Tag: Winter Activities

Blogmas, Midwest, Minnesota, Twin Cities

Indoor Recreation Activities for the Wintertime | Blogmas 2022

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Blogmas 2022 - Post No. 4

December 4th! Blogmas Day 4. Today’s post is about Indoor Recreation Activities for the Wintertime. Something that is definitely needed on the days the temps dip below zero, especially for us, as we get antsy and bored if we have to sit at home multiple days in a row. 

So if you get antsy like we do, here are a few indoor recreation ideas for those extra cold days. 

Indoor Recreation Activities for the Wintertime

Indoor Rock Climbing

Today, Eric and I went indoor rock climbing at the Minneapolis Vertical Endeavors. The Minneapolis location is bouldering-only, which is usually our favorite type climbing, so it felt so good to be moving like that again!

Here are some Minnesota local rock climbing gyms for you to check out: 

Curling

Curling is another amazing workout of a recreational activity that’s done indoors. A surprising workout, this activity will warm you up as soon as you get started. And there are quite a few curling centers around Minnesota: 

The best way to try curling is through a Learn to Curl class, so check your local curling center’s schedule for their open times! 

Ice Skating / Ice Hockey

Anyone else who grew up in Minnesota grow up on the ice as well? Or is that just us? And we love it. 

If you live anywhere that has consistently cold weather, you’ve likely walked or driven by an outdoor ice skating or hockey rink. Here in Minnesota, it seems like we have one on every corner, and that’s great! We are the State of Hockey, after all 🙂

But on the days where it’s way too cold to be skating outside, indoor ice skating and ice hockey rinks are prime. And if you live in the Midwest, there’s a good chance you have an indoor rink in your area too. Be sure to check out your local rink’s schedule for Open Skate times to be able to drop in and skate inside to stay warm when the weather outside is frightful.

And many more...

There are so many other recreational activities that take place indoors too, such as…

  • Bowling
  • Swimming
  • Track
  • Basketball
  • Tennis / Racquetball / Pickleball
  • Dance classes
  • Yoga

Just to name a few! Community Centers, Parks & Recreation Departments, Recreation Centers, and Fitness facilities are all great resources for indoor recreation and non-recreational activities to keep you busy throughout the winter.

Want more wintertime activities? Check out these posts:

Indoor Recreation Activities for the Wintertime vertical
Blogmas, Lists, Midwest, Minnesota, New

Our Midwest Winter Wish List​ | Blogmas 2022

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Blogmas 2022 - Post No. 3

It’s December 3rd – Day 3 of blogmas! Today I’m sharing our Midwest Winter ’22-’23 Wish List – a list of some things Eric and I would love to do this winter season! Hopefully there will be something on the list that you’d like to do too (or to try if you haven’t already). If you have a list too, I’d love to see it!

I spent a majority of the day messing with optimization again, mostly focusing on images this time. I had a realization midway through that Facebook users get different views from their links that vary based on whether a person profile or a Page profile shared the link. For example, if a person profile (such as my personal Facebook account) shares a link, then the image is shown to the left of the link preview and is vertical. And if a Page profile (such as the VolkmanAdventures Page) shares a link, then the image is shown on top of the link preview and is a completely different size (and is horizontal). Eye. Roll. In my opinion. Why can’t they just both be the same? Due to this, I made the decision to update the featured images of the last five blog posts from vertical to horizontal, so now there should be some consistency and formality regardless of whether a person or a page shares any links. Yay! 

Winter 2022-2023 Wish List

Skiing at Big Powderhorn Mountain (Michigan)

We have the Indy Pass again this winter season and wow how they have grown this year! They’ve double their resorts within the Midwest region here, giving us Minnesotans even more opportunities to explore the snowy areas around us. And top of our wish list this year is Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Bessemer, MI.

Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and around a 4hr 45min drive from us here in the Twin Cities. Not too terrible of a drive as it goes through the beautiful northern part of Wisconsin, with plenty of parks and places to stop along the way. 

Eric and I have been to Big Powderhorn in the past, and it instantly had risen to the top of our “Favorite Places to Ski and Snowboard” lists. (Oh! I don’t have a post on that yet!) Therefore, we can’t wait to get back there – which will hopefully be this season. 

Check out their page, here!

*Update: Since this post went live, we now have plans to go! 🙂

Snowshoeing at Afton State Park (Minnesota)

Snowshoeing is something we haven’t done all that often as of yet, but is something we’re growing fond of! Once of the best Minnesota State Parks south of Duluth to visit in the winter season is Afton State Park in Hastings, MN.

We have been to Afton State Park once many years ago, and it was during the winter season. We didn’t have snowshoes at the time and definitely wished we did! This park offers multiple trail options, and over 10 miles of those trails can be used my snowshoers as well. Plus, you can snowshoe off trail in this park to add even more miles to your trek, which is pretty cool!

