We found this gem on our way back from Rainy Lake. Tall trees, accessible rapids, and photo ops galore!

Sparkling lake? Check. Towering pines? Check. Wildlife? Check. It's official, the name fits!

Come for the trees! Stay for the trees! Read the sign about trees, made from trees, near some trees!

Nice park, but time was tight, so we only took a picture of the entrance sign.

The last of the dozen state parks we visited during our Rainy Lake vacation!

A charming park, even in dreary weather. The enormous, shallow, sandy beach practically begs for a game of water football.

A drizzly carside tour through MN's newest state park. Not much to see here, though it does have a few modern-looking group cabins.

A historic iron ore mine set amidst a wooded valley. We didn't tour the mine, but we did visit the comically well-hidden visitor center.

A 670-acre lake tucked away in a secluded pine forest. We saw plenty of deer, but thankfully no bear heads.

A small, wooded park perched on the glassy-smooth Rainy River, along the U.S.-Canada border

The northernmost MN state park, located on the monstrously-large Lake of the Woods. What a beach!

A surprisingly-nice park with great views and overlooks. A large snapping turtle greeted us at the dam - a good omen in my book.

Of all the old mills we've seen, this was certainly one of them!

Why does this top-notch park have to be in the middle of nowhere??

JD and Kristen snap a few pics of clouds and monuments on their 400-mile trek through NW Minnesota

JD and Kristen pack up the van and hit the road. Rainy Lake, here we come!

Pictures of our garden, taken throughout the summer

JD, Dad, and Reilly enjoying a beautiful (but windy) day at the dog park

A wintery weekend getaway

Spending some good qualilty game time with one of our wonderful nieces