Minneopa State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, a large waterfall for southern Minnesota, and was expanded in the 1960s to include the lower reaches of Minneopa Creek and a large tract of prairie. Minneopa is Minnesota’s third oldest state park, after Itasca and Interstate. Two park resources are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the 1862 Seppman Mill and a district of seven Rustic Style structures built by the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s. The park is located almost entirely on the south side of the Minnesota River, 3 miles west of Mankato. In 2015 the state reintroduced American bison to the park in a 330-acre (130 ha) fenced enclosure, through which visitors can drive in their vehicles. ~wikipedia
It has taken quite a while to get out this way to visit Minneopa State Park. It certainly did not disappoint. Views of the falls are easily accessible by concrete sidewalks in very close proximity of the parking lot.
If you are feeling a wee bit more adventurous, you can descend the stone staircase to river level and make your way around to the base of the falls. The trail is sketchy for a ways after to cross the foot bridge, but levels out nicely closer to the falls. The views are worth the extra effort.
This 60 acre park is located north of County Road Number 88 (170th Street) and three miles from Nerstrand Woods State Park in the eastern part of the County. Caron Park became reality in 1990 and development continued through 1997. A cor-ten steel footbridge and 1.5 miles of trail have been established at Caron Park. The park is a remnant of the Big Woods Forest Community and serves as an excellent environmental study area. Caron Park features are as follows: Picnic area complete with a shelter, Biking trail, Hiking trail and Nature study. ~Rice County
A nice little park in Rice County; only a few miles from Nerstrand Big Woods State Park and Hidden Falls. To my surprise, there were actually two falls there. Caron is the larger of the two. I see on Google Maps that the other falls is identified as Wellstone Falls. I don’t know if that is accurate or not, but having visited it on the anniversary of the death of Paul Wellstone, I’ll go with that.
The path to the falls is along a slight grade; it’s most steep at the top – you won’t notice it until the return trip. The uneven ground, due to a bit of erosion, meanders its way to a valley where the river flows. The beautiful mature woods opens up to where both falls are located. There is a large metal bridge that will get you to the other side without getting your feet wet.
iPhone photos
DSLR Shots of Caron Falls with 10 stop ND filter
Top of Caron Falls
I did not get any usable photos of Wellstone Falls, the sun was not in an optimal position and the light was a bit too bright.
Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, northeast of Faribault near the small town of Nerstrand. The park derives its name from the Big Woods, a large, contiguous forested area covering much of central Minnesota prior to the arrival of European settlers. The park and its forest were an outlying ‘woods’ typical and similar to the Big Woods proper, which were historically found on the more recent glacier deposits located west of the Cannon River 10 miles to the west. Aside from a small waterfall, the outstanding natural feature of the park is the forest itself. ~ wikipedia
It was a beautiful Autumn morning to take a walk out to Hidden Falls in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. Out and about with two other photog-friends, Jeff & Robert chasing waterfalls and capturing the Autumn palette.
Albeit past prime with many leaves on the ground, there was still a fair amount of color. The trail out to Hidden Falls is .5 miles on dirt/gravel and wooden boardwalk trails with some stairs.
There was a nice flow when we arrived at the falls. We even had the whole place to ourselves for a little bit. A nice day brought out several people that we passed on our way out. Since you are in the area, be sure to stop at Nerstrand Meats & Catering for a snack or picnic supplies. Their smoked meat products are phenomenal. Cheddar Stix and Cajun Jerky are two of my must have favorites whenever I pass through the area.
Lac La Belle (French: “Lake The Beautiful”) is a small unincorporated community in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The town was originally the site of a stamping plant for the copper mines of the Keweenaw, specifically the Mendota Mine and the Delaware Mine. Copper-bearing rock was transported from the mines to the stamping plant, where it was processed and loaded onto freighters.
The nearby lake of the same name averages approximately 30 feet in depth and empties into Lake Superior at Bete Gris. The Little Gratiot River and several creeks empty into Lac La Belle. A small roadside park within the town contains Haven Falls on Haven Creek, which also empties into the lake. ~wikidpedia
The weather wasn’t great for our trip, but it wasn’t all that bad either. We endured intermittent rain and the occasional snow flurry with party cloudy skies the majority of the time. The wind was actually calm enough to fly a few times. These shot were taking right from our cabin. The first shot is oriented East shortly after sunrise. The second is oriented West, you can see Lake Superior beyond Mount Bohemia and Lac La Belle. Such a pretty area in the Autumn.
