February 26, 2008

Cabin Fever

Holy Christ, there's so much to do outdoors in the Northfield area. Hiking, fishing, camping, mondo bike trails... and with a drive north, tons of rock collecting. St. Paul has some rare exposed areas of Ordovician rock, full of marine fossils. The North Shore has Lake Superior agates and Thomsonites. I've found more crystals than I could carry home in rockpiles along the river not more than three blocks away from where I'm sitting now, and I barely had a month to explore before the weather turned.

The only downside is that I can't find any swimming areas that aren't municipal pools. That's something I miss about Oregon--the rivers where you can see the rock-and-pebble bottom through ten feet of crystal-clear water. You don't dare dive in the first time because estimating the depth is so tricky.

However, they do have rocky rivers in the Duluth area. And I can drive again! So I'm thinking I'll take a jaunt up north when it gets back up to 60 degrees fahrenheit. Maybe bring a little metal rake so I can check out the river gravel for interesting minerals.

Until then, though, I'll be over here, going insane while I pore over outdoor adventure blogs and trail maps on Google Earth.

How I itch to go exploring. There is so much to do if you're willing to give up spending all your time on the internet. And oh boy, am I ever. Getting a high-energy dog and moving to the country have done wonders for my spirit.

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