Valerie's Voice – Musings on Life

There’s a new trail in town…

The new trail is another section of the Mill Towns State Trail that eventually will extend from Faribault to Cannon Falls. They are slowly working on one section at a time, only as funding allows. It has been years in the making…and there is a lot more sections yet to be completed.

We’re already enjoying this new section that starts near our home. It’s very convenient for us to hop on the bikes and get to the new trail. Currently, it’s about a 10-mile ride, out and back from our place. To extend the ride we can go to the nearby Dundas Trail and add more miles to our trip.

Other cyclists are already using the trail, although they are still working on parts of the trail. We passed runners and walkers too.

The new section runs along the Northfield Golf Course, then along Carleton’s upper arb. There is a long tunnel under the busy Highway 19, and then a nice, hilly trail through the woods that ends at an old abandoned, steel bridge, near Highway 47.

This is the beginning of the new section. It goes along the golf course (left side of street).

The straight concrete and stone tunnel offers safety to avoid the busy road overhead.

The curve in the trail that goes under the new bridge, ends up at the old steel bridge (built in 1909).

Thankfully there is a barricade at the end of the trail, since there is about an 8-foot gap between the trail and the bridge, and one could miss it and end up in the Cannon River.

Eventually the trail will cross the 1909 bridge.

They are continuing to work on a section of the trail, along Jefferson Parkway, which has created many vehicle detours that are inconvenient for our side of town…but, it will be worth it in the end.

There is grass seed planted along many parts of the trail. The trail will be even more beautiful when the grass grows.

Gardens

On our way home from Alexandria, we took a slight detour and drove into St. Cloud to see the Munsinger and Clemens Gardens. It had been many years since we had been there.

The Munsinger Gardens are located along the Mississippi River. A brief timeline includes: In 1915 the city of St. Cloud acquired the site of a former sawmill where in 1926 Campfire Girls planted Scotch and Norway pines that still shade the grounds today. In 1930 the gardens were developed using labor from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and thus was the beginning of Munsinger Gardens.

The tall pines planted by the Campfire Girls.

Today there are thousands of annuals and perennials and I believe every single one of them was in bloom the day we visited! It was an immense splash of color. Breathtaking.

Sweet water droplets from the sprinkler system.

Fun plater ideas found all over the gardens.

The Clemens Gardens are up the hill from Munsinger Gardens where there are stunning, sun-loving plants.

Plenty of benches are scattered around the gardens.

From the brochure, Clemens Gardens was “developed as a gift of love from Bill Clemens to his wife, Virginia”. I had heard the love story before, so I looked on the internet to get more details.

Virginia Rose and William Clemens sculpture.

In 1988 Bill Clemens bought a vacant lot across from his home to protect their river view and prevent commercial building. They gave the property to the City of St. Cloud Parks department.

Virginia suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and had limited mobility. She loved roses.

In 1990 Bill funded the construction of the Virginia Clemens Rose Garden so she could look out and enjoy the thousands of roses from her window.

It is such a sweet story!

And what a legacy for all of us to enjoy these spectacular gardens.

There were several fountains throughout both gardens.

Rumours and Dreams

One of the attractions for our bike get away this year, was to attend an outdoor concert at Lake Brophy County Park – along the Central Lakes State Trail near Alexandria, MN. The bike trail runs right through the middle of the park.

Summer Sounds is what they call their summer outdoor concert series (free), sponsored by the Rotary Club, and it’s a big deal. Thousands show up at this park with a large hill going down to Lake Brotphy where the bandstand is set up near the water, creating an amphitheater. People sit on the hill to watch and listen. There was a jumbotron so all could see.

The stage set up on the shores of Lake Brophy.

We went to hear the tribute band for Fleetwood Mac, called Rumours and Dreams. Apparently, this tribute band is part of the Summer Sounds concert series every year. I can understand why people keep coming back to hear them. They are very good. Three lead vocalists and other instrument players sounded like the original band. The 70’s and 80’s were Fleetwood Mac’s most active years.

Lots of people seated everywhere, overlooking Lake Brophy.

We rode our bikes to this event (from a parking lot one mile away). If you ride to the concert, you can park your bike in the bike corral (safe and secure) and in exchange you get a camp chair to sit on to listen to the concert. A creative idea!

Part of the time I used an umbrella to be shaded from the sun.

There were food trucks and a playground for the kiddos, lots of trash bins brought in as well as Porta-potties. The concerts attract thousands of attendees.

The sun started to set as the concert came to an end. This photo was taken on top of the hill where additional people were seated to hear the concert.

At the end of the concert, about 9 o’clock, there was a beautiful glow as the sun began to set. We hopped on our bikes and rode one mile back to our car. It was so easy and quick, and we avoided all traffic jams and others leaving the area.

Outdoor concerts are a quintessential part of summer. I’m grateful for the many opportunities all over Minnesota.

I ran over a raccoon…

…while riding my bicycle!

I didn’t see him, and apparently, he didn’t see me.