LAC LA BELLEMOUNT BOHEMIA
Our cabin was right on the Lake. We were 4 short miles from Bete Grise/Lake Superior and 15 short miles from Copper Harbor – Hwy 41 was absolutely on fire with color; the canopy over the road was spectacular – more on that in another post. Here are some images of the cabin and surrounding area. A wonderful place to call home for a few days.
The Porcupine Mountains, or Porkies, are a group of small mountains spanning the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties, near the shore of Lake Superior. The Porcupine Mountains were named by the native Ojibwa people, supposedly because their silhouette had the shape of a crouching porcupine.They are home to the most extensive stand of old growth northern hardwood forest in North America west of the Adirondack Mountains, spanning at least 31,000 acres. In these virgin forests, sugar maple, American basswood, eastern hemlock, and yellow birch are the most abundant tree species. The area is part of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. ~wikipedia
The drive through the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness are was popping with color. We entered on the West side – Presque Isle River area. I was a lovely six hour drive from Red Wing, MN.
WEST SIDE
The Presque Isle River water falls are short hikes from the main road with ample parking places. There are quite a few stairs on one of the hikes. Another occasion to get the puppy-kids out of car for a walk. This Michigan state park was a bit more pet-friendly compared to WI and MN, where you are limited to an area or certain trails.
Geography
The most striking geological feature of the Porcupine Mountains is the long basalt and conglomerate escarpment parallel to the Lake Superior shore and overlooking Lake of the Clouds, a continuation of the same copper-bearing bedrock found farther northeast on the Keweenaw Peninsula. A second ridge farther inland, on the other side of Lake of the Clouds, includes Summit Peak, the highest point in the mountains at 1,958 feet. Rivers, waterfalls, swamps, and lakes lie between the rocky outcroppings. There are a number of waterfalls on the Presque Isle River in the extreme western side of the park. ~wikipedia
EAST SIDE
Lake of the Clouds Overlook is accessible from the East t side of the park. It is hard to beat the view from here. This area is wheelchair accessible via a long ramp.
It was mid 39 degrees with a 30+ MPH wind when we visited – Brrrrrr, it was cold. I must say that an iPhone does a tremendous job with a panorama. My phone was all over the place in that wind. You can see by the weather map below; although Lake Superior is a cold lake, this time of year it’s relatively warm and turn that snow right into rain.
Copper Falls State Park is a 3,068-acre state park in Wisconsin. The park contains a section of the Bad River and its tributary the Tylers Forks, which flow through a gorge and drop over several waterfalls. Old Copper Culture Indians and later European settlers mined copper in the area. The state park was created in 1929 and amenities were developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. In 2005 the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a site with 10 contributing properties. ~wikipedia
We stopped by Copper Falls State Park on our way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A welcomed pit stop to get out and stretch our legs. The puppy-kid welcomed the pit stop as well – they had been sleeping since we left home for the most part.
Clover, Harley & Lucy
The Fall color was peaking in North Wisconsin along Rustic Road 95 on our way North and East toward the UP.
–Explore WI Rustic Roads–
Rustic Road 95
Copper Falls State Park was teaming with color. We didn’t take the time to hike out to the water falls here, but rather a quit walk about and a few iPhone photos. We had many more miles to travel to get to Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park.
There was a constant build of anticipation leading up to the fortress; as you can see it a very long way off. The structure was truly massive. You can get a sense of the scale in the photo below. It was a warm August day; I was glad to see that an escalator lay between the bottom and the base of the fortress – easy mode.
I could have spent an entire day here exploring every corner on the interior. The view from the top of the fortress is magnificent. The restaurant was great as well; of course there was beer, lovely ice cold beer. There is quite a collection of items on display inside. Plenty of other attraction all around the fortress as well.
History
Hohensalzburg Fortress, literally “High Salzburg Fortress” sits atop the Festungsberg, a small hill in the Austrian city of Salzburg. Erected at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg with a length of 820 ft and a width of 490 ft, it is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.
1077 – 1462
Construction of the fortress began in 1077 under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein. The original design was a basic bailey with a wooden wall. In the Holy Roman Empire, the archbishops of Salzburg were already powerful political figures and they expanded the fortress to protect their interests. Helfenstein’s conflict with Emperor Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy influenced the expansion of the fortress, with the Archbishop taking the side of Pope Gregory VII and the German anti-king Rudolf of Rheinfelden. The fortress was gradually expanded during the following centuries. The ring walls and towers were built in 1462 under Prince-Archbishop Burkhard II von Weißpriach.
