EcoStrides

With the gift-giving season upon us, Stan Tekiela’s field guides are a good choice for budding naturalists. I personally own the Minnesota versions of Birds of Prey, Mammals, Trees, and Wildflowers. I also have the Birds field guide and its companion CD of bird songs. Matching the song to the plumage is a good time, and requisite if you want to get into birding.

These field guides are great because they have just the right amount of information without overwhelming you, and the photography is stunning! Some of the reviews on amazon.com are negative, saying Tekiela’s guides are too basic. But if you’re a novice like myself, basic is what you want!

New gear made all the difference!

A few years ago three friends and I decided to rent a cabin and go cross-country skiing. So I dug out my never-been-used skis that I bought twenty years ago. It was March so the weather was warm and the snow sticky. I applied the appropriate wax and off we went.

I knew that I was the most inexperienced skier of the group, but this was ridiculous! My friends were always way ahead of me and I was slipping all over the place. After two hours of torture, one of my friends looked at the map and said, “We’re about half-way done.” I could not believe my ears; I didn’t think I could survive another two hours.

The next day I made a deal to trade skis with my friend for awhile. I happily zipped along on her skis and at the end of the trail she pulled in well after us and yelled, “Sue, your skis suck!” It was then and there that I decided to invest in a new pair of skis.

I went to Finn Sisu and purchased Atomic waxless skis, Salomon boots, and Rex poles. It’s been smooth gliding ever since.

Hoping that the sage and rosemary make it through the winter indoors

I am already looking forward to spring. I know, I know—winter is not even here yet. But next year I plan to convert areas of grass (weeds, really) to gardens with flowers, herbs, and berries. I’ll be spending time this winter strategizing with the book Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota. Gardening is a lot of work, so I’ll be taking it one step at a time, starting with the sunniest patch in the yard.

• Walking around the neighborhood with my dog
• Lying in a hammock in the backyard looking up at the leaves
• Seeing how the garden goes from nothing to something during the season
• Enjoying a drink in the porch while watching the snow fall
• Waking to birds singing in the springtime

Here’s an event for my fellow outdoorsy-type wannabes. Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis is hosting its annual Outdoor Adventure Expo November 21-23, 2008.

Highlights

• Everything on sale
• Lots of exhibitors, such as outdoor clubs
• Free presentations and demonstrations about outdoor activities and travel
• Interesting speakers
• Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour (you need tickets)

Hope to see you there!

Some of the best things about each of the Minnesota State Parks that I have visited…

Afton

Get a workout hiking the rolling hills of this nearby state park.

Banning

Seeing remnants of the sandstone quarries makes hiking through this park especially interesting, as if the wild and crazy Kettle River wasn’t enough.

Beaver Creek Valley

This lush, green park in bluff country has fly fishing opportunities.

Picnic area at Cascade River State Park

Cascade River

I love the isolated picnic area nestled among the cedar trees on the shores of Lake Superior. It’s a great place to relax for hours, gazing at this ocean-like lake.

Fort Snelling

The Mississippi and Minnesota rivers meet in this metro area nature retreat.

Observation blind at Glendalough

Glendalough

Although I didn’t spot any wildlife, I think it’s cool that the park has observation blinds.

Gooseberry Falls

Walking amidst the waterfalls is great fun!

Interstate

This is the place to see potholes galore and learn about glaciers. It’s worth a trip over to the Wisconsin side too.

Lake Itasca

Itasca

I love canoeing with the loons on peaceful Lake Itasca. My favorite kind of lake is long and narrow, so Lake Itasca fits the bill with three separate “arms”. The giant red and white pines are the signature of this park.

Jay Cooke State Park

Jay Cooke

The massive, rugged rocks in the St. Louis River are a memorable site from the swinging bridge.

Minneopa

The double waterfall is the draw to this park, but I really enjoyed walking through the oak savanna littered with big boulders.

St. Croix

This is an all-around great park with 2 rivers and lots of trails.

Sakatah Singing Hills Trail

Sakatah Lake

Biking or walking the tunnel of trees of the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail is very pleasant. We also saw wild turkeys in the park.

Red pines at Scenic State Park

Scenic

This park has the beauty of Itasca without the crowds. Hiking the Chase Point Trail along the high narrow peninsula is awesome if you love red pine and cedar, like me.

Split Rock Lighthouse

The lighthouse in the distance with birch trees in the foreground is a picture-perfect scene.

Temperance River

If you’re visiting the North Shore it’s worth stopping to hike along the river gorge and enjoy the many waterfalls.

Tettegouche State Park

Tettegouche

This park offers beautiful trails high on the rocky cliffs overlooking Lake Superior. I can’t imagine any better vistas of Lake Superior.

Whitewater

Believe it or not, there are no mosquitoes here in the middle of summer!

Wild River

Cross-country skiing is lots of fun here.

William O’Brien

On a hot summer day there’s nothing better than canoeing the St. Croix and stopping at a sandbar on or near Greenberg Island. My dog thought that running and jumping through the ankle-deep, warm water was pure joy, and I would have to agree!

Have you ever wondered where to go camping or hiking? I figure you can’t go wrong with any of the Minnesota State Parks! I joined the Passport Club and look forward to getting a stamp from each of the 70+ state parks and recreation areas. (I have 6 so far. Too bad I can’t count the parks I’ve been to before getting my passport. I guess I’ll have to go again!) It also sounds fun to complete the list of selected hikes in their Hiking Club. Support our parks by joining one of these clubs for $14.95 each. Learn more about the Hiking and Passport Clubs.

There once was a dog named Spot
whose life jacket made him hot
His attitude was healthy
He thought himself wealthy
His red canoe was his yacht

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sitting in a red canoe
What a splendid thing to do
Sharing the water with the loons
Paddling around without iTunes
Staring at the sky so blue

Our home away from home

We decided to bypass a new tent altogether and get a camper. My enjoyment of camping has increased exponentially since purchasing a camper this summer.

This particular camper is an aframe. It folds down for storage and transport. It is quick and easy to pop up and has no canvas. It is cute as a button.

The best things about a camper are:

1. Sleeping in a comfortable bed
2. Being in a pleasant situation while it’s raining
3. Cooking while it’s raining
4. Washing your hands at any time
5. Not dealing with melted ice and coolers
6. Having ample storage space

Any ideas for a name? The Cabin, La Casita…

Refrigerator, sink, heater

Bed and cabinet

Table folds down into bed

Indoor/outdoor stove

Campsite in Glendalough State Park, before the flood

Our tent served us well for 14 years. Then a major rainstorm left us all wet, so we thought it was time for a new tent.

We bought a Kelty Traildome 4 and tried it out one weekend. This 4-person tent was too small for the two of us and the door was difficult to zipper shut, so we took advantage of REI’s generous return policy, feeling a little guilty about returning something used.

Then we gave a cheap tent a chance—a Coleman on sale for $70. But a light rain in the morning left my sleeping bag wet. And a light breeze caused the tent to nearly collapse. Luckily, Sports Authority also allowed us to return a slightly used tent.

So we decided to look at the really nice tents next, but ended up going a little overboard. More about that later…