Day 8 Minnesota

Morning came through the vents in the tent. A beautiful sunrise, birds singing, ducks honking and a flurry of activity happening in the forest. This is my favorite part of nature waking up in the morning to the fresh air, although I do admit I was not expecting the temperatures to dip quite as low as they did. It was quite exhilarating to arise in the brisk morning air.  Made a cup of tea, welcomed the morning with sun salutation and namaste!  watching the sun rise over the bluffs. The warmth of the sun was most welcome as it made its way over the horizon.

It was a chilly night of sleep. Keeping warm was an issue. Had it not been for the train horns blowing throughout the night I would have thought I was the only person around for miles. There was a train to the east in Wisconsin and one not to far, it sounded, from the park. They seemed to travel and sound their horns in unison.

Today, off to Barn Bluff and Lake Elmo. Possibly to St. Paul and Minneapolis. Thoreau is said to have climbed Barn Bluff and visited Indian Mounds Park in St. Paul. As it turned out Barn Bluff was teeming with kids cleaning the trails and lake Elmo was further than I wanted to drive and the traffic was heavy. I found myself at the top of the Great River Road "Anishinabe" meaning the Great River, also known as the Mississippi River. Met a wonderful lady at the visitors center, who gave me a plethora of information on the road and the region. I walked around the center, that had displays of the eagles, their habitat, nests and screech. I discovered the early morning screeching I heard was that of the resident eagles. A beautiful, yet eerie song.

Ventured up the memorial drive to the top of Skyline Drive for a view of Barn Bluff that is to the east of memorial park in Red Wing. On top of the bluffs there is a sense of appreciation of how high up you are. And how massive the bluffs are rising up from the earth below. The eagles and hawks soar over the bluffs, circling them continuously. What a sight.

Returned to the camp with the intention of climbing Barn Bluff and visiting Indian Mounds Park in St. Paul in the morning, then heading to South Dakota. A family has moved into the site beside me. They are a bit rowdy. They allowed their dogs to roam in my site. I talked to them a few times, they went to discuss it with the guy at the store. While I was there we started talking about my trip and where I had been. I told him a bit about Thoreau and passed a small book on to him, explained that Thoreau had been through the area 149 years earlier his final excursion. He seemed interested.

As the sun went down I listened to my new neighbors partying, yelling at the kids and the dogs. The cold and the train kept me from getting a good night sleep.

I awoke to something scratching at my tent. When I opened my eyes I couldn't quite focus on what was jumping at the bottom of the tent. When I looked up at the roof of the tent under the rain cover I noticed two small frogs perched on the top. When I stepped outside I noticed there were quite a few around the tent. I was rather amused at my protectors, and let them explore before striking my tent and moving on.