1495 – 1519
Prince-Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach further expanded the fortress during his term from 1495 until 1519. His coadjutor Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, who was later to succeed Leonhard, in 1515 wrote a description of the Reisszug, a very early and primitive funicular railway that provided freight access to the upper courtyard of the fortress. The line still exists, albeit in updated form, and is probably the oldest operational railway in the world. The current external bastions, begun in the 16th century and completed in the 17th, were added as a precaution because of fears of Turkish Invasion.
1525 – 1800
The only time that the fortress actually came under siege was during the German Peasants’ War in 1525, when a group of miners, farmers and townspeople tried to oust Prince-Archbishop Matthäus Lang, but failed to take the fortress. In 1617 the deposed Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau died in the fortress prison. During the Thirty Years’ War, Archbishop Count Paris of Lodron strengthened the town’s defenses, including Hohensalzburg. He added various parts to the fortress, such as the gunpowder stores and additional gatehouses. The fortress was surrendered without a fight to French troops under General Jean Victor Marie Moreau during the Napoleonic War of the Second Coalition in 1800 and the last Prince-Archbishop Count Hieronymus von Colloredo fled to Vienna. In the 19th century, it was used as barracks, storage depot and dungeon before being abandoned as a military outpost in 1861. ~wikipedia
Salzburg, literally “salt castle”, is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of Salzburg state.
Its historic center is renowned for its baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps, with 27 churches. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city has three universities and a large population of students. Tourists also visit Salzburg to tour the historic center and the scenic Alpine surroundings.
Salzburg was the birthplace of the 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the mid‑20th century, the city was the setting for the musical play and film The Sound of Music. ~wikipedia
Our visit to Salzburg, Austria was the highlight of the trip for me. It was the closest we made it to Traun, Austria, which was another hour or so north east. Perhaps we will make it there some day on a return trip tour of Austria by car; a very good reason to come back.
There was rain in the forecast for our day trip to Austria. It didn’t rain a drop the entire time we were out and about though. The clouds looked ominous the whole train ride from Munich to Salzburg.
Munich to Salzburg
Salzburg Central Train Station
Train Station to Cemetery
There is so much to see in Salzburg; I could have stayed here a few days. The river and mountain views were beautiful. The fortress on top of the hill overlooking Salzburg was our destination (next blog post).
Parish Church St. Andrä
Salzach
Mc Donalds
Kapitelplatz
Kapitelplatz
Kapitelplatz
Kapitelplatz
Petersfriedhof Cemetery
Petersfriedhof Cemetery is a picturesque with baroque tombs of nobility as well as 12th-century catacombs & chapels. The adjacent monastery is the oldest in the German-speaking world. Since 696, monks have been living, praying and working there.
Westpark is a large urban public park in Munich, Germany. It was designed by landscape architect Peter Kluska and completed in 1983. It hosted the International Garden Expo 83 that same year. The park covers an area of 178 acres extending 2.6 km from east to west. The Garmischer Straße divides the park into an eastern and western section.
– wikipedia
I was very impressed by the number of parks in Munich; the amount of green space is amazing. The fact that there are beer gardens is most of that green space – double amazing! The origin of the planning of this trip to Germany centered around this day. Friends of our cousins in Texas (our travel companions on this trip) that live in Germany were married earlier in the year. Today was Fridric and Jessica’s wedding celebration. My wife and I were happy to make their acquaintance and were appreciative we were invited to take part. It was wonderful. The beer from the wooden keg was exquisite. Tapping the keg is a big deal as well (see videos below).
Rose Garden @ Westpark
The rose garden consists of more than 20,000 roses and 500 different rose species. – wikipedia
Had a beer and snack prior to the evenings festivities
Japanese Garden
Four of the originally 23 national gardens of the exhibit are preserved. The very first authentic Chinese garden in Europe is a walled garden that might have been constructed for an historic scholar. Around a pond the walkways leads along the four seasons and four parts of a lifetime. The Japanese garden was a gift from Munich’s sister City Sapporo and combines elements from the Heian period. A Nepali pagoda was carved by 200 master carvers and transported to Munich. A free standing Thai-Sala hosts the first consecrated Gautama Buddha statue in Germany. – wikipedia
This garden was beautiful. I was regretting not bringing my DSL to capture it. It was going to be a lengthy day and I didn’t feel like dragging it along. Mistake. Smartphones do a pretty good job capturing scenes, but no comparison to a DSL.
