We just started week four in Minnesota and are making the most of our time here. The weather, however, has been less than cooperative. We’ve had 11 straight days with highs in the 90s, plus wildfire smoke hanging around for the last six days. Needless to say, it hasn’t exactly been ideal for enjoying all of Minnesota’s outdoor beauty.
We’re hoping for a little relief before we leave because we’re down to our last couple of weeks here. We still have a few cabin visits, cousin hangouts, and friend meetups left on the calendar before making a quick stop in Bend to pack up our belongings and say our goodbyes. Then it’s off to Berlin by mid-August. It’s hard to believe that in less than a month we’ll actually be on the ground there!
Our Fourth of July was memorable once again. We packed in fireworks, the annual boat parade, water balloon fights, and plenty of time in the lake. One of the sweetest parts of the summer has been watching Nia make active attempts to connect and engage with each of her cousins, despite the relatively large age gaps. Her efforts have made her super popular with the littles, with one even asking her Mom if Nia could join their family. 😊Too cute.
The only downside came when five-year-old Odin attempted a jump off one of the inflatables and landed awkwardly on his wrist. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a pretty bad break, so off to the ER he and his parents went. This marks our second Fourth of July cabin weekend with an ER visit, so it’s starting to feel like an unfortunate tradition. We definitely need to break that streak next year! Thankfully, kids are resilient, and Odin is already healing well with his very cool cast.
After the holiday weekend, we headed to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Oshkosh is home to the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA). Their Young Eagles program provides opportunities for youth to learn about aviation. This time Nia was taking advantage of their 6 day/5 night Explore Aviation Camp at the EAA Lodge.
Over the six days, Nia explored the various career options within aviation including mechanics, engineering, piloting, and accident investigation. She built airplane models, learned to weld sheet metal, designed and launched a rocket, used flight simulators, engaged in flight planning, and even learned how accident investigations are conducted.
The camp attendees came from all over the U.S., but there was definitely a higher concentration of midwesterners due to the camp’s location. She said that some kids even flew in on their local EAA chapter’s plane! Whoa, huh?
The gender make-up of her camp cohort was pretty reflective of the aviation industry itself—of the 60 attendees, only 8 were girls. In the photo, Nia is the girl in jeans in the first row middle.
Nia got to fly two different times while at camp. First she got a one hour lesson with a Certified Flight Instructor in a Cessna model she’d never been in before.
She also experienced her very first helicopter ride. The helicopter had a glass front and open sides, which would have been a hard no from me, but she thought it was incredible. Her only disappointment? She didn’t get to pilot it.
I’m continually amazed by how fearless she is when it comes to aviation experiences. Case in point…
When I asked what her favorite part of the week was, she didn’t hesitate.
“Sitting in a P-51 Mustang!”
If you’re like me and don’t know much about the P-51, here’s the short version. It was developed during World War II and became one of the most iconic fighter aircraft of the war, best known for escorting Allied bombers deep into enemy territory. Since Nia is obsessed with WWII aviation, getting to sit inside one at the EAA Aviation Museum was a dream come true. The B-17 will probably always be her first love, but I think the P-51 is a very close second.
And because we’re clearly the best parents ever, Nia is actually back in Oshkosh again this week.
This time she’s attending GirlVenture, a camp focused on encouraging girls and young women to pursue careers in aviation. Even better, GirlVenture takes place during AirVenture—the largest aviation gathering and air show in the world.
Every July, thousands of private aircraft descend on Wittman Regional Airport for the week-long event, transforming a small Wisconsin city into the center of the aviation world.
Here are a few mind-blowing numbers from last year’s event:
- More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport
- During AirVenture, Wittman becomes the busiest airport in the world
- Approximately 700,000 people attended, including more than 2,300 international visitors. Attendance is expected to be even higher this year thanks to special programming celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
- When the runway is open for landings, an average of 108 takeoffs and landings happen each hour
- 40,000 attendees camp under or beside their planes
- The event featured 2,500 showplanes including vintage aircraft, homebuilts, warbirds, seaplanes, aerobatic aircraft, rotorcraft, ultralights, and even balloons
- More than 1,600 forums, workshops, and presentations were held throughout the week
- EAA raised $2.5 million to support its mission of inspiring the next generation of aviation enthusiasts
Pretty incredible, right? It’s amazing that an event of this scale takes place in such a small Wisconsin city. I had originally planned to attend with Nick and Nia, but a nasty sinus infection kept me home. I’m not too disappointed, though, because I have a feeling this won’t be our last trip to AirVenture.
In the meantime, I’ll see if I can convince Nia to write a guest post about her experience. If not, I’ll at least share some of the photos that she and Nick took while they were there. More to come soon!
PS – There’s an amazing Livestream of Airventure all week. If you tune in from 2-4 PM CST any day this week you’ll be able to see the air show streaming!
