21 May 2016 ASP Geobash

The weather at Allegany State Park is usually one of two extremes. Either the day is hot and sunny or there is some precipitation. Today, like last year was a day of rain. It rained enough for the group photo to be taken inside the event tent for the first time. Signal spent most of the time under cover too.

We still enjoyed the day very much. One of my favorite activities as a reviewer is participating in reviewer panels. Today's panel was well attended with lively discussions.

We spent time indoors visiting with friends and hoping for a change in the weather. Eventually we realized the weather was not going to improve greatly so we did what cachers do. We hit the trail in the rain. It wasn't always raining, but it was always. We still enjoyed our time with friends and were happy to be on the trails.

Painted Trilliums were plentiful and at their peak.

I had no idea fairy homes existed in the woods, but someone had placed one off the trail at Allegany State Park.

1 August 2015 Do We Have To Leave?

That last full day of vacation is always an odd one for me. It's a weird mix of thinking can we just stay a little longer and the reality of course we can't since work pays for these. There were four more state parks and a long drive back to the Minneapolis area so we didn't get to spend as much time at a few places as I would have liked.

Bear Head Lake State Park was a beautiful place. I wanted to just stop and rest by this peaceful shore.

It was a good week for spotting some really nice towers. It was not a good week for finding towers open for climbing. I was hopeful as we approached this and saw people climbing it. Once we reached the tower, the no climbing signs were very evident so my hopes of a great view were dashed. We were able to locate an old cache nearby, but not the benchmark disks around the tower.

Moose Lake State Park had water that just called out for a boat or kayak or anything that would float. The area where we parked was filled with visitors going out for a paddle.

Banning State Park was not the most memorable, but it still gave us a nice walk and a chance to see an immature red-headed woodpecker.

St, Croix State Park was our last cache of the day and the last cache before a long drive to the hotel. We were a little hurried knowing we were going to be very late getting back, but we enjoyed an end of the day trail along the river and a striking sunset.

31 July 2015 After the Mine

We had two plans for the day. The first was the visit to Soudan Mine. After the mine, Ali planned for the oldest active cache in Minnesota (November 2000) and any other interesting caches we spotted on the way. The oldest cache was a walk in the woods behind someone's hunting camp. We enjoyed the view along the walk and were happy to one again spot orchids in Minnesota.

Purple fringed Orchid

I'm used to seeing tree stands and elaborate tree houses for hunting. This simple elevated platform near the cache site was a different view of deer hunting.

Our turn-around point for the day was a bog beyond Minnesota's oldest. We both enjoy bog visits. The different ecosystems always present an opportunity for new or unusual plants. This one didn't give any great surprises, but offered nice diversity on our walk.

We made a stop in the hunting area by Gheen Tower. I was hoping as we approached to see the tower open for climbing, but it was fenced and not accessible. We did enjoy spotting orchid leaves near the cache in the area.

We made a last stop in Tower mostly to visit the rolling stock at the train museum. The museum was closed, but the grounds off nice views of some old rolling stock including a nicely kept wood side caboose.

Engine 1218 is in better shape than most publicly displayed steam engines. A few of the gages are broken, but most of the fittings seem to be in place. This 2-8-0 celebrated its 100th birthday in 2010. Photos are a challenge with the cover.

Inside the cab

21 October 2013 Big Walker Mountain

This was it. The day set aside to spend aroud Big Walker Mountain. There were caches, hiking, and a tower. Throw in a benchmark, some great views, and fall colors ro make a great day.

Our day started with an unexpected hike along the AT. It was a super stretch starting with a waterfalls near the trail head. The woods moved from leaves changing colors to large stands of rhododenren and a few orchids. It was a good way to start the day.

Big Walker is not tall by western standards, but in the east, it offers a great view. Even without climbing the tower, there's a attractive view available to southwest. We bought our tickets and we climbed. The views at the top were great while the suspension walkway was an added bit of fun.

The tower cast a long shadow on this sunny day.

It was windy and the tower was swaying a bit. I was happy, but Ali didn't stay at the top for long.

We ended our day at Comer's Rock with a few caches and sunset.