Back to Pike Island

We've had topsy-turvy weather this week. After extreme heat, we are now getting cloudy and cool. And who says "topsy-turvy" any more? I wanted to check out whether Pike Island has become accessible yet. The Minnesota River and the Mississippi have been high in the flood plain and the bridge to Pike Island has been cut off by high water. And, too, I needed to get some exercise on a day without tennis.

I drove to the entrance of Fort Snelling State PArk and bought my $25 state park permit to get me into all the Minnesota State Parks for the next year. I chatted a bit with the state employees there, a park ranger and the permit seller - both of whom may be laid off when the state shutdown occurs on the first of July. That's another sad tale, one about politicians who can't compromise and will likely cause average citizens some pain and discomfort, but one I didn't discuss with the state employees. I just asked if Pike Island was open and they told me that it was accessible via the bridge, but the paths on the island are still closed by high water. It's been a wet year and there seems to be a couple more weeks of waiting before the island will open completely. I decided to see for myself.

I was able to get to Pike Island okay and I was able to get to about 50% of the island. It was enough to find the Fort Snelling deer herd. They kept their distance, but I was able to get a couple of blurry photos of them as they foraged for food.

And I got a photo of one of the benches along the Mississippi to add to the collection of bench photos. There weren't many visitors to the bench today, but it'll get more action as the rivers subside.

This is what the area around the bridge looks like today. The trees are standing in water, but the water adds a reflecting surface to enhance photos.

I managed to get some exercise, while at the same time spending some quality time in a natural setting. And I was able to accomplish these things without accumulating any ticks - wood or deer.