Posts tagged woods
Forest & Prairie: A Tranquil Walk Through Linnaeus Arboretum

Located in St. Peter, about a twenty minute drive from Mankato, MN, is Gustavus Adolphus College, home to the Linnaeus Arboretum. This botanical wonderland was founded in 1973 by a botany professor at the college, Charles Mason, and his wife, Harriet Mason. The area is unique in that it incorporates all three of the major ecosystems in Minnesota: tall grass prairie, deciduous woods, and coniferous forest, allowing you to observe a wide variety of flora and fauna. With 130 acres, the arboretum gives plenty of room for you to wander, bring a picnic, or read on a bench surrounded by cascading blooms.

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Canyon Falls & Gorge(ous) Views at the Grand Canyon of Michigan (ft. Kindi, the adventure pup)

Located off of US 41 just outside L'Anse, MI (about an hour away from Marquette), there's an unassuming turnoff to a parking lot filled with cars. Today, our adventure crew consists of Kari, Kayla (her sister and my friend/now roommate!), and Kari's newest addition to the family, Kindi, a precocious 4-and-a-half-month-old lab/border collie mix whose name means "squirrel" in Swahili (even though she was actually named after a gorilla at the Louisville Zoo). A battered map shows that "Canyon Falls" is located on a single, straight-shot trail about a mile away.

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Dolomite Cliffs, Wildlife Sightings, and a Floating Walkway: A hike in Rasmussen Woods

This weekend was anxiously awaited for in my little apartment in Mankato. Why? Because my fiancé drove the 12 twelve hours up from Kentucky on Thursday so that we could spend Labor Day weekend together. Life is just better when Ryan is here.

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