Grandpa took the boys out fishing on Lake Superior again this summer to make up for last year's paltry two-fish harvest. The boys eagerly packed up and they were off to a weekend of fun in Duluth!
The first day was too windy to fish, so they did some sightseeing. First up, a walk down by the lake. The lift bridge is always a sight.
The shore offers chances to clamor over rocks and reflect on the beauty.
Alex on his "throne:"
Corbin finds an alligator anchor:
One last view of the harbor:
From there they went on a boat tour. The boys were excited to see the lift bridge rise for them!
Going under:
They passed the harbor lighthouse:
And soon were out in the open lake! Here's the gang on the tour paddle boat:
Corbin did what he usually does on long car trips (I guess it applies to long boat trips as well):
They saw several large barges loading and unloading goods from all over the world.
Lee thought the paddles on the back of the boat were neat.
The boys thought the snacks on board were cooler. Here's Corbin showing off his blue slushie tongue:
Soon it was time to say goodbye to the Vista Fleet.
After a bite to eat, they stopped at a scenic outlook.
The boys even got to beach comb on the Wisconsin side of the lake.
Then the big day arrived! The sun was up, the weather perfect, and off to the charter boat they went!
After a bit, Alex reeled in the first fish, a lake trout.
Caleb soon followed suit with a trout of his own.
Corbin wasn't about to be left out!
How exciting is sitting around, catching fish, really?
Wow, it's pretty exciting, I guess!
Here's how not too look cool, according to your children.
Grandpa looking calm and collected, as always.
This is either an "I'm so excited" face or a "where's the bathroom on this thing?" face.
Finally the big Dadd-o has a fish on his line! The glee! The strain! The heaving and reeling!
A little anticlimactic, isn't it?!?
Not to be outdone, Alex soon gets another nibble.
Another big lake trout!
Now it's Caleb's turn. Reeling:
Nice one!
All this excitement was just too much for Alex.
Lee's spirit's were never higher.
All together, Corbin caught 4 fish, Caleb and Alex each caught 5, and Lee caught one. Here's Corbin with another one of his:
Their daily limit reached, it was time to head back. Caleb thought it was cool how still the lake got.
Here's the loot, lake trout all.
Here's a shot of the boat they were on.
They filleted the fish dockside for the gang.
Corbin was pretty sure he did NOT want to watch that!
Grandpa had to convince the boys the taste would be better than the smell.
With four large bags of fish meat in tow, it was time to head for home. All too soon they were back at grandpa's house.
We all loved the fish! The flavor beats store bought fish hands down.
As summer was quickly coming to a close, and school was looming overhead like a big thick cloud, grandpa decided to spoil the boys once more. The destination? Valleyfair. The hands down favorite of all three boys was the Mad Mouse ride. Here they are, loading up.
Corbin, it's been told, tends to scream a bit while riding.
Corbin also enjoyed the kiddie coaster.
A ride called Hydroblaster looked fun. Alex convinced Corbin that siting in front would guarantee he would NOT get wet, so down they went.
Corbin will not take his brother's advice on water rides next time!
They did have a great time, though, even Corbin! Here they are on the Scrambler.
The Big Wave was a real splash.
This time, though, Corbin didn't mind.
The antique cars are always fun.
After more spoiling at Chuck E. Cheese's, the day was quickly coming to an end. On the way home, the boys watched the setting sun, glad to have had some extra fun summer outings with just the boys.
