Update On My Exploration of Southern Minnesota

On June 6th, I made my goals for this summer concerning my exploration of Southern MN public. I am embarrassed to say that I did not accomplish much (only visiting Trout Run) between June 6th and July 22nd, but things are really starting to pick up now. I will blame my work schedule and the state shutdown for my month and a half dry spell.

The following is the list I previously shared, and now I can start crossing things off! This is very exciting!

1. Mystery Cave, Forestville State Park, Preston
• I went here yesterday with Mr. Sturm and had a wonderful time. We went on a one hour tour with one other couple and a family with two young boys. The park ranger who gave the tour was very knowledgeable and explained things very well, in my opinion. Also, I was impressed with their lighting and walkway system they have installed for the one-hour tour trek and how little it detracts from the natural beauty and artifacts of the cave. We saw a bat, and little, tiny white insects named springtails. Concerning the insects, however, the guide could have been pulling our legs and simply telling us those white specks in the water were insects. We really couldn't get close enough to see. So, in conclusion, Mystery Cave was a success, and it gets a recommendation from me!
2. Niagra Cave, Harmony
• After Mystery Cave and a detour to downtown Preston, MN and Lanesboro, Mr. Sturm and I continued on the Niagra Cave in Harmony, MN. While Mystery Cave is part of a state park, Niagra Cave is privately owned. The cave itself was really very cool, but you could tell it wasn't as well taken care of as Mystery Cave. Also, the tour guides did not seem nearly as knowledgeable as the park rangers at Mystery Cave, but that is to be expected. Niagra Cave, unlike Mystery Cave, had a lot of running water. We went to go see the 60 foot waterfall, and it really was something else. The view of the waterfall was from above, but it was still something to behold. All through the cave tour, you could hear the running water, and the water dripped down on us from above. Unlike Mystery Cave, the ceilings were generally taller at Niagra Cave, and it seemed like most of the time, the roof was about 70 feet above us, although the passageways were much narrower. Niagra Cave had two themes for their cave, it seemed. The theme acknowledged by our guide was one of love and marriage. The one I saw as a trend but was not formally labeled was what I like to call, "Things That Are Gonna Getcha!" For the love theme, there was a little chapel in a room that looked like it had a steeple, a formation that looked like a veil, a wedding cake, the Titanic, and a high heeled shoe. There was also a rock that used to be called The Kissing Rock, I guess, where they let people go up and kiss on it, then if they got down safely, they were supposed to live happily ever after. In my opinion, the way it was described, this also ties to the  "Things That Are Gonna Getcha!" theme which also included skeleton hands, crocodile heads, and claws. Overall, I would recommend, but only if you also go to Mystery Cave.
3. Downtown Lanseboro
•  Everyone is always telling me how great Lanesboro is, but I don't really see it. My favorite part was the spoon shop where the guy makes wooden spoons by hand. One of the spoons stood up and looked like a dog, with the spoon part as the head. He also made crazy little creatures out of dried walnuts and other odds and ends. Perhaps if I went back to Lanesboro and did more of their active things, such as kayaking or tubing, it would be a more enjoyable experience. Of course I had a nice time anyway, but part of that was the company I was keeping.
4. Mayowood Mansion, Rochester
5. Zollman Zoo and Oxbow Park,  Byron
• Scheduled for Wednesday.
6. Trout Run, Fillmore County (Chatfield)
• Very cool. Probably infinitely more cool if you are into fly fishing.
7. Spam Museum, Austin
8. Honkers game, Rochester (I can see them from my yard!)
• Other Ivy and I just went to go see the game this afternoon. We both got in for free because it was active transportation day, and we both used our bodies instead of cars to get there. That was pretty exciting. The weather was nicer today than it has been the past week. There was  a slight breeze, so that helped us feel as if maybe, just maybe, this blasted heat wave is on the way out. The Honkers played the Thunder Bay Cats and won! YAY!!!! I definitely recommend a Honkers game if you enjoy baseball.
9. Roosters game, Rochester
• Scheduled for Saturday.

So I have accomplished five things on my list of nine, and have two more scheduled for this week. It seems that perhaps, against all odds, I may actually complete my list for exploring Southern Minnesota!

Exploring Southern Minnesota

I love to travel and go on little adventures. You probably remember me telling you about the Protagitron's and my awesome trip to Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe in Seattle, Washington. It was incredible. I love doing things like that.

On a teacher's salary, however, and the fact that I work 60 hour weeks (usually, sometimes a little less, oftentimes a lot more) while only getting paid for 40 of those hours, it can be difficult to find the funds and time for the kind of grand adventures I have envisioned. So, I have decided to still go on adventures, but to make the most of my summer by exploring what I have right here.

What I have right here is Southeastern Minnesota*, and it turns out there is quite a bit to do here.

