Friday, September 17, 2010

Last Weekend – Jay Cooke

Camping was the way we spent last weekend. We all had a pretty good time as usual. Even better is that the weather was cooler so everyone was comfortable hiking. Very nice…I love the Fall.

Moose Lake State Park is north of the Twin Cities and while there we went up to Jay Cooke State Park and did a bit of rugged hiking. Though it had been raining prior to our arrival it didn’t rain on us. However, it did make for some muddy, slippery conditions among the rocks.

Of course my biggest mistake was forgetting to put on my hiking boots and having to do it in my sneakers, which are very old and not meant for this type of hiking. Then there is my age, short legs and lack of decent balance on slippery slopes – but I did *not* fall once.  Ok…held up the pack several times with my sloth like speed over some of the boulders, but none the less I came out rejuvenated (perhaps a bit of exaggeration) and ready for more hiking…on less challenging terrain.

It *is* fun to do that though, I was just pretty disappointed that I couldn’t navigate the trail as well as I would like to have.

All that said, Jay Cooke is an absolutely beautiful place. Unfortunately the skies were gray, which we all discussed and none of us could ever remember going to Jay Cooke with blue skies above us.

Crossing the Swinging Bridge.

The water is root beer colored in the St. Louis River and some of the Northern Minnesota rivers due to the naturally occurring acids. These rivers start from the wetlands which support a wide variety of plant life, such as spruce and tamarack trees, evergreen shrubs, cattails, sedges, grasses and sphagnum moss. When these plants die and decay, they release acids which color the water a root beer brown.

I just liked the swirls in the water in the photo below.

Tough to capture reflections on a cloudy day in this water, but beautiful scenes, none the less.

After we were done running around Jay Cooke we drove on up to Duluth, Minnesota to see some more sights. (you can see that in a previous post, just click on Duluth!)

For more Weekend Reflections photos click here!

For more That’s My World Tuesday photos click here!

For more Outdoors Wednesday photos click here!

24 comments:

  1. Looks like a wonderful place to hike. I'm sure you won't forget your boots next time :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love 'sloth like speed' - that's priceless

    beautiful photos, beautiful family - two legs and four legs :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. That river seemed like perfect place bot for reflection and relaxation.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a marvelous trip, beautiful place, lovely reflections and Dianne is right, beautiful family, two legs and four! Have a wonderful weekend!

    Sylvia

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a nice 'reflection' on your recent adventures. Enjoyed it very much.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That looks like a wonderful day. I don't have hiking boots but I'd love to go on that hike. Great shots Sistertex!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a wonderful day for an adventure! Amazing set of pictures and I like a lot your reflections shots.Also love the little friend, that cute dog!
    hugs and a happy weekend,
    Léia - Bonjour Luxembourg

    ReplyDelete
  8. These are beautiful photos my friend. I was wondering what that discoloration was. I've never heard of such a thing. How interesting. Congrats on making that hike my friend. Very well done. The reflections are beautiful. John Cook is? Have a great Friday :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a beautiful day for a walk... Great occasion for reflection indeed ! Thanks for the sharing...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just amazes me how beautiful nature can do to make us happy. We have like this too here in MI and it's so pretty. Happy weekend!
    Orchid reflection

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great photos ... lovely place to hike!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What an absolutely beautiful place. I love the bridge. And the color of the water is fascinating!

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm glad to see that our hounds aren't the only ones enjoying the local state parks this summer. Yours looks beautiful! I love the explanation about the root beer river, too!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the pictures! And I would love to go there someday.

    ReplyDelete
  15. wow! what a beautiful place. I love hiking too.
    beautiful Fall color, I never realized your Fall was so much earlier.
    Interesting about the root beer colored water.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful part of the country you chose to go camping, the trees and the river are so pretty. I couldn't bring myself to walk over the swing bridge. Your dog seemed to have enjoyed himself too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a beautiful hike you had. I am with you on the sneakers, it is a pain indeed to be in the best footwear while hiking. I once slipped because I was wearing the wrong footwear. Love the whole trail and most especially the rootbeer colored river.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That's one tired but happy hound, I'm guessing! Sid wouldn't have liked the slipperyness though, poor soul.

    It looks so much like Yorkshire! Except for all the conifers, that is, because Yorkshire is mostly deciduous trees, but the water runs brown up there too, in the streams and brooks and some of the rivers. It's due to the peat, but it's the same rich brown colour. Goes beautifully with a blue sky - shame you don't seem to get those in that lovely place.

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a beautiful spot for an outdoor adventure. Thanks for sharing! ~ Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  20. Camping and hiking. It doesn't get any better than that!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jay Cooke looks like a gorgeous place to hike! I cannot wait until November when i will be able to go hiking in Maine. I have not been hiking in a while.

    Thanks for the hike through Jay Cooke!

    ~ Tracy

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have been to Jay Cooke a few times. It's a great park and you did a great job capturing its beauty!

    ReplyDelete

 

 

Blog Directory for Minnesota