He was crossing the bike trail, starting from under a bush right next to the trail, and I was riding along on that same side near the edge, since we were riding two by two. He darted out and I rode over him. The others I was with said it was a raccoon. He scurried off to the other side of the trail, into the field so I assume he survived. They said he was a big one!

I stopped my bike and took a deep breath. I knew I ran over something, but I didn’t know what. None of us could believe I did not lose my balance and fall over on my bike. I thanked God all was well, and we biked on.

We were on the Central Lakes State Bike Trail, near Alexandria, Minnesota. We planned this bike trip long before we knew how hot and humid it was going to be. But once on the bikes, it wasn’t too bad.

I stopped to take a picture of this “bevy” of swans. It was unusual for me to see more than one or two swans together.

The morning I ran over the raccoon, we started our ride early, leaving our cars at a parking lot along the trail that had an interesting, old threshing machine. The trail was an old railway bed…straight and wide and paved and flat. We passed lakes with beautiful white swans and egrets, saw a few bunnies on the trail, ran over a raccoon, and on the way back stopped at Evansville shelter for a break.

Two beautiful swans side by side on another lake.

On a side note; the small town of Evansville (pop.603), began about 1858 and was named after Evan Evanson (for real!). He was the first mail carrier to carry mail through this area and he built a shanty there to rest, and it became a stop on a stagecoach line. It’s amazing what you can learn in the most unlikely places.

Anyway, in Evansville, there is a nice shelter alongside the bike trail where we stopped to rest. And right there was a beautiful old bike with a sign saying “Free”. No gears, back-pedal brakes, fenders and all, in very good condition. We all wanted to take it home, but of course couldn’t. Hopefully someone claimed it for their own.

On this early morning ride, the straight and narrow bike trail offered us many diversions.

Naturally, we stopped for ice cream after our ride. 😉 This clever sign was in the shop.

Tumbled Rocks Trail

On our recent trip to Madison, Wisconsin we toured the beautiful state capital building, walked around the farmer’s market that occupies four sides of a large city block on which the capitol building stands (with hundreds of other people).

We visited Olbrich Botanical Gardens, ate at a few unique restaurants, and shopped a couple thrift stores. It was hot and humid, but we had a good time in spite of it. I have been to Madison many times, but Gary had never been there. He liked it.

On our way back to Minnesota, we stopped at Devils Lake State Park, a park near Baraboo WI, which is a half hour from Madison. Our friends knew of a unique trail there so we decided to take a hike.

It’s called Tumbled Rocks Trail. It was a narrow, winding, asphalt trail through humongous boulders…not “rocks” on each side of the trail. The trail followed Devils Lake and was scenic (although there was some haze from the wildfires burning in northern MN and Canada).

It was fairly easy walking on the water’s edge trail. The large boulders (Quartzite) created a natural cliffs as they tumbled down the hillside. I’m not sure where the boulders came from, or what made them stop where they did, and why they stay in place now, but it was an interesting hike. And it was pretty, with Devils Lake on one side and the boulders lining the western side of the lake. I like the name of the trail, although I do believe it should be named Tumbled Boulders Trail, not Tumbled Rocks Trail…although scenic, these are not your lovely, smooth rock piles.

We have been to many of Minnesota’s wonderful State Parks. Other than Interstate State Park we have not been to any Wisconsin State Parks. It was fun to finally see Devils Lake State Park, since for many years I have driven by the sign for it along the 90/94 Interstate through Wisconsin.

Our stop piqued my interest…maybe it’s time to start looking at other parks in Wisconsin: Mirror Lake State Park, Governor Dodge State Park…there are 50 of them in the state.

Water Lilies

Nymphaeaceae is the scientific name for the water lily family. Water lilies are lovely as they float leisurely on the water and look beautiful.

White flowering water lilies are common, so I was delightfully surprised to see many different colors of lilies at the Olbrich Botanical Garden in Madison Wisconsin, where we took a weekend road trip. They were impressive.

According to Wikipedia: “Water lilies are rooted in soil in bodies of water with leaves and flowers floating on or rising from the surface.” It was interesting to learn that the water lily family forms five genera (groups) with about 70 known species.

Several different types of water lilies can be found floating in the Sunken Garden in Olbrich Gardens. The sunken garden is a formal, traditional, English-style garden with an 80-foot reflecting pool, and small “water falls” over a cement drop at one end.

The pool is surrounded by mostly by spring bulbs, annuals and perennials with a view of Lake Monona in the distance.

A few more water lilies were growing in the pools surrounding the Royal Thai Pavilion in the Thai garden section of Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

My favorite color…a stunning blue and yellow flower.

Seeing all the different colors was a fun discovery…The water lilies added a lot of “splash of color” to the water pools.

They show off their beauty in a gentle and quiet way.

There was much to see in the lush gardens at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison. The winding paths, little quiet spaces to sit, wonderful variety of flower gardens (17, plus an indoor conservatory), and large trees that provide a canopy of shade over some trails, a Prairie-Style viewing tower to climb for an overlook, and so oh, much more….

