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Landscape Arboretum Take 2

Always trust the body! It does not lie!

The Arboretum maps apparently give distance on only the trails that are specifically labeled with that name, ignoring all the distance you have to cover on other trails before you get to the main trail you're traversing, so with Matt's handy GPS training watch, we were able to map last weekend's route on Sunday. You can play with all the Garmin online features here (the screen shots above came from the data provided by Google/Garmin), except for the heart monitor, I just couldn't convince myself the discomfort to Matt would be worth the data:
Garmin Connect - Activity Details for The long loop at the Landscape Arboretum.

The part that most amazes is how far we went -- 4.28 miles in less than an hour-- with a crazy amount of elevation change (up and down, up and down). Maybe I'm in better shape than I thought I was. I managed not to not fall at all this time, and the trail was a bit icy, so I consider that quite the accomplishment--I even skated up a few of the mellower hills. . .

Matt on the first hill we climb up on the Arboretum Trail


Big Ben's bench, in my opinion, far more useful than a tombstone.


Me on the bridge before the last hill push to the end.

Valentine Visit to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Matt and I have been trying to make it out to the Arboretum for several weeks to check out their XC ski trails. Today was the day, conveniently giving us some time together without Optimus. We arrived before Saul and Noel, and used the opportunity to explore the Orchard exhibit in the Great Hall. It was amazing, and I took a lot of pictures. I wish I could share the fragrant flowers with you as well. Due to the large volume of photos, I am posting a few selections here and a link to the Picasa album if you want to see them all.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

After a pleasant interlude with these warm blooded flowers we hit the trails, following the Forest Trail to the Arboretum Trail to the Green Heron Trail back to the trail head. The map says we went 3.5 miles, but my body would argue it must have been more.



The trail started out in a mix of coniferous and deciduous forests, edged by prairie and fields of wild flowers, then transitioned into the various demonstration gardens. The light was perfect, the sky so blue it looked fake. . .a really nice morning.

Last Day of Snowboarding Lessons

Optimus had his last day of lessons today. The school went to Wild Mountain for the day. The little guy competed on a Giant Slalom course, and did pretty well.




The hoar frost on the way there was amazing, and on this tree in particular I couldn't stop admiring it.




I was enamored of their snow making machines. So sturdy looking, yet delicate at the same time.

The Great Backyard Bird Count!

You can be a citizen scientist this coming weekend. Information about the Great Backyard Bird Count is here.