Trips can go according to plan. Most often, they don’t (and that’s what makes them fun), but sometimes they do. This was one of those times. On a trip to Tettegouche State Park last summer, I was greeted by a fog rolling off the water. Lake Superior is a frigid, frigid being. It’s rare that the water is warmer than the air this time of … Continue reading A Little Bit Foggier Now
Minnehaha Falls is a popular park in south Minneapolis. Springtime finds prom couples taking photos, summertime means crowds at the park restaurant and fall makes for colorful picnics and piles of oak leaves. The real attraction shows itself when the crowds disperse and the temperature drops. The water of Minnehaha Creek falls 53 feet from a limestone ledge to the pool below. If you follow … Continue reading Explore Before the Thaw
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
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
It doesn’t feel like Christmas in Minneapolis. Temperatures are in the 30s and the ground is a March shade of brown. Some boulevards are even muddy. Mud. In December. This time last year, Audra and I already had our season passes to Theo Wirth Park and had been cross-country skiing a handful of times. There is truth to Minneapolis having some of the most unpredictable weather … Continue reading Christmas Hike
Minneapolis has been seeing a fantastic fall. Plenty of sunshine, little rain and temperatures regularly above 60F. If you like fall colors and dislike humidity, this has been the month for you. And it looks to continue. Seeing the colors change around Minneapolis proper, Audra and I wanted to get in a hike to enjoy fall before it transforms into winter. Lebanon Hills in the … Continue reading Lebanon Hills
When I think Iowa, I think cornfields and Hawkeyes. Neither of which are very appetizing. Decorah, Iowa has neither of those things. And it is wonderful. The town sits on the Upper Iowa River and is nestled in its steep valley walls. If you’re there in the fall, like I was, you’ll see fluorescent sugar maples atop limestone bluffs circled by flocks of eagles. (At … Continue reading Hike Decorah
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 