Hard to believe that Ben is already 11! We intentionally had a short driving day so we would have time for a variety of birthday activities. And pack it in we did. After breakfast at the hotel (yum, waffle maker!), we took a paddle boat onto the adjacent lake and Ben opened his presents on the water. Among them, he received 2 new yo-yos, which he was eager to try out. Then we all played mini-golf at the Lumberjack Village course and topped off the fun (but hot) game with ice cream – before lunch. 🙂

After driving across the rolling farmland of middle/western Wisconsin, we crossed the St Croix river into Stillwater Minnesota – see Nick going for a river dip. The highlight for Ben was going ice skating (kudos to Susannah for finding a year-round rink with public skating on Ben’s birthday!), though he also loved the Mongolian grill/buffet dinner at the end of the day. All in all, a thumbs-up birthday.

Day 8: Hayward WI to Stillwater MN – 119 miles.