Precarious Path

At the southern end of Banning State Park (in the city of Sandstone, MN) is Robinson Park.  I was pooped after hiking around Banning, but I really wanted to see Wolf Creek Falls, which was closer to Robinson Park than the parking area at Banning.

This was going to be a piece of cake!  Quick walk to the falls, which was good because my dogs were howling pretty loud.  Motorcycle boots are sturdy, but definitely lack some comfort when hiking.

On the path to the falls, I came across a really, really, REALLY, tall railroad bridge spanning the Kettle River.

Near the bottom of this beautiful old trestle bridge, I saw a labyrinth of crisscrossing girders just waiting to be photographed--and today's featured image was born.  It is still a drop to the ground (or river, depending on where you're at) so I didn't venture out on the "path."

After I passed the bridge, I knew it wouldn't be long before reaching the falls.  It was very quiet and I hadn't seen anyone on this path.  Being a city girl, I was still on guard, even out in the "sticks." I was going to be happy to reach my destination.

But then, my freakishly sensitive sense of smell picked up a scent that was foreign to a forest.... corn chips.  Corn chips?  I looked all the way behind me and all the way in front of me.  Nothing and nobody.  Hmmm... the scent was fresh.  Well, that was disconcerting, to say the least.  City girl mode kicking in--walk faster and get to my destination asap!  About a "block" down the trail I confirmed my fears...

Conclusion next time...

Fuzzy Sandstone

Yes, we're still in the forest.  It was so damp that day.  Trickles of water were constantly dripping down the sandstone walls, feeding vast carpets of moss and leafy green plants. 

In this cliff you can see the drill holes from quarrying the sandstone.

Big blocks of sandstone were everywhere and covered in moss and lichen.

Talk about a rock garden!

More to come...

Forest Flora

 

With all the rain we had been getting lately, the forest was teaming with interesting plants, including the bright orange fungi above.  Those little guys were sprouting everywhere!

Here's another fungi infestation on a dead tree.

I have no idea what this is.  It was actually the first intriguing thing I saw on my hike.

More to come...

Burbling Brook

Blog number 2 from my hiking day trip.

Before I could take an image of this gurgling burbling brook,  I had to re-arm myself with another round of bug spray.  It's amazing the swarm of mosquitoes this one little trickle produced!  I think they were thicker here than anywhere else in the park.  I'm glad I brought the spray on the hike, and so were three poor souls who came along about that time.  It was either they borrow my bug spray or stop at the hospital for a blood transfusion on the way home.

More to come...

Rushing Waters

Yesterday my mission was to take pictures.  My first stop: Banning State Park in northern Minnesota.  This area is known for large amounts of sandstone and there is even an old abandoned quarry on the premises.

It was very quiet and peaceful there.  Not too many people out on a Friday morning.  My main goal at the park was to see Wolf Creek Falls.  The Quarry Loop Trail sounded interesting too, so the park employee showed me how to get from one trail to the other.

I started my hike with my photography equipment, bug spray (a must after all the rain we've been having), and 32 oz of Gatorade.  Onward and upward!

The image above is of the Kettle River making it's way through the park.  It was the dominant sound on parts of the trail, but yet, when the trail curved just slightly inland and through great piles of sandstone, you couldn't hear a peep out of the river.  The only sound then was water dripping down the sheer sandstone cliffs.  Oh, and the sound of buzzing mosquitoes.

More to come...