Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

On Wednesday, I rode down to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. What drew me there was the waterfall the DNR website mentioned. Unfortunately, with the drought in recent months, the waterfall has become a trickle.  Still, the fall colors were pretty in the afternoon sun.  There were Indian tinker toy plants everywhere, reminding me of childhood field trips.  A large hornet's nest caught my eye. I made sure to steer clear of that!  The picture I took of it was zoomed all the way out with my DSLR lens.

You can read the DNR's pamphlet for more information on the history of the Big Woods in Minnesota.

Autumn Leaves

I decided to take it easy and stick close to home on Tuesday after my jungle gym exercise on Monday.  These are just a few of the lovely leaves gracing the parkway in south Minneapolis. 

Climb, Climb up Sunshine Mountain

 

A panoramic view taken with my iPhone.

No mountains were involved, but that song was the first thing I thought of when I reached the summit of the Mille Lacs Kathio State Park 100ft. fire tower yesterday.  For all the spectacular views, those 137 steps to the top were well worth it!

A zoomed-in view taken with my Nikon DSLR.

It didn't matter which way I looked; the trees were happy and glowing.

Nikon DSLR shot.

View of the fire tower taken with my Nikon DSLR.

I was concerned that my rebuilt knee would be really grumpy after climbing and descending all those stairs.  I took it easy on the way up by taking one flight of stairs at a time and then relaxing on each landing for a minute.  

A sign at the bottom stated that only 6 people were allowed at a time.  You would be right if you think the structure looks a bit spindly.  When I arrived, 6 people were already at the top.  I saw 3 people waiting at the bottom.  Two were waiting to climb, and one lady was waiting for her party at the top to come down.  She wasn't able to climb because she would have severe vertigo on the way down.

Once the group at the top started to descend, the 3 of us started our ascent.  I'm not afraid of heights, but I do have a fear of falling.  Each flight of stairs was reinforced with stiff wire mesh, so I wasn't scared of falling off the side but possibly down one flight.  I kept an iron grip on the railings.

In the little boxy room at the top, there was a lot of shaking due to people climbing and the wind blowing.  Hold it together, Spindly Tower!  I was concerned that all my pictures would be blurry due to the 'bouncy house,' but I needn't have worried.

137 steps up meant 137 steps down.  I steadily descended without any rest stops or mishaps.  I was pooped by the time I reached the bottom and joined my friend on a bench for a little while.  It wasn't until we were ready to leave and I started walking that I realized my legs were like Jell-O.  Dear legs, thank you for letting me know how out of shape I am.  Apparently, they think they need to keep reminding me because my quads have been screaming at me ever since I woke up today. 

Meandering Runoff

   Alaska Cruise Trip Day 5 – Heading out of the Endicott Arm.

Along the way, we saw many places where spring runoff was carving paths down the mountains.

Laughton Glacier Trailhead

Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Skagway, Alaska (still)

Still on the White Pass Scenic Railway, northeast of yesterday's blog location, near the Laughton Glacier Trailhead. 

 

Remnant River

 

Alaska Cruise Trip Day 4 – Skagway, Alaska

We pulled into Skagway Wednesday morning and took the White Pass Scenic Railway through the backcountry. This is a view of the East Fork Skagway River. At this point, it looks more like a trickle.

Icy Straight Point

 Alaska Cruise Trip Day 3 – Icy Straight Point

We docked at Icy Straight Point in Hoonah, AK.  It was drizzling while we were there; the only time it rained on our trip.  We took the Sky Glider gondola to the summit, but since it was so early in the season there wasn't much to do up there.  I read some comments on one site that said the trip to the summit was a 45-minute bus ride before the gondolas were built.  We came back down and took a different gondola into town.  The greenery was amazing due to over 200 inches of precipitation per year.

Building on Fire

Green Bay at night.  More interesting architecture and fall color.  

Towering Tree

 As seen on a neighborhood walk.

Budsy

 Spring!

Drenchingly

At our mystery spot yesterday, we also went out on a walking bridge to look at one of the lakes.  Ponds? The heavy mist coated everything in water droplets, including this budding tree.  It almost looks like the seed pods are encased in ice, but they are just heavy with water.  The seed pods look like fuzzy caterpillars.   

Tactilely

Got wood?

Legerity

 Got wood?

Sensory

 Spring!

Deformity

Just amazing what trees can do.

Drudgery

A lot of work upfront, but it will be so worth it once winter comes around.

Ominously

It looks like a giant wooden spear piercing the ground.

Coarsely

More of Nature's art. 

Explosively

Nature's art.  I don't know what brought this tree down, but I'm sure it must have been loud.

Shelly

We celebrated the first day of Spring by going for a walk at Crosby Farm Regional Park.  I found this itty-bitty shell and set it on one of the numerous dead trees near the Mississippi River as a backdrop for my picture.