I’m hoping by the end of the week there will be an abundance of snow in Duluth. This weekend I’m going to head north and do some snowshoeing. But I would also like to get out on a weeknight after work — can anyone tell me where there are snowshoe trails that are lit up at night? Does Lester Park have snowshoe trails or are they all ski trails? Any web sites or maps to tell which trails are which? Thanks!
Now that I’ve had three great ski trips there myself, I can spread the word to other snow-hungry Duluthians: there is fantastic cross country skiing in Brule. Good old Lake Superior lake-effect snows cranked up again last week; while Duluthians were shivering in the windchill, four inches of the fresh stuff was falling on the Afterhours Trail in Brule. It’s lovely down there.
Head to my blog for more pics and a description of my new favorite ski trail.
Duluth’s Bob and Peggy Hom check out the “singing sands” at Julian Bay on Stockton Island in this In Wisconsin segment from 2008.
On May 1, two adventurers will hit the saddle and begin their documented journey around the Great Lakes of North America. We will spend three months bicycling over 5,000 miles on a journey that will take us through two countries, eight states, and over 20 major cities. As we undertake this epic journey we will be filming with high-definition cameras to document our experiences.
OK, maybe there are more than twelve steps, and maybe they are not-so-easy. But the City of Duluth and the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District promised a “12-year schedule to stop sewage overflows.” That was back in 2004 (I think), so if my math is right we are 8 years into the plan. I don’t know about you, fellow Duluthians, but I am feeling irie!
Here it is early February, and spring is in the air. That means snow-melt, which admittedly won’t be a huge issue this year. But we know from past experience that spring melt and heavy rains can lead to sewer overflows. This is a problem worth understanding, and rather than trying to offer details here, I highly recommend WLSSD’s article on the topic (I and I Solutions – Inflow and Infiltration: When Clean Water Causes Problems!).
Read more about why I love the new storage tank in Canal Park, and overlook some of its less redeeming qualities (and see a photo) by visiting today’s Nature of Modern Life post.
When you look at old pictures of Duluth’s Cascade Park there is a creek that runs through it. Whatever happened to it? Why did people change it?
It’s visible in Finland — as in northern Europe, not Finland, Minn.
Why even listen to the weather forecast? With the fizzle of yet another snow forecast into gray skies and brown ground, I’m about to give up hope on the cross country ski season. Time to pull out the ice skates and hit one of Duluth’s fine outdoor rinks.
Any recommendations about places to rent skates here in town?
I’ve been having hot flashes. No, not that kind of hot flash. And if it were, I sure wouldn’t be writing about it here. I am talking about something more insidious: a societal hot flash.
Is anyone else losing patience with media references to “unseasonably warm” temperatures? This is a record-busting winter on all counts.
Case in point, Little Angie’s: “Opulent Ice House Coming Soon: December 9 Until Thaw!” High-end cocktails to be offered in a lounge made of ice blocks. But today I noticed the piled shards of melting ice scattered around the enclosure. They just couldn’t get the thing built.
For more ranting about the Duluth climate-change experience, including a couple of photos, please see my latest Nature of Modern Life blog post.
(And, yes, it would seem that the joke is on me. Winter is here today. Gone tomorrow? We’ll see.)
Doe anyone got deets on snow cover outside Finland? I’m heading into the woods for the day on Sunday. Yak Trax, snowshoes or both?
Thanks to all the pagan drummers and bonfire tenders, the sun came back up this morning. From Park Point, it was rising right over the mouth of the Amnicon River. Where was your solstice sunrise?
Here are a few musings on the topic.
Happy winter!
Chester Bowl Park is open for its 2011 downhill skiing season. Daily lift tickets for all ages are $5.25. Details at chesterbowl.org.