The Wedding Celebration
I didn’t get a whole lot of shots of the celebration because I was…well celebrating. The bride and groom had all sort of costumes for attendees to wear if they didn’t come dressed up. A very fun evening all the way around. Great people, venue, food and of course the beer.
Cyndie, Jessica, Meagan & Brian
Meagan & Cindy
Meagan & Jessica
I thought this door nob at the restaurant was interesting. Drucken; means “press/push;” however it looked a lot like Drunken after a few beers. It was on the way to the bathroom.
You meet all kinds of people throughout your daily lives and travel. On this trip we met several wonderful people/couples. Fridric and Jessica are a wonderfully jovial couple. I felt fortunate to have been able to spend a considerable amount of time with them throughout the week. They were wonderful hosts as they showed us around Munich, their hometown of Murnau and Salzburg, Austria. Many thanks to both of them for their time, hospitality, generosity, suggestions on sites to visit and the knowledge shared about Munich and the numerous sites we visited together as a group. Going through all of these photos is a bit like reliving all the fun we had on this trip. Very grateful for all of the experiences.
Schwangau is a municipality in the district of Ostallgäu in Bavaria, Germany. The village lies 4 km from the larger town of Füssen and just 1.5 km from Hohenschwangau, collection of tourist-oriented facilities adjacent to the major tourist attractions of Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau. – wikipedia
Schwangau has no rail service and aside from renting a car, Bus Bavaria is a great mode of transport to get you there. We booked a tour through Mikes Bike Tours / Bus Bavaria / Bike Rentals to visit Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. If you plan to visit these castle and think you will save a euro or two by standing in the line to get tickets – MISTAKE. The lines are so long and if it is warm, there isn’t any shade to stand in.
We went on the Summer Neuschwanstein Castle Tour by Bus (with bike ride). At €59 ea for adults, it was well worth it. Bus travel to and from Munich, bike ride, plus you skip the lines when you arrive! Super simple to book online and no hassle at all. We were able to walk to their office from our hotel to get on the bus.
The Bike Ride
The bike ride was easy over generally flat terrain. We peddled out to a lake; stopped for a bit so people could take a dip if they wanted and then headed back to where we started for lunch at Schloss Brauhaus.
A clip from the bike tour. Ryan, our guide, was explaining a bit about the castle and why it is still standing today. The audio is poor, you need to really turn up the sound to hear it – sorry.
Lunch
Schloss Brauhaus was very good. The cold beer was very welcome after the leisurely bike ride through the Bavarian countryside. The lunch we had at their outdoor beer garden was tasty too.
Roast Pork, Dumplings & Sauerkraut
Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and in honor of Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds.
The castle was intended as a home for the king, until he died in 1886. It was open to the public shortly after his death. Since then more than 61 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle. More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with as many as 6,000 per day in the summer. – wikipedia
After lunch we hopped on the bus for the castle tour. You do not actually have to do the tour. You can walk all around the castles without doing the tour. Some of the people that were on the bus with us that took the castle tour said they learned more about the castles on the bike ride than they did with the castle tour.
Hohenschwangau Castle
We did not walk around this castle as there wasn’t time.
Hohenschwangau Castle is a 19th-century palace in southern Germany. It was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and was built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria. It is located in the German village of Hohenschwangau near the town of Füssen, part of the county of Ostallgäu in southwestern Bavaria, Germany, very close to the border with Austria. – wikipedia
I am sure all of Mikes Bike Tour guides are great; Ryan was exceptional!
Dinner back in Munich
As luck would have it, the bus went right by our hotel coming back into Munich. We arrived back in time for dinner. Munchen Stubn was a block away from our hotel. I highly recommend the Munchen Stubn Board and the Allgau Cheese Spaetzle. Both very delicious. the board was smoked kaminwurzen (semi-dried
sausage), blackened smoked pork, cold roast, coarse liverwurst, Tegernsee mountain cheese, obazda, leberkas and herbed cream cheese. Served with crunchy radishes and beer radish, pretzel stick with chives, assorted breads, a pretzel and tub butter. The spaetlze was two kinds of cheese, homemade fried onions and chives. A great meal to top off the day.
