Exploring the Wonders of Minnesota
In our final post about our Minnesota adventures, we look back at one of the best experiences we had in the state: canoeing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Boundary Waters is a large stretch of land stretching across much of northern Minnesota and it is a complete wilderness. It is over a million …
Continue reading “Northern Beauty: Canoeing the Boundary Waters”
As we leave Minnesota, I wanted to look back on the two of the best and most quintessentially Minnesotan places we visited. The State Fair, the North Shore and The Defeat of Jesse James Days were all great in their own right, but our trip “Up North” was perhaps the best of all. It started …
Continue reading “The Gem of Minnesota: Voyageurs National Park”
“So that’s the boat?” “Yeah, we get on board and then they take us on a three-hour boat tour of the Apostle Islands.” “A three-hour tour? Seriously?” “Yeah, the captain said they have had no complaints. He sounded trustworthy. Name of G-something.” **glaring** “At least the boat isn’t called the Minnow?” – We depart Minnesota …
Continue reading “A Three-Hour Tour: Sightseeing in the Porkies and the Apostle Islands”
Our exploration of the North Shore of Lake Superior could easily be six posts, but Katie and I have a limited time left in the state, so here are our adventures in one, long blog entry. – We depart Minnesota at the end of July, so we went on a trip earlier this month to …
Continue reading “Lighthouses, Waterfalls and Fur Traders: The North Shore”
The canoe glided forward, closer to the deer standing in the river. The deer continued chewing as it looked at the approaching canoe. Then, determining the canoe posed no risk, the deer plunged its head back under the surface of the water. It rummaged around at the bottom of the river for a good part …
Continue reading “Exploring St. Croix: Canoeing the Namekagon River”
National parks and monuments mean a lot to Katie and I, so we make a point to see as many as we can. They have been responsible for some of the best adventures we have ever had and they are also responsible for why we found ourselves last fall in the middle of Northeastern Iowa …
Continue reading “Large Piles of Dirt: Seeing Effigy Mounds”
One of the goals of our Adventures in Gopherland was see as much natural wonder in Minnesota as possible, particularly visiting National and State Park sites. Much of the year in Minnesota, however, is unfavorable for such excursions due to the climate. Before the summer turned to autumn last year, then, we attempted to visit …
Continue reading “Pickerel Lake, Try 1: Hiking the Mississippi National River and Recreational Area”
Continuing the state park saga, we consulted the “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Minneapolis/St Paul” for another manageable hike and an excuse to get out of the house! We grabbed Subway to go, then drove up to the tiny town of Frontenanc located on the Mississippi River just south of Red Wing. It was a …
Continue reading “Quarantine Chronicles: Frontenac State Park”
During the “safe at home” period, we started trying to get out to a local state park once a week. We focused on our brainstorming efforts on parks south of the Twin Cities to stick to our geographic region until life opens up a bit more. We scoured the book “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: …
Continue reading “Quarantine Chronicles: Rice Lake State Park”
Quarantine Chronicles! When Minnesota went into “safe at home” at the end of March, we saw all of our bucket list plans disappearing. We went into lock down days before we were supposed to see a Timberwolves game to finish our sports section! This was obviously not the biggest concern at the moment, but it …
Continue reading “Quarantine Chronicles: St. Olaf Natural Lands”
Adventures in Gopherland