Or, Why I am Looking Forward to 2016. I started writing this post in the passenger seat of my Subaru on January 1 while speeding back to Minnesota from Big Sky, Montana. Now it is two weeks later and I’ve had more time to think about 2015 and the year ahead. We had a good year, 2015. A great 12 months. I fished in four … Continue reading 2015
You can pick up a hatchet for $12 at your local hardware store. It has a nice wooden handle and will chop wood and hammer things and make your arm sore if you use it too much. You can buy a fancy hatchet online for $150. It has a colorful red wooden handle and it will chop wood and hammer things and make your arm … Continue reading The Fancy Hatchet Trick
The North Shore of Minnesota is one of my favorite places on the planet. How much do I love this place? AP Style says I shouldn’t capitalize it as a place, but I love the North Shore so much that I capitalize it anyways. That’s fucking love. We make a trip up from Minneapolis every few months to camp or visit Duluth. The fly fishing … Continue reading North Shore Sending Off
The 30 miles each way from my place in south Minneapolis to Carver Park Reserve in Victoria, Minn. is almost entirely on bicycle trails. The exceptions being the two miles from the house to the Greenway and a couple blocks in downtown Hopkins. This makes Carver Park Reserve a popular destination for bike campers. We loaded up our bikes with our gear the night before. … Continue reading Carver Park S24O
The barrier of entry for the inexperienced outdoorsman to spend time in nature is too high. Where do I go? What gear do I need? How much gear should I bring? Do I need to make a reservation? Who do I call? What should I do if my main plan falls through and I’m stuck in the woods with no place to stay? The good … Continue reading Hipcamp Adds Minnesota
The journey began with pizza, as all storied journeys do. I just wanted to write that. Anyways. We loaded up Subi (my Subaru) and headed west on I-94. Lake Maria State Park is about 45 minutes from Minneapolis. From downtown, take I-94 west until the second Monticello exit. The park is eight miles west of the freeway. Farm fields speckled by oak groves, rolling hills … Continue reading Lake Maria State Park. Year Two.
Pine forest meets shipping container meets hygge. A new Dakota County regional park opened just south of St. Paul on the border of Rosemount and Farmington. It’s called Whitetail Woods. The park has a few miles of ski and hiking trails, but the main attraction has been the camper cabins, which welcomed their first guests around Christmastime. Reservations for these cabins opened to the public … Continue reading Breaking In A New Cabin
So. We thought the Minnesota trout season was over. We were wrong. Thanks to some new regulations, fishing in state parks is catch-and-release all year. It seems we’re in for for more adventures. But first, to close out a stellar weekend on the Whitewater. Temperatures in the campground hit 25F that night, which was fun because the forecast said the low would be 38F. *takes … Continue reading Whitewater River. One last hurrah: Day Two
Yes. State twice. It’s fun to say. While we were planning on heading to the North Shore for a stay at Tettegouche State Park, we opted to hang around Minneapolis. Monday was to be included in the North Shore trip as well. Audra had the day off and I spent a day of PTO. This meant we had Monday to ourselves. How did we spend … Continue reading Mental Health Day at Interstate State Park
Birch & Flannel 