If I lived closer I’d visit there often…

A Field of Corn

Gary, who is 6’3″, is standing out in the cornfield behind our house.

In reference to corn growing, the saying used to be “knee high by the fourth of July”. Today with modern fertilizers, herbicides, and modified seeds, corn grows faster and taller than ever before, and is much taller than knee high by the 4th.

Now they say you can hear the corn growing, or you can see it grow… and we felt that. We watched the corn grow in the cornfield behind our house and it seemed like we actually witnessed it growing…it grew so fast and so tall. It’s already tasseled. I will not like to see the field harvested…I love the view.

The corn is taller than Gary with his hand held high!

It is a beautiful sight, and we’re happy to wake up to this refreshing country view each morning.

Our beautiful backyard view from the window.

Outdoor Concerts

One of summer’s pleasures is going to outdoor concerts. It’s a treat to be outside, sitting in the shade on beautiful evenings, with the sun slowly setting, listening to good music (and no mosquitos biting).

Faribault hosts weekly concerts at their Central Park’s bandshell every summer. By the time the concerts begin, the park is mostly shaded. People start filling in the open space, setting up camp chairs or blankets to sit and be entertained by different bands.

Last week, a band called Little Chicago played and we went to hear them. It’s a group that has been together several years (since 1999). They are based in New Prague, Minnesota and call themselves a Horn Band…a rock and roll band with a brass section. They play pop/rock musical hits from the 1960s and 1970s. They featured songs from the bands Chicago, Eagles, and many others. There were ten instrument players on stage along with two main vocalists providing an entertaining concert.

They played the songs from when Gary and I were in our teens…the era of classic rock and roll music with lyrics you could mostly understand and sing along. I was surprised at how easily the words to songs came back to me from songs I hadn’t heard of in years…for instance Mellow Yellow, to name only one of many.

A beautiful night to be sitting outdoors listening to music.

That led me to thinking of a song we used to teach to our first- graders in church years ago. The song is called Input, Output (lyrics by Kathie Hill and Gary McSpadden, released in 1984). The chorus is this:

Input output, what goes in is what comes out.
Input output, that is what it’s all about.
Input output, your mind is a computer whose
Input output daily you must choose.

The song compares your brain to a computer. What you hear and see (the input) changes what you say and do (the output). This rings true, and are words to remember. Especially for the young ones and modern music….the words they listen to in song stick.

I really enjoyed singing along to the oldies from so long ago when I was a teenager– I wanted to get up and dance…some young children did.

It was a great evening of free entertainment.

4th of July in North Morristown

As the country celebrated its 250^th year on Independence Day, North Morristown celebrated its 133^rd celebration of July 4^th. It claims to be the longest running 4^th of July celebration in Minnesota.

I call it a sweet fair…quaint might be a better word. It’s definitely small-town Americana. It’s in the corner of a cornfield. It’s a fundraiser for the only building around, which is Trinity Lutheran Church and school.

There is no charge to get in…one just needs to pay for the food you want to eat, with a variety of hamburgers, BBQ sandwiches, Roast Beef sandwiches, fries and onion rings etc…to chose from. And then, it’s off to the pie tent to choose from the variety of homemade pies, or ice cream or mini-donuts. We have been going to this celebration for many years.

We arrived early enough to set out our lawn chairs in some shade, went to buy lunch, and then pie, to eat while we waited for the band Monroe Crossing to start. Monroe Crossing is a Minnesota-based bluegrass band that has been together 25 years. I’m not sure of their connection to North Morristown 4th of July celebration, but they have been performing there for as many years as we have attended. They are a major reason why we go to this event…that and the pie!

Fish Pond – throw a line over the half wall and catch a prize.

There are kids’ activities including a train ride, Fish Pond (I used to like this when I was little), pick a duck from the pond to win a prize, a miniature merry-go-round, and more. There’s bingo for the older crowd, a corn toss competition and a “beer tent and dance floor” not fenced off, but one can tell the obvious boundaries.

The mood is festive and celebratory with people decked out in all kinds of red white and blue attire. Large extended families gather for picnics, friends gather to enjoy each other, and a whole lot of volunteers are there to help keep it all running smoothly.

We have had a hot, humid and rainy streak in Minnesota, but this day the rain held off. The sky was blue, the temp was a bit lower and there was a nice breeze. We left the fair mid-afternoon. There were a lot more planned activities, culminating with fireworks in the evening…however the predicted rain did come, so I’m not sure they were able to shoot off any fireworks.

Happy 250^th birthday America.

A Backyard Visitor

The other night, about 9 pm, I looked out the window to see if there were any fireflies and saw a different visitor. A beautiful sight. A deer was eating brush behind our house at the edge of our yard, as the sun was setting, which made for great lighting for a photo.

The deer stayed for a while… such a joy to watch…then walked off through our neighbors, into the sunset.

Sweet dreams Bambi.