See the Willow River Cascades Frozen at Willow River State Park (Wisconsin)

Frozen waterfalls are so so SO beautiful! Eric and I stopped at a frozen waterfall last January – at Cascade River State Park in Lutsen, MN and instantly loved them. We were lucky enough to be driving in the northern Wisconsin area a few months later and was able to see another frozen waterfall again, this time at Amnicon Falls State Park in South Range, WI.

So we want to see even more! 

There’s a park just across the border in Wisconsin that has been on our bucket list for a while, and it happens to also have an amazing and large cascading waterfall. I can’t even imagine how amazing these falls are in the winter. 

The park is called Willow River State Park and it’s in Hudson, WI. Willow River SP is a popular park with miles and miles of scenic trails and a gorgeous river that carved through sandstone to create Willow River and Little Falls Lake. 

Go Skiing Somewhere We've Never Been

We LOVE skiing and snowboarding. It’s been a big part of our history since we’ve been together, and we try to get out as much as we can each season.

And though we have been to many of the slopes around us here in Minnesota, there are so many more that we can’t wait to try out! 

If you’re looking for new places to ski or snowboard this season, here are a few places in the Midwest that caught our attention: 

Snowshoe Once per Week

As mentioned earlier, we’re relatively new to snowshoeing, having only done it a handful of times over the past few years. We’ve learned that it’s a hidden gem of an activity that provides quite a workout each time.

And best of all, snowshoeing can be done anywhere! As long as you have snow, the world is your oyster. You don’t even need a designated trail. In fact, you can even help with other trails, like fat tire bike trails, by going out on the trail first to start packing the snow after a fresh snowfall.

Because it’s such a good workout and so easy to do in your own backyard (or anywhere with snow), I couldn’t not add this to my winter wish list. 

Winter Hike the Superior Hiking Trail (Minnesota)

Winter hiking is a new love of ours. We’ve found that hiking in chilly (not freezing haha) weather is much more refreshing, comfortable, and energizing than hiking on a hot summer day. So we’re thrilled that winter weather hiking season is now here! Another big goal of ours is to hike the Superior Hiking Trail, so why not do both at once? 

The Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is an incredibly scenic route that spans 310 miles, with one end at Jay Cooke State Park in Carlton, MN, and the other end at the Canadian border where it connects with the 4,800 mile North Country Trail. 

I’d love to hike the SHT in its entirety (over time), and hiking it in the winter sounds like the best, not to mention the least buggy, time to do it. 

Our Midwest Winter Wish List
Blogmas, Gift Ideas, Lists, New

5 Simple Items to Keep You Warm While Outside this Winter​ | Blogmas 2022

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Blogmas 2022 - Post No. 1

Welcome to December 1st!

And that means it’s Day 1 of Blogmas, which I’m participating in for the first time ever! Blogmas is an annual challenge that creators do from December 1st until Christmas. It’s mostly just for funsies, and to push ourselves. You’ll see bloggers do blogmas and vloggers participate in Vlogmas, or sometimes each will do both! I wanted to do this in years past but I couldn’t fully commit due to roadblocks, but this year – nothing is standing in my way! Except for myself, so hopefully I overcome this anxiety of not knowing what to talk about each day. 

I mean, I know what to write about, I have what feels like an endless supply of ideas, but more so ensuring I carve out the time to get them written, formatted, optimized, and set up correctly each day. 

I’m a little rusty, so bear with me! With that, I wanted to have goals around why I’m doing this – why I’m going to spend a couple hours writing, optimizing, formatting, and creating a blog post each day for blogmas. And those goals are: 

  1. To get into a writing habit, 
  2. To find my voice, 
  3. To challenge my way of thinking, 
  4. To become a more efficient and overall better writer, and 
  5. To find new ways to serve you, my readers!
Now that my goals for blogmas 2022 have been established, let’s get started. And maybe bear with me on this first one as it’s definitely on the extra rusty side!

5 Simple Items to Keep You Warm While Outside this Winter

1. Down Filled, Fleece-Lined Hat

You know how nice a puffy coat is in the winter, but have you tried a puffy hat? I just learned about them recently while on a trip and my mind was blown. 

This down hat is sure to keep you warm while outside this winter, even on the coldest of days! Not only that, but a down hat equals lightweight and packable, so you’ll be able to easily stuff it into your pocket or a bag should you happen to get (dare I say it) too hot. 

2. Fleece-Lined Leggings

I recently went backpacking for the first time, and the temperatures were in the lower 20’s after the sun went down (that’s the desert for you!). 

Not to be dramatic, but, without these fleece-lined leggings, I likely would have frozen to death. Just kidding, that was really dramatic, but I run cold so I would have had a significantly worse time without these leggings!

