesota every February. And I have started a habit of going to Vegas the week before Christmas before I visit family.
 
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That's a Bob Ross painting.

That's a similar look to a spot I stayed at that's a friend's family's place. Just one cottage on its own land and a small lake.

Used to go up every Labor Day weekend with a bunch of friends for an annual drunkfest and they let me stay there on my own a few times. Great home base to go out adventuring.
That picture is across the lake from the beach area. There was a massive sand deposit there and one winter he bulldozed a bunch of sand over to the lake and onto the ice. In the spring when it melted he had an instant beach with about 30 feet of sand covered bottom.
 
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Take 'em with.
Our pups are definitely not world travelers. They start shaking whenever we get into the car (mostly the groomers and the vet, so that's partly our fault). I just can't imagine the stress they'd have in travel, and then in staying in a strange place while we were in and out all day. If we do travel, we usually have the mother-in-law come stay at our house with them.
 
We, as a family, have been going to Pawleys Island, SC (or nearby) every year for probably the last 25 yrs.

It's interesting looking back as it grew from being a 6-8 person trip to the 19 person circus it currently is. We've hit all the different family group scenarios: Just my parents and us (as) kids, the slow inclusion of significant others turned spouses, the couple of years where we were all legal adults but no little kids, the slow & steady influx of young nieces/nephews (babies, toddlers, etc) and now the point where most of my nieces and nephews are teens/tweens.

It's getting harder and harder to a) find a place that affordably holds us all, and b) find a week that works with all the urchins in various sports and school activities.
 
I didn't think I had anything for this thread but I think I do. Ever since my nieces and nephew turned 5 they have gotten to go to pizza and ISU WBB with me, so it got started with the 2 then went to 6, this yr if they all come it will be 15 with spouses and kids. The one niece has never missed, and the rest don't miss very often.
Damn, it has gotten a lot more expensive, but I'm glad they still want to come and we get to still do it together.
 
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My wife's side of the family has had a family gathering in Okoboji in a weekend in July. She is the youngest of 4 and all her siblings have 3 or 4 kids so we have made a point to get all 12 grandkids together with her mom as its hard to plan around everyone's schedule but we try to put that date on the calendar early enough so everyone can find a way to make it.
 
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The tent was perfect for me years ago by the giant slide but it just got so crammed. It's a good problem for them.
The new spot isn't too bad but it's kind of away from everything. They do have a lot more tables now to hang out at.
They have more tables and more shade now and paved it several months ago. Whatcha Smokin’ BBQ will be set up next door so you won’t have to go far for some good eats.

We usually go one day each year mostly for the food and drinks but this year we’ll be doing two days which includes the Black Keys concert. Looking forward to that.
 
I have a group of friends, one of them has 2 family cabins up on the Minocqua Chain in Northern Wisconsin. The second weekend of June is always the guys trip up there. That doesn't even have to be added to the calendar anymore, my wife knows I'm gone that weekend. I've been at this job long enough, they know I'm gone.

As a family, we always try to do something different, but with 2 kids in college and one at ISU, most of our family vacations now revolve around ISU football games and tailgating. Since the younger daughter is close to home at Loyola, if she wants to come with us, it's easy for her to do. So, yeah, the family, "Big Vacation" has kind of taken a back seat at this point .
 
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Try to go every year, but some birders in Minnesota go up the north shore in late October/ early November looking for migrants heading south. It acts as a funnel so some crazy birds have been found. Last year was a first state record phainopepla
 

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