1. Mystery Cave, Forrestville
2. Niagra Cave, Harmony
3. Downtown Lanseboro
4. Mayowood Mansion, Rochester
5. Zollman Zoo and Oxbow Park,  Byron
6. Trout Run, Fillmore County
7. Spam Museum, Austin
8. Honkers game, Rochester (I can see them from my yard!)
9. Roosters game, Rochester

 There's of course more I would like to see, but I only have two months, and I will be working full time, so I feel like this is already pretty ambitious. I will be going to one of the caves first. With that decision made, I just need to pick a date, time, and someone willing to drive out to go into a cave. Caves are cool, right?

As a reminder, don't forget to go to the Disney website and take this quiz so that you can participate in my survey!

*I already wrote about this a while back, but hadn't done as much research then. Now I know what I want to do, and I will make it happen.

I Got Skunked

Friday night I cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen, so when Saturday morning rolled around, I decided to lounge around in my sweats for as long as possible. Even though I woke up at 8:30am, I didn't get showered and dressed until nearly 11:00am. I spent the morning eating, drinking tea, reading my book, working on crossword puzzles, and catching up on some television. It was very nice.

At one o'clock, my friend Carolyn came and picked me up. Over the last month, it has come to my attention that everyone and their pet duck (or everyone and their grandmother, if you prefer that phrase) in Rochester goes fly fishing. If you know me at all, you can probably imagine that I am not much of a fisherman. In fact, I don't think I've been fishing since I was maybe five years old at Eagle River, and that wasn't fly fishing, but sitting-on-the-end-of-the-dock-with-another-fish-on-the-hook fishing. It always made me sad to see the bucket of little tiny fish swimming around. One of the adults would let a kid choose, then catch the little fish with their hands and ruthlessly, callously, and with malice, attach it to the sharp, torturous hook, the point of which gleamed in the sunlight. Of course, I was five and younger, so I may be blowing this a little out of proportion.

The point is, everyone here seems to go fly fishing. Granted, almost everyone I know here works at or is somehow connected to the school where I work, so it might not be a very accurate sampling of the city's population. Carolyn enjoys fly fishing, as does her boyfriend, Bruce. Everyone on the maintenance team I've spoken with enjoys fly fishing. The other Ivy on the DHH team goes fly fishing. And so, on Friday when Carolyn asked if I wanted to tag along with her, I jumped at the opportunity.

Carolyn picked me up at one o'clock, and after dropping her daughter and daughter's friend off at the Apache Mall, we got on 52 southbound and drove through Chatfield. Just south of Chatfield, we pulled off onto this dirt road and no sooner had I blinked than we were at Trout Run.

Despite the clouds and drizzling rain, the view was breathtaking. As Carolyn pulled on her waders and set up her fishing rod, I watched in awe as not one, but five! hawks circled above us. Dozens of little birds chirped, tweeted, and flew around us. The cows and their calves rambled around in the hilly fields, and the trout were literally jumping out of the water!

"Oh! There's a fish! There's another one! Carolyn! Look at all the fish!" I exclaimed pointing. Carolyn good-naturedly smiled and agreed that the fish were in fine form that day.

I watched Carolyn prepare for this fly fishing sport, and I'll admit it is a rather labor-intensive and tedious set-up. I got to help tie the lure because I could thread the line through the little eye-holes of the tiny fake insects.

Mostly I watched Carolyn fish and enjoyed the scenery. Some of Trout Run is right up against a wall of rocks, covered in moss and plants, with trees on top. Occasionally, one of the several hawks would stop circling and perch up there, surveying the land below. The sound of the rushing water and the feel of the soft earth beneath my boots while taking in the cool, damp air and sights of so many animals was amazing and incredibly relaxing.

At one point we climbed over a "style" and into a pasture with the some cows and their calves. The "style" was basically little stairs to climb over the barbed wire fence. Carolyn explained that whenever you see one of these, it is like granting permission to have access to the stream via the pasture. While Carolyn continued with her fishing, I wandered around along the stream, climbing over "styles" and exploring an interesting bridge.

Carolyn let me play with the fishing rod for a while, too, and attempted to teach me to cast. It is rather tricky, I think, but keep in mind that I have the fine and gross motor skills of a four year old, and you don't see many four year olds fly fishing. I did not catch anything, which Martin says in fishing lingo is "getting skunked". Carolyn, however, caught two brown trout, which she released because they were so small.

After a little while, damp and happy, we got back in the car and drove back towards the city of Rochester. Once home, the sun came out and the rain stopped. I thought about going for a walk, but all that fresh air had tuckered me out, and after my dinner of tacos, I accidentally took a little fifteen minute nap on the couch.

I finished my day with sorting some laundry and going over to a friend's house to eat sweet potato fries, chocolate cake, and watch "Flipped", which was actually a rather cute film.

It turns out, fly fishing might be something I want to try. And even if I don't try it, I'd like to go back down to Trout Run just to sit and take deep breaths of fresh air while enjoying the sights and sounds of nature.

*Last chance to share how you keep your brain young! Take the survey today!*