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If you’re a sports nut like me you factor that aspect in when selecting a place to take a vacation.  When you are planning your Summer vacation, I ask that you consider Minnesota.  Unless you are an avid ice fisher or snowmobile, I recommend staying away from Minnesota in the Winter, but it is a beautiful place in the other three seasons.

It should come as no surprise that the land that gave birth to water skiing would know how to turn water into a playground. Sailing. Wakeboarding. Windsurfing. Jet skiing. Boating. Scuba Diving.  Minnesota is also host to the world’s largest tub of fresh water—Lake Superior—a great location for adventure kayaking. And don’t forget world-class canoeing in the million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Our almost 12,000 lakes hold some of the finest game fish to ever wear scales: large and smallmouth bass, trout, pike, muskies, and of course, Minnesota‘s state fish – the mighty walleye.  Plus, Minnesota has about 10 million acres of public land open to hunting–that’s about one-fifth of the state’s area. There’s great hunting for deer, waterfowl, grouse, pheasant, and all manner of large and small game. 

Minnesota has become an established travel destination for the golf aficionado. After all, it is home to more national USGA events than any other state. Here you’ll find the perfect blend of technical challenges and breathtaking beauty. From the open links of the prairie to the woodsy parkland courses with their rolling fairways and water hazards. And with 90% of Minnesota’s 498 golf courses open to the public, a dream round is just a trip away.

Minnesota’s natural scenery is thrilling all on its own. But it’s even more breathtaking when it’s amplified by high adrenaline and adventure. Whether you like to commune with nature by thundering through the woods on a mountain bike or by way of kayak, your inner adventurer will love Minnesota’s wild side.

If you prefer more traditional sports like baseball, it’s your last chance to see the Minnesota Twins in the Metrodome.  I prefer baseball outdoors, but if you’ve never watched a game in a dome, it does have some intrigue, especially when the Twins are playing well.  The loudest gave I have ever been to in any sport was a Twins-Red Sox game in the dome around the time of their 1991 World Series title.  They have two of the best players in the game in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.

What are you waiting for?  Explore Minnesota.

With the NFL on hiatus for the first time since September 6th (I don’t count preseason games), and watching the NBA as exciting to me as watching paint dry, I figured I would be giving the sports world a rest.  That wasn’t the case though.

 It started with a phone call.  I was driving home from work with my wife (we carpooled since she had to be in early) and my phone rang.  It was my cousin Jose.  He put in security systems at the Metrodome for Twinsfest.  He scored some free passes and wanted to see if I would go.  It was last minute, but with the cold snap we were experiencing (it was -21 degrees one morning last week) I jumped at the chance to warm myself mentally.  I mean how can you be cold when you’re immersed in the Game of Summer?  It was pretty neat.  I saw Rod Carew and Tony Oliva.  I saw Boof Bonser, Nick Punto, Francisco Liriano, and Mike Redmond.  There were some amazing historical pieces there as well.  Both the 1987 & 1991 World Series trophies were on display.  Lou Gehrig’s uniform.  A Nellie Fox jersey.  Ty Cobb’s glove.  The ball that Dave Kingman got stuck in the roof of the Metrodome.  Plus, much more.  It was awesome.  They had a bunch of vendors selling bobbleheads and baseball cards.  It didn’t physically warm the air, but it did give me a little taste of summer. 

My son’s first fish – May 2005 

On Sunday I took my son ice fishing for the first time ever.  He’s three so I wasn’t sure how it would go.  We only went for an hour and a half so it wasn’t too long for him.  He loved being on the ice, watching the auger drill holes and the rush of water when you’ve drilled through, and being in the fish house.  He still needs to improve on his patience with the fishing portion, but he did OK for a three year old.  He was the first one to catch a fish too.  He picked up a tiny Perch.  He was pretty excited.  I think he’d go again.

After that we went to see a friend play hockey.  I wasn’t sure how my son would do, but it wasn’t too long.  They had two 17 minute periods where the clocks kept running, and one 12 minute period where the clocks stopped with penalties and such.  The intermissions were only a minute so they kept it going. I told Heidi that she had to score a goal since we were going.  She even delivered.  Of course, my son chose to need a bathroom run just prior to the goal, so I missed it.  Still cool nonetheless.  

 So it wasn’t quite what the Super Bowl is going to be next weekend, but the trio of sport outings made for a fun weekend.