When we met the two of them at a campground on our North American tour in 2017, we never expected what would become of this acquaintance. On the tour itself, we were on the road together for about a month, where we met partly during the trip and mostly in the evening at the campgrounds.
Also after our trip the contact did not break off and we had different ideas, where and how we could meet again for a common bicycle tour. Unfortunately none of the ideas came to fruition.
Coincidentally, Sigrid and Kevin decided to get married on the same day in the beginning of winter 2020, independently of us. Their wedding was, like ours, situationally minimal.
When they announced a wedding ceremony with family, friends and acquaintances for the fall of 2022 and invited us, it was immediately clear to us that we would like to participate.
At the beginning of the planning, we were reluctant because we did not yet know how we would be able to travel with our son. So the first idea was that we simply rent a car, typical for the country. However, when we planned more precisely, we realized that the location of the wedding ceremony was convenient. In this case, convenient meant within cycling distance of a major airport and within cycling distance of Minneapolis, where Sirgrid and Kevin live. In the actual travel planning it became the bike tour from Duluth to Minneapolis with a stop at Miniature Lake. The distance turned out to be so ideal that three weeks offered enough time for the whole adventure. We were able to arrive comfortably in Duluth, then bike in pleasant daily stages and had a week at the end to see Minneapolis and prepare for the return trip. So that the bike tour didn't become a torture for Ariki, we reduced our previous stage goals from 60-80km a day to 30-50km.

So it happened that after a short week in the USA we could meet our friends again after a long time. On the weekend there were various activities. For a start there was a dinner with friends on Friday evening in the cabin. Since most of us had to travel several hours by car, we all spent the night in the cabin or camped somewhere on the property. We had the pleasure of a simple but very nice little cabin a bit out of the way where we could stay comfortably.
On Saturday Kevin organized some games. But it was also possible to swim in the lake in front of the house or to paddle with the SUP. In the evening there was another dinner together, where now also a part of the family participated. Between dinner and dessert some speeches were held.
In spite of the previous evening's program, Sunday morning meant breakfast at 07:00 and departure at 08:00. Due to space and easier logistics, the wedding ceremony took place at Sigrid's parents' house.
Arriving at Bennet, a big To Do list awaited everyone with all the preparation work still needed. Due to the good preparations and the commitment of everyone present, all tasks were completed faster than expected.
In the early afternoon, photo opportunities were on the agenda. Later, the other guests arrived one by one by shuttle. The shuttle was a school bus that shuttled between a parking lot in the "village" and the house of Sigrid's parents.
In the early evening, on a lawn surrounded by trees, the solemn ceremony was held. At the end there was a big feast, a bonfire and a disco. With the last shuttle to the parking lot at midnight, the event ended earlier than we would have expected.
Monday started again with a speedy clean up and in the afternoon we were brought back to the cabin by Kevin. There, just the three of us enjoyed the peace and seclusion of the lake.