Chisago County

Garland, wreaths, and snowflakes

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Crystal

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, it’s time to look back at my 2016 road trips to see the decorations in cities and towns across Minnesota. This year I didn’t make any special trips; I only visited when I was already going to an area – though admittedly I may have taken the long way once or twice. (Wait, this isn’t entirely true; the Isanti / Cambridge / Braham trip was just for fun. The other two trips, though were for other reasons.)

The themes this year: wreaths, garland, and snowflakes. That was all I saw on the lampposts, no matter which city.

Garland-wrapped lamp posts in Taylors Falls:

Henderson:

and Chisago City:

Identical wreaths on all the buildings in Isanti:

Wreaths in Cambridge:

and Jordan:

Snowflakes in…

Shafer:

Lindstrom:

Le Sueur:

and Shakopee:

The store windows and town squares were quite festive. It was really hard to take pictures without reflections from across the street, but I did my best.

Frandsen Bank & Trust in Braham:

Floral shop in Jordan:

Main Street in Le Sueur:

Mrs. Claus and Mr. Claus on Main Street in Henderson:

Gazebos in Chisago City…

…and Braham:

Santa’s warming house in Belle Plaine:

A nervous pig in the window of Isanti Retail Meats:

Santa’s sleigh in the Cambridge State Bank:

…and the reindeer across the street at Herman’s Bakery and Deli:

My favorite: a three-window painting of Santa and his sleigh in the windows of the Creamery Crossing cafe in Isanti. From right to left:

Santa…

…the reindeer…

…and Rudolph, who is – of course – a cow.

Previous Christmas road trips

Minnesota state parks in springtime

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Crystal

I’m always on the lookout for wildflowers, so at the first sign of spring, we headed out to four parks to see what we could find.

Wild River

I had a day off in early April and headed an hour north of the Twin Cities to Wild River State Park by myself. It was too early for wildflowers! But there were very clear views of the river and woods since none of the vegetation had grown in yet. It was a great day for a solo walk; I saw only one pair of runners during this 1.5-hour visit.

Quiet path through the woods.

Down by the St. Croix River.

Bright orange mushrooms popping out around brown leaves

These orange mushrooms (I’ve already forgotten their name) were a bright spot of color on the mostly brown ground.

Wild River Canoe Rental building, boarded up

Waiting for warmer weather (and tourists).

Wild River State Park

One hour north of St. Paul
Date visited: April 13, 2015

Sibley

Maybe it was the dreary weather the day we visited…

Lazy, hazy, crazy days of… early spring.

maybe it was the fact that we got lost more than once on the trails (which could use better signs, in my opinion)…

Which way does this path go – left, straight, or right?

maybe because it was still too early for wildflowers (not the park’s fault)…

The only green the entire trip.

but I quickly decided this wasn’t my favorite state park. Still, there were things to enjoy along the way.

First loon sighting of the season!

Many buildings built by the Veterans Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

Observation tower, viewed from the ground

Lookout at the top of Mount Tom, the tallest spot in the area.

Sibley State Park

Two hours west of Minneapolis; 20 minutes north of Willmar
Date visited: April 18, 2015

Carley

Carley State Park is famous for Virginia bluebells – and in May, there are millions.

The weather was much more pleasant for this wildflower trip. Plus, we actually got to see wildflowers.

Yes, I WILL take the wildflower trail.

Bluebell-lined path.

Several false rue anemone along the river

There were at least as many of these white flowers – false rue anemone – as there were bluebells.

Non-accessible walk across the stream.

Climb the stairs.

Carley State Park

1.5 hours south of St. Paul
Date visited: May 2, 2015

Nerstrand-Big Woods

As long as we were in the area, we stopped by for a quick visit to try again to find dwarf trout lilies. And we did!

A small white flower among much larger green leaves

Dwarf trout lily is so tiny, it’s easy to miss.

Marsh marigolds on both sides of a small stream

Marsh marigolds, on the other hand, aren’t easily missed.

And, of course, Hidden Falls is a must-see attraction.

Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park

1 hour south of St. Paul
Date visited: May 2, 2015

Now, on to summer adventures!

Categories: Chisago County, Kandiyohi County, Rice County, Wabasha County | Tags: spring, state parks | Leave a comment

Festive Minnesota towns

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Crystal

I love driving through small-town Minnesota in December, seeing all the vintage Christmas lights. One Saturday in 2014 we drove up Old 61 to Duluth, stopping in every town along the way. Out-of-order, here’s what we saw.

Rudolph in Hinckley.

Dala horse in Cloquet.

Festive dinosaur on the playground in Mahtowa.

A stocking in Rutledge.

A couple candles in Sandstone.

A bell in Sturgeon Lake.

Curb-to-curb garland in Pine City.

Starburst in Barnum.

Light poles wrapped in garland in Carlton.

Wreaths are a popular choice on Minnesota main streets. Finlayson, North Branch, and Pine City have the same style.

Harris, Rush City, and Moose Lake have other styles of wreaths.

We finished the adventure at Bentleyville in Duluth.

The Lift Bridge in lights:

Paul and Babe:

And, perhaps in a nod to Mahtowa, dinosaurs:

A couple other favorites from the season, though not from this trip:

Folsom House in Taylors Falls, with each room decorated for Christmas by a local business.

A wreath again in Scandia.

Rice Park in downtown St. Paul.

These photos were retroactively posted on Dec. 1, 2015. I don’t know why I didn’t create this post in 2014; perhaps it’s because I recorded it all on Instagram instead.