New Snowshoes on order

I haven't been writing much because I haven't been running much. I have a bunch of excuses but the results are the same - not much running. I have been working out, boot camp, yoga and regular exercise class. Winter is a time to relax and do other things, right?

As for running, what little I've done has been running on snowshoes. My snowshoes are early 1990's vintage Redfeathers and I still like them. The bindings are no longer made with the toe covers. The decking seams are starting to come apart.

I want a small snowshoe to replace my 25" Redfeathers. Not that I race in them but as long as the trail is somewhat groomed, the smaller ones do OK and I don't kick my anklebones as much. I searched the internet looking for reviews of snowshoes - there aren't all that many. The ones on the Minnesota DRS list are as helpful as the ones I found.

I went to REI on Wednesday to buy the Atlas 1027 Elektra. They were out of stock.

I went back to the web, looked at the Redfeathers again. The review said the binding were sometimes a problem.

So I looked at Northern Lites http://www.northernlites.com/. Tom & Nancy have them and they like them. DRS people like them. They have a 30 day money back guarantee. I ordered a pair of the Elite. Good news, in a week I should have a new pair of snowshoes. Hope these last as long as my Redfeathers.

Unusual Ice Formations

On the run today we went down to the beach. Not sure how these were formed, but they looked like unusual sculptures along the shore.

Pederson Benefit Run

A generous man and his family lost their home in the recent flood in Minnesota. A fundraiser to help them get back on the feet Pederson Benefit Run was Saturday. Another perfect day filled with friends.

Even with all those people running the trails, we still managed to see 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, 10 Tundra Swans, 12 Bald Eagles and a couple hundred Canada Geese. At one point, there was a pair of eagles sitting in a tree overhead. They flew off as we followed the trail underneath the them. Here is a photo of one eagle flying off (see the tiny spot with the white head and white tail in the lower right third of the photo).

Thanksgiving Day

Thanks for the beautiful day.













We weren't alone, the tracks in the snow indicated a lot of activity even though we didn't see what made the tracks.

And we saw other runners, Bill and his family arrived just as we were leaving. Jeffrey, Lynnette, and their friends were enjoying a warm fire and conversation after their run.

I'm just thankful that we are able to enjoy such a beautiful day.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Today: Warmer, icy, cloudy, foggy, calm winds and deer. Just one other car in the parking lot.

In the open areas, the fog created a light mist, but not enough to soak my jacket. In the trees, it was like rain. The drops must form on the branches and then rain down. The white streak in the background is one of the runs at Afton Alps - they've been making snow.

The trails were pretty clear and a little soft in places. They didn't seem slippery but maybe it was because I wore my shoes that had cleats on the bottom.

It was a great day for photos, the soft light allowed more of the small details to light up, like the moss photo this week compared to last week.

The fungus are doing their part in the woods.

And there were a couple of deer, just enough to let me know that we shared this space with them.

Eagle Watching Day

Ran at Afton SP for about an hour and a half. It was a combination of running, walking and watching the raptors. I looked down to check my footing, then I'd look up to check the skies. Loren & I counted 22 Bald Eagles! They were both mature (white head, white tail) and immature (mostly dark) eagles. Also saw 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Rough-legged Hawk and two unidentified raptors. There were about 200 Canada Geese either flying over head or floating on the water.

We didn't bring the snowshoes and the trails were fine. The ground is frozen hard. Loren ran with his shoes that have spikes. Regular road shoes worked for me.

Changes at Afton SP

One of my favorite things to do while running is to look up from the trails and see what is going on in the park. A few of the changes on Sunday (and I don't know if the words and the photos will align) along the snowshoe loop.

Pilieated Woodpecker Tree Damage

I saw the wood chips before I saw the tree. The tree is about 4 - 6" in diameter with about 4' of woodpecker carving along the trunk. I hope it found some food for all of that work ! 


Fungus growing on dead tree

 I'm not very good at identifying fungus, but this looked so cool as the bright sky lit up the edges. I touched them and they were soft.


Moss on live tree

  The photo doesn't really show how absolutely green and soft the moss looks. There were melted drops of snow hanging from the edges of these little evergreen tree shaped mosses. They were outlined clearly against the white snow background.


Fairly empty parking lot



Not many other people out enjoying the trails so it was very quiet.

Didn't photograph the deer that ran across the trail as we got closer to the parking lot. Nor did I attempt to photograph the birds.

There were several flocks of birds, at least one was American Robins and the other was American Tree Sparrows. The others? I don't know. Near the park we saw a Bald Eagle (on the south end) and a Northern Harrier (on the west side).

Another change, Gene the Park Manager told us that Rachel (Assistant Manager) has a new job with Minnesota Parks and Trails.