3. Wool Insoles for your Boots

Wool is one of the best natural materials to stay warm on the cold winter days. Wool inserts are a total game changer when it comes to combating cold feet! Plus, they’re comfy!

4. Puffer Blanket

Puffer blankets can be used pretty much anywhere, and they’re super lightweight and packable!

You can pick one up in fun bright colors and patterns, or as a solid color to be more discreet. 

I also have the Rumpl blankets on my 15 Life-Changing Gifts for Adventurers gift guide, but I just had to bring it back for this post too, because they are just so great!

5. Rechargeable Heated Socks

And finally, I can’t think of a better way to keep you warm in the chilly weather this winter than to have rechargeable heated socks. Honestly, my least favorite part about the winter is when my feet are cold. I love being outside, but if my feet are cold, I give up. I can name dozens of events where I’ve been having a great time other than my feet making me feel miserable!

These puppies are on the Christmas lists of both my husband and my brother in law this year, and have already sold out once since being added to those lists, so it’s safe to assume they are in high demand!

Eric and I could have used these when we were dealing with the -2*F wind chill during the Minnesota Gopher football game a couple of weeks ago haha!

5 Simple Items to Keep You Warm Outside this Winter
Lists, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks, New

These 6 Parks have the Best Winter Activities around Alexandria

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Disclosure: Though Explore Alex graciously comped our weekend, the following thoughts and opinions are our own and are not in any way influenced by these factors.

Welcome to Alexandria and Douglas County in Minnesota!

Located north east of the Twin Cities by about two hours is this beautiful micropolitan. Nestled within 300+ lakes, more than 500 miles of recreational trails, and over 25 parks (two of which are State Parks), there are endless recreational opportunities for all types of explorers!

Here are a few ways you can enjoy winter at six of their local parks:

Table of Contents

Andes Tower Hills

Andes Tower Hills started in 1980, and has been an amazing addition to the community, hosting over a million skiers over time, ever since. Their mission statement includes “To offer a family friendly relationship building environment that creates positive long-lasting memories,” and you can feel that as soon as you walk in the door. If you can, try to speak with Tom “Hollywood” Anderson for a few moments – his father and uncle started Andes Tower Hills in 1980 – he was such a joy to speak with, and taught us so much about the facility and surrounding area.

With 15 downhill runs, there are options for all abilities! There are also four chairlifts equally spread throughout the hill, so we never felt like we had to wait to go up. Our favorite runs were Big Ben, Serendipity, Hawaiian Cruise, and the Big Dipper.

Throughout the week, the facility hosts hundreds of school groups and other groups seeking to learn how to downhill ski or snowboard, too. Likewise, they receive a lot of visitors from North and South Dakota due to its central location and proximity to those states. Due to their ever-increasing popularity, the chalet has recently doubled in size, allowing for even more visitors to rent, locker, eat, shop, and warm up inside.

If you prefer something else, Andes Tower Hills also offers snow tubing (and Neon Nights Tubing), snowshoeing, and nearly 10 miles of cross-country trails!

Man & Woman at Ski Lift
Skis on Ski Lift
Eric at Top of Hill
View of Ski Runs
Rental Skis
View from the Top

Big Ole Central Park

When you come to Alexandria, you have to visit Big Ole, an iconic 28-foot tall Viking statue on the south shore of Lake Agnes. According to the plaque that stands beside him, Big Ole was originally “created to accompany the Kensington Rune Stone to the New York World’s Fair in 1965.”

Big Ole Central Park is in the heart of the city, and a beautiful place to start your visit! In the snowy months, take the opportunity to snowshoe around the park, or stop by while snowmobiling on the Central Lakes Trail which goes through the park. In the summer, visit the Alexandria Farmers Market, have a picnic with lake views, or play a game in the green space.

Winter in Alexandria
View down Central Park
Trail Map
View of Lake Agnes from Park

Glacial Lakes State Park

Though we didn’t visit Glacial Lakes State Park on this trip, we did stay here back in 2017. I wanted to ensure this park was included on the list because we would recommend it! Learn more about our previous visit here.

We enjoyed this smaller Minnesota State Park, especially for its ease of access and navigation. The trails were a great mix of level and steep, depending on which way you went (unfortunately a trail map wasn’t available at the time at the ranger station or online, so I do not know the names), and always had great views and areas to explore.

There are also signs around the park to give you its history, so our plan when we return to this park is to check out all of the glacier-formed kettle lakes and continue to learn about the history of this area.

Winter activities include hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and ice fishing.

Glacial Lakes Sign
Glacial Lakes Boots On Firepit
Glacial Lakes SP Canoes
Glacial Lakes SP View From Top Of Hill
Glacial Lakes SP Mardys Trail
Glacial Lakes SP Cabin
Glacial Lakes SP Signalness Lake

Kensington Rune Stone Park

Welcome to Kensington Runestone Park, one of Minnesota’s greatest hidden gems. This 300+ acre farmland-turned-county park provides endless opportunities for recreation all year long!

