Welcome to Nature Friday, where we get to meet new friends and share a picture or two of what nature looks like around Blogville. A sincere thank you to all who have visited this week and followed our Minnesota visit with family. I promise the pups will return Monday.
On our final day in Minnesota, we took a ride out to Itasca State Park and the Mississippi River Headwaters. Where the river begins its journey
Here, 1475 feet above the ocean,
the mighty Mississippi begins
to flow on its winding way
2552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.
Itasca is the oldest state park in Minnesota, established in 1891. Not only is it the location of the start of the Mississippi River, but is the home to many beautiful trails. We had a great time exploring a trail leading to a fire tower.
Along the way, I got to admire some cool fungi....
Since we rarely see any kind of mushroom here in New Mexico, this was a wonderful treat.
I saw some beautiful blooming jewel weed
This dogbane with its pink striped curly blooms were everywhere
...as were the yellow avens.
Believe it or not, this is actually a species of hazelnut. When you peel the green casing away, there is a small nut inside.
I noticed some pretty columbine flowers and was amazed at how much smaller they were compared to the ones that grow, not only here, but in California.
The kids had a blast climbing the Fire Tower before we started the trek back. (This fire tower is retired, most Minnesota fires are now spotted by satellite)
This was our second trip Itasca State Park, but our first hike. I definitely can see us coming back again next year to see what other beautiful trails we can find.
We had such a marvelous time visiting with family in Minnesota, and would recommend the Park Rapids area to anyone looking for a nice quiet place to get away and live the Lake Life for a bit~
We hope all our friends get out and explore some kind of nature this weekend!
Show us your nature! It can be flowers, your current weather, a scene out of your window, or maybe a picture from a vacation, walk or other journey! Any kind of nature picture will do! If you don't see a link below, click HERE to go to our Hoppity Page.
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