Since the weather was utterly spectacular today, we headed up to the Coon Rapids Dam, aka Shell Mania (just our own name for it). There was so much to see – changes in the river, little critters, plant life and new paths we had not followed before. It used to seem like a longer walk to our favorite part of the park – I guess it’s because the kids’ legs were shorted and we had to stop more often. Here are some of the lovely things we saw along the way.
1. The dam was under construction|| every kid loves a horsey tree || walking on the banks where the high water had been earlier this year
2. interesting exposed roots || looking downstream from the dam
3. really big and fast leopard frog || photo op requested by Natalie || fungus hunting
4. Observing the similarities and differences between the Mississippi and St Croix River || pristine animal tracks where we usually go looking for shells
5. Discovering a hidden pond we had not gotten to before, it contained lots of turtles and some mid-size fish | several interesting wildflowers we had not seen before
6. More wildflowers and fungus
7. crossing a small creek flowing down to the river (about 50 feet from the bridge) || interesting vines and trees
8. fairy house door near the play area || creative play area || wildflowers
