Each year I get excited to see the Dwarf Trout Lily blooming in Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park, one of the only places in the world where it lives. It is a federally endangered forest wildflower found only with in 275 square mile area in Rice and Goodhue Counties, MN. Because it is found in only this small area the dwarf trout lily is considered a Minnesota “endemic” – i.e. a species that grows in Minnesota and nowhere else on earth.*
That is why I go looking for this flower each spring and why I get a thrill seeing it each year. I have found a spot where one blooms so I can find it easily even when the volunteer naturalists are not around.
The Dwarf Trout Lily are miniature…the flower is about the size of a little finger fingernail (therefore very hard to spot.) The common white trout lily is much bigger and is widespread throughout the park.
The forest floor had other spring flowers blooming…the trees were budding out and the colors can only be described as “spring greens” sprinkled with white, pale pinks and yellow. It’s so beautiful.
Marsh Marigolds
And then on campus I couldn’t help but notice these bold red tulips near a budding Red Bud.
Red Tulips by the Red Bud
Ah…spring flowers.
*Biological Report #18 of the MN Natural Heritage Program Section of Wildlife, MN dept. Of Natural Resources.
A colleague asked me about our vacations to Glacier National Park because she is planning a trip there this summer. I happily looked through our photos and read through our vacation journals. Glacier National Park left a lasting impression on me and although we have been there only twice it is my favorite national park. It is so majestic and amazingly beautiful. I remember driving away from it after our first visit and felt like I was leaving a part of myself behind.
Our first visit to the park was in 1989. We drove to the park from Minnesota with our two boys and tent camped in the park for a week. Our young sons, ages 7 and 5 at the time, were troopers…they hiked over 20 miles with us on the beautiful trails.
In 2013 my husband and I went back to Glacier and the highlight from that trip was our experience going up to Sperry Chalet, on horseback, then walking back down the mountain two days later. Here’s what I wrote in our vacation journal.
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Giddy up and up and up….Clip-clop goes the steady sound of our horses hoofs climbing 3300’ in 6.7 miles to Sperry Chalet. It promises to be another gorgeous day in Glacier National Park. This is our fourth day in the park. This morning we’ve packed our saddlebags and said our prayers for our two nights stay on the mountain.
The horses are sure footed and they know the trail well – going back and forth up the mountain to the chalet many times a week. We form a line of ten horses with rider’s. My horse, Wyatt, sometimes gets a little too close to Bobbie, the much bigger horse in front of him, so occasionally Bobbie gives Wyatt a kick with his back foot. Although Wyatt deserves it, it can be a little terrifying for the rider on it’s back! That would be me. Gary is on Chester, who behaves nicely.
The scenery is great, the pace is steady and we finally make it up to the hitching rail at the chalet after three and a half hours without a rest stop. We have help getting off our horses and stagger a little to get our hiking legs back, but we’re not sore and we are delighted to be at our destination.
It’s awesome! The smells are divine…mostly pine. The sun is shining on us and the air is fresh. We find our way to the outhouses first, the nicest outhouses we’ve been in, but still outhouses. Next we find the dining room and there are welcoming college-age students ready to take our lunch order which includes fresh, just out-of- the-oven, peach pie.
The beautiful chalet.
The chalet was built in 1913 by the railroad (JJ Hill affiliation) to attract visitors to Glacier National Park. The railroad used Italian stonemasons to build the foundation and outside walls, made from the rubble stone at hand. It opened for business in 1914. There are four small buildings: the dining hall, the chalet (building w/ 24 rooms) the old laundry building and the new (10+ years old) outhouses. There is no electricity up here and just two sinks by the outhouses for guests to use for washing up and brushing teeth. No showers. No hot water. Just bedding (1914 era), food, fresh air and mountain goats!
We find our room and take off our backpacks and head outdoors to explore God’s beautiful creation. The chalet overlooks MacDonald Lodge, to the west and down 6.7 miles. I try imaging women in long dresses riding here on horseback, hiking around the grounds, and up to Sperry Glacier, named after Dr. Lyman Sperry, a professor of geology and zoology at Carleton College -in Northfield, our hometown! He was the first to reach the glacier in 1896. Tomorrow we will hike, with a naturalist, to see what’s left of the Sperry Glacier. The hike is 4+ miles up 1500’, to the glacier, crossing over five ice fields and five rock fields (and of course, 4+ miles back down). It’s a little farther to the glacier than it used to be since the glacier is melting.
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After a relaxing afternoon sitting on the rocks taking in all the beauty we head back to the dining hall for dinner. Much to our surprise we have a full meal deal: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, cranberries, homemade bread, pumpkin dessert. It tastes so good. The staff assigned our seats so we would meet fellow companions on this adventurous journey. We sit around visiting, then get our packs ready for our hike tomorrow, and enjoy a nightcap of delicious cinnamon hot chocolate.
As we crawl into bed we are careful to layout our pants, jackets and shoes so when we get up in the middle of the night we can easily find our clothes. We wake up around 3 a.m. and quietly turn on our headlamps, get dressed and head down the stairs and out the door to a star-studded evening sky! We see a falling star and we stand in awe. We are greeted by a mountain goat that watches us walk to the outhouse. We are grateful for this interruption of our sleep to experience this stunning sight on a mountain!
