Adventure North

Our annual trout opener fishing weekend is in the book, or the blog anyway. It was cold and windy, and we were missing a few people. My father-in-law has been taking this trip with his buddies for 30 years but for various health reasons, it was just him and I this year. These guys have been taking 3 or 4 annual fishing trips every year for three decades, their absence was felt. The June trip to Lake of the Woods should be better attended and less physically demanding than climbing up and down these hills in search or trout. The evening view from our shack,  we could see trout rising in the riffle. Spring is just starting poke up through the detritus. We fished private land outside of Preston. The farmer is 88 years old, he's happy to chat with us and the turkey hunters who visit him. We got a bit of the family history and some stories from when he was in the marines in the 50s. Around lunch time he came down to the stream to visit us. He and his son-in-law, who was very busy, birth...

 We left the house! It's been a long time since we wandered around the north shore. When Jr. North's spring break popped up on our calendars, we booked an Airbnb in Duluth and got out of Saint Paul for a bit. We were only gone for a few days but it was a good few days, and we had the place to ourselves.  Rock hopping. Gooseberry Falls Sunrise ove Lake Superior. Beaver Bay Beaver River Looking for agates was a highlight. Everything we found was pea sized or smaller, which is normal. The Agate Shop in Bevear Bay is worth a stop. The view from Palisade Head, and more rock hopping. Highway 61, south of Palisade Head. The Crew. Sipping on some flights of beer with Mrs. North. It's been over a year since we've done that. Stopped at Damage skate shop and picked up a soveniour. It's on the same block as Aerostich, Bent Paddle Brewing, and OMC. Early the next morning we hit up a skete park  just up the street from the shop. Ride North Sr. dropping in! Point Park beach. It wa...

 I have so many good things to say about skateboarding. It's art, exercise, and community; and I missed it. It was probably 2004ish since I was last on a half pipe; nobody was listening to pop-punk anymore. What started as "gym" during lockdown has turned into a full scale passion. Jr. North is driven to go, try new tricks, and hang out at the park (with his dad!). For the boy who was shy around strangers and doesn't like people watching him, he gets up in front of older kids and just rides without worrying about it. He's talking to kids, calling them out when they cut in. (a big part of ramp skating is taking turns) Confidence, exercise, passion, joy, and he's good at it too. Early March, we shoveled off the half pipe and let the sun work its magic. Dad gets his sea legs. Shoveling, a Minnesota tradition. Our now weekly pilgrimage to the 3rd Lair skatepark. Carving the bowl, February. Carving the bowl, March. (and dropping in!) At one point, clearing the seco...

  - Ride North January 19th | 3ish mile walk | Cherokee Park | 15f

 It's been a warm and dry December, the snow for October is long gone. On Sunday, the weather was perfect for a long bike ride down the Mississippi River.  Taking advantage of the new bike paths that connect Saint Paul to the South Saint Paul trails, it's never been easier to bike a lap of Pig's Eye Lake. It's almost all asphalt bike path. The only real road riding is a one block section of downtown and the Robert Street bridge; I took the sidewalk for both sections. New bike path on Plato, it's so nice! Through the airport. It took three or four of these bridges to connect the Saint Paul trails to the South Saint Paul. It would be a shame to let those tax dollars go to waste. I passed bikes and dog walkers in this section. It will be interesting to see how well used it is come summer. Through the woods, south to Kaposia Landing. West bank of the Mississippi River. Looking north from the 494 bridge. Battle Creek slough. I didn't take a picture of Pig's Eye L...