Carmen and the kids met Grandpa Larry at the airport. He was greeted by Dakota holding a sign that read "The Mighty Lorenzo". We spent the morning at Manhattan Beach, where we got caught up and enjoyed a delicious breakfast.	From there, we got the RV out of storage, drove it to Carmen's place in Fullerton, parked it on the street and spent the rest of the day cooling down from an unusually hot day in sunny CA.
The next day, Larry started the trip and made it through the Las Vegas Strip. While we had driven the RV all over the country, this was the first time the RV went on as long of a trip in so few days.	Between the beauty of the Rockies and a book on tape, the trip went by pretty easy. Glorine flew into Minnesota the same day Larry arrived with the RV. From there, we set up the RV for a long Labor Day weekend halfway to Duluth.
After the initial shock of seeing Grandma and Grandpa and seeing us there with the RV, the kids took full advantage of the resorts amenities, including this roller skating rink. Ice skating made this look effortless.	Craig's Mom (Cheri) has a cabin nearby, so we spent an afternoon with her. This gave the kids a chance to play with some of their old toys, including this golf cart that they have nearly outgrown.
Labor Day weekend in Minnesota is a big deal, because it's the last big weekend of the summer. We took Cheri's pontoon around the lake and stumbled into this lakeside pub with dozens of pontoons enjoying a fun filled day.	We spent a day in Duluth and were amazed by our timing as we got to watch the 1,000' Mesabi Miner (an iron ore carrier) float under the Aerial Lift Bridge, one of only two bridges of its kind built in the USA.
What a beautiful day it turned out to be. Here we are relaxing in the Canal Park next to the Aerial Bridge, which is on the National Historic Registry right in the heart of downtown Duluth.	From Duluth, we took a short drive to Gooseberry Falls State Park, which sports five water falls that we saw as we hiked the trail along the Gooseberry River which dumps into Lake Superior. The reddish tint is from large deposits of red clay.
Clara learned that Minnesota has over 50 microbrew pubs. Knowing that Grandpa enjoys beer she thought we could take the RV to all these brewpubs so he could sample them. We only made it to this one in Two Harbors on our way back to the RV.	The theme of Chase's birthday party was LEGOS and Denise had the kids build a pinewood type race car made from LEGO blocks. She had all the pieces that were required in a plastic bag and within minutes each had their car ready to race.
Next event was to see how well they worked. Craig constructed this track designed specifically for LEGO race cars and the kids enjoyed watching whose car was the fastest. They all loved it.	The big "7!" After singing Happy Birthday the kids devoured the chocolate birthday cupcakes and took turns busting open the traditional piñata, which looked like a LEGO block filled with more chocolate candy.
We spent many September days attending either hockey practice or hockey games. Here, in the center of the picture, is Clara, waiting for the "puck to drop." She and Chase are amazing skaters!	September was unseasonably warm and being on the lake means Larry will try skiing. Here he is enjoying the rush. Plus he was able to get up and drop without getting his hair wet.
Most of September and half of October was spent in Minnesota so Glorine could be treated for cataracts and a sore back. Here she is minutes after having one of her cataracts removed. She loves her new eyes.	While Glorine was recuperating, Larry met with Diane, his assistant while serving as president of St. Cloud Technical College. Diane is now a development officer with the hospital and enjoying life to the hilt!
Ken Maddux and Larry also worked together at St. Cloud Tech. Here we are enjoying brunch with Diane and Glorine at an Irish Pub in downtown Minneapolis. They love to travel and are planning a trip to Ajijic this coming January.	We spent a weekend camping at Itasca State Park in Northern MN. It is Minnesota's oldest park established in 1891. Here we are enjoying ourselves along one of the many bike trails running through the park.
Camp Rutledge was one of 2,600 Civilian Conservation Corp camps set up in the 1930s, staffed by 17 to 23 year old unmarried males who were paid $30 per month. Together they dug us out of the Great Depression and left a lasting legacy throughout the United States.	The Old Timer’s Cabin was one of the first CCC state park structures built. It was constructed of white pine logs that grew in the park. They were so large that it only took four of them to make an entire wall.
We took a two hour tour of Lake Itasca aboard the Chester Charles II, a 140 passenger boat. The captain entertained and educated us about the unique history of the area's early inhabitants and its natural history.	These two immature bald eagles are among 200 plus bird species that occupy the park. Thanks to the Bald Eagle Protection Act, these eagles moved from near extinction to now over 10,000 breeding pair.
From the tour boat we could see people standing at the beginning of the Mississippi River. Between us and them stands a large bed of Minnesota's famous wild rice.	On the left of these rocks is Lake Itasca and on the right is the Mississippi River. The kids spent time on both the rocks in the lake and in the river.
In 2007, we took Old Blue (our first motorhome) on a six week tour along the Great Mississippi River Road from New Orleans to Minneapolis. It took us a couple of years, but we finally made it to the headwaters of the river.	Just north of the Park is Bemidji, we stopped to pose with Paul Bunyan the Giant Lumberjack and his pet blue ox named Babe. Together their tracks created holes that later were filled with water creating the 10,000 lakes of MN.
On the shores of Lake Bemidji is a bronze statue of an Ojibwa leader named Shay-now-ish-kung. Known as Chief Bemidji, he is remembered as one of the most respected citizens by both the Indians and white people.	Captain Craig took control of the RV on the way back to Prior Lake. This summer Craig transitioned as a pilot with Compass Airline (an affiliate of Delta and American Airlines) to a First Officer with Delta. Yes, that is a BIG DEAL!
We got to chow down and enjoy some time with three of Larry's nieces living in the Twin Cities, including Patty and Paul, Jeff and Nancy and Bryndon and Eric, along with their kids, Avery and Evan. Always nice to catch up with family.	Following dinner, we witnessed the rare eclipse of a Supermoon when it is the closest to the Earth. This event only occurred five times in the 1900s. The next Supermoon eclipse will not happen again for another 18 years.
We attended another one of Clara's hockey game at Blake Elementary, a private school in an exclusive neighborhood of Hopkins. We were impressed with both the structure of their ice arena and also the quality of the team. Both were top notch!	When we were not out "camping, we lived at Dakotah Meadows RV park by Mystic Lake Casino. These lights are the "logo" for the casino and can be seen from Denise's home. We told the kids "To remember us when you see these lights."

September's web page includes September 1 through September 30.