It was 56 degrees when we went for a walk in St. Olaf’s grasslands on Saturday. The path was a little wet in places but it was great to be out in the open prairie. We sat on a bench for a while to soak up some sunshine. After our hike we went downtown and there were people out everywhere…enjoying this Minnesota winter heat wave. Most of the snow has melted because of several consecutive warm days, and the forecast calls for these temperatures to continue for a few more. Will winter return?
On these nice days I turn down the heat in the house and open windows to let the “sneezes” out! The fresh air smells so good.
I remember last year we had a couple of warm days and we went on a bike ride in February. Is this the new norm?
We drove to Wilderness Park after the snow stopped falling excited to get out and play in it. Ours were the first tracks in the park, except for lots of animal tracks. The trees were frosted with an inch or two of the fresh-fallen, white fluff. We strapped on our snowshoes and stomped in the woods, along the river, through the winter wonderland. I kept stopping in awe to take pictures so we got off to a slow start but after awhile I just kept walking to enjoy the beauty and get some fresh air and exercise. It was Minnesota at its finest in winter. Not too cold…no wind… fresh snow cover…beautiful.
Portugal is the largest cork producer in the world. Cork is the bark of a “Cork Oak” tree. Cork oak: Quercus suber
In 1755 Lisbon was struck by one of the most powerful earthquakes in European history….9.0 magnitude, which was followed by a tsunami and fires that brought the city to rubble. 275,000 residents were killed and 85% o the buildings were destroyed.
Portugal is on of the world’s top surf spots. Portugal has a coastline that spans 497 miles.
Portuguese is the official language of nine countries.
Overlooking the Atlantic and one of several beautiful beaches below us. I found a lot of sea glass on that beach.The North Beach, Nazare, Portugal. Waves can get as high as 100 meters…once or twice a year they say.An old mural made of tiles…beautiful and precious.Two cute grand-kids, having fun!Miss Zoey in an 11th Century Monastery.Ezra!My two sons.A beautiful gelato cone! Yummy.
We visited a Minnesota State Park that we have not been to before. Minneopa State Park near Mankato has a lot to discover. It has a two tier waterfall with a drop of about 30’+ on the second tier. I didn’t know before we went but the word Minneopa comes from the Dakota language which means “water falling twice.” I like that! It is a beautiful waterfalls. Some trails take you down to the base of the falls. It was fun to explore although it was very crowded as there were many people out on a beautiful Saturday in November enjoying the unusually warm weather.
The park also has a bison herd. We did not see any on the drive along the fenced in area where they roam. However, the road took us to an old historic wind mill, Seppmann Mill, built in 1862 and completed in 1864, by a German immigrant for the purpose of grinding grain into flour. Originally it had cloth sails which, of course, no longer exist, but the base of the windmill made of stone is very impressive. The Seppmann Mill is on the U.S. Register of Historic Places.
It was a fun day making all these discoveries, in a “new to us” Minnesota State Park. On a side note, we saw a little boy who was getting scolded in sign language. It was clear what was happening and it was so interesting to watch as we walked by this silent exchange that “spoke” loudly.
On our way to Big Woods State Park (Nerstrand) Saturday night we stopped at Frederick Somers Studio and Gallery along the way. It was part of the 2016 South Central Minnesota Studio Art Tour.
The artist, Fred Somers, along with his wife, warmly welcomed us. We were mesmerized while looking at his beautiful painted landscapes with brilliant color and lighting. He also paints portraits. There was a portrait of his grandson in the studio and the way he painted the light in the blond hair was stunning. How does he do that? He definitely has a special gift from God.
We arrived at the studio a half hour before closing and we were the only ones in the studio when he started sharing his faith journey with us. It is an amazing story and was a privilege to hear it from him. It was a precious time together and when we were leaving he shook our hands, not so much as to say thanks for stopping, but, as he said, he wanted touch each fellow believer before we left. We left there in awe of this artist, his story and his paintings.
The rest of the evening…a short hike, and great bonfire under the full Harvest Moon at Nerstrand (without jackets because of the mild temperatures for mid-October)… made for a lovely evening. One we soon won’t forget.
The three ponds in our neighborhood attract Canadian Geese, especially this time of year, and geese have been flying over our house many times today. I was out in the garden this morning for a couple of “fly overs”. The windows are open so even in the house I have heard them honking while flying over. It’s a wonderful sound! Loud too!
It was 56 degrees when we went for a walk in St. Olaf’s grasslands on Saturday. The path was a little wet in places but it was great to be out in the open prairie. We sat on a bench for a while to soak up some sunshine. After our hike we went downtown and there were people out everywhere…enjoying this Minnesota winter heat wave. Most of the snow has melted because of several consecutive warm days, and the forecast calls for these temperatures to continue for a few more. Will winter return? 
We drove to Wilderness Park after the snow stopped falling excited to get out and play in it. Ours were the first tracks in the park, except for lots of animal tracks. The trees were frosted with an inch or two of the fresh-fallen, white fluff. We strapped on our snowshoes and stomped in the woods, along the river, through the winter wonderland. I kept stopping in awe to take pictures so we got off to a slow start but after awhile I just kept walking to enjoy the beauty and get some fresh air and exercise. It was Minnesota at its finest in winter. Not too cold…no wind… fresh snow cover…beautiful.
