Frozen Lake Pepin

With outage schedule in full force around our house, we don't get to see a whole lot of Jake right now.  He has Saturdays off and we have been trying to do something fun as a family to make the most of the time we do get together.  This last Saturday we didn't really have a plan for what we were going to do, but just wanted to get out of the house.  So we started driving not really having a destination (sometimes that is the best kind of drive, at least in my opinion).  We ended up driving around Lake Pepin.  It sure is a different drive in the winter verses the summer or fall when the roads are absolutely crazy with other cars.  And you can see the river much better since the trees have no leaves.
Anyway, when we got around to Maiden Rock on the Wisconsin side we could see tons of people out ice fishing on the lake.  Jake found the boat dock that the people were using to get out on the ice and drove us out too.  At first we just parked on the side of the lake and walked a little ways out onto the ice with the kids.  Abbie was scared to death, when we parked the car we were on the ice and we told the kids that and to be careful because it would probably be slippery.  Abbie would not move once she was out on the ice.  She was sure that she was going to fall right in.

Here she is tip-toeing around because she was scared.

Here is her smile to prove that after some convincing she had a good time running around out there too just like the other kids.  

It was a bright sunny day as you can tell and we had a hard time getting good pics of the kids because no matter which way you looked it was too bright.  

This is one of my favorites they were trying so hard to help me get a good one.  Too bad all I had was my phone to take pictures with.

But we did manage at least one decent one.  

I took one of Jake since everybody we saw looked at him like he was crazy, but then he gets that a lot here because he always wears shorts unless he is at work.  

And he took one of me when I was trying to take one of him.  

Here are a few more of the kids running around like crazy people.  Good thing all of the ice fishers were way out there still because the kids were being totally crazy.

After playing around for a while, we loaded back into the car.  Then Jake drove us further out onto the ice and I have to admit I was nervous being that far out on the water in the car, I don't know why exactly but I didn't like being in the car out on the ice.  Being on foot felt much safer, but I'm sure it really is.  

With no real plans we ended up with a really fun afternoon.  The kids have already asked if and when we can do it again.  I don't know if we will get another chance this winter, it is just too warm.  The ice won't stay thick enough for much longer.  

One last picture from our day.  Jake had on his toes shoes and when I noticed his footprints I had to take a picture of one.  It looks like someone was walking around barefoot.