Here in the snowy months, you can explore the visitor center, cross-country ski, fat tire bike, sled, and snowshoe. In the warmer months, you can explore the visitor center, bike, mountain bike, run, picnic, or play at the playground.

We spent the day fat tire biking and checking out the visitor center. Our fat tire bikes were from Jake’s Bikes, and we were lucky enough to have Jake deliver them himself. You can tell the passion for biking that Jake has, and we learned a lot about the area and the sport by speaking with him beforehand. It was our first time on a true fat fire bike trail, so we stayed on the Olaf Ohman and Bifrost trails, which are the two beginner-most fat tire/mountain biking trails in the park. What a challenging and exhilarating sport! We’re excited to try it again someday.

Not only are there ample recreation opportunities, but this park is also the site of one of Minnesota’s greatest mysteries – the Kensington Runestone, discovered in the late 1800’s. More about this can be learned within the visitor center, which is heated and open year round.

Fat tire bike in snow by lake
Fat tire bike in snow by lake
Eric & Elissa by Bike Trail Map
Inside the Rune Stone Visitor Center

Lake Carlos State Park

This State Park holds a very special place in our hearts as Eric has been camping here annually since ~2007 with his “second family,” and I started joining them whenever possible within the last 10 years too!

Lake Carlos State Park is a great nature retreat for those seeking adventure in the Great Outdoors! It is nicely secluded on the north end of Lake Carlos, and offers many outdoor activities, no matter the season.

The wintertime activities the park has to offer are snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. Snowshoeing is open to the entire 1,231 acre park. There are 6 miles of groomed ski trails, and the 9 miles of snowmobile trails that are on the park connect to Douglas County trails so you can make an entire weekend from activities solely in the park if you want!

We took advantage of the good snow conditions while we visited, and strapped on the snowshoes to see what winter sights we could catch. It turns out there was lots to see, and we just barely scratched the surface. There were also many fish houses out on the lake, not far from the park.

In the summer, the park has a swimming beach, horse trails, and lots of boat parking for your summer camping getaway!

Lake Carlos sunset on ice
Elissa snowshoeing
Restroom building

Noonan Park

When you think of winter in Minnesota, you can’t help but think about pond hockey. And what better place to play than Noonan Park! During the cold months, the pond freezes over and is home to both ice skating and ice hockey, as well as ample snowshoeing and winter hiking options. In the summer, you can experience beautiful flower gardens with a lively pond, a playground with an awesome playhouse (the “Duck Inn”), and walking trails all around.

The Douglas County Historical Society shared that Noonan Park was given to the city by Philip and Mollie Noonan (a successful local businessman) with the agreement that the space would remain a public park. The Noonans paid for the initial landscaping and took care of the park from 1937 until it was donated to the city in 1943.

Duck Inn at Noonan Park
Ice skating rink at Noonan Park

Have you been to the Alexandria or Douglas County area? What parks would you recommend visiting?

Lists, MicroAdventures, Minnesota

Minnesota Winter Bucket List

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The ULTIMATE winter bucket list

Who else is excited to opt outside this winter?  Fresh air and physical movement are so incredibly important to focus on, especially through wintertime when it’s dark early and hard to find motivation.  But with this Ultimate Minnesota Winter Bucket List, you won’t find yourself bored this winter!

Below are kid and adult friendly activities!  Which are you doing this winter?

What are your favorite outdoor winter activities? Let me know in the comments!

Minnesota Winter Bucket List
Click here for a free download!
Lists

Staying Entertained while Staying Away

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As you're aware, our world is going through an interesting time of needing to stay quarantined, clean, and away from each other. This can lead to feelings of isolation and boredom, if you're anything like me. Especially now that spring is starting to appear around parts of North America, outside temperatures are warming up, which is usually when we like to gather and be around each other. But when we can't, what do we do instead? Here are some ideas on how to keep yourself and your family entertained and away from boredom while needing to social distance and "quarantine."

Table of Contents

Adults & Teens

  • Go on a hike (interpretive trails are especially awesome as you get to learn along the way) 
  • Go for a bike ride 
  • Begin or continue journaling 
  • Write that book 
  • Read a book that has been on the shelf for a while
  • Complete a 1,000+ piece puzzle 
  • Create a bucket list
  • Paint something
  • Go camping 
  • Go canoeing
  • Go birding 
  • Go on a nature walk
  • Try scrapbooking 
  • Make your own photo scavenger hunt 
  • Bake treats 
  • Make jewelry 
  • Make a wood pallet craft 
  • Make greeting cards 
  • Make a household item like soap or cleaner 
  • Learn a new subject 
  • Organize (i.e. garage, cabinets, drawers, electronic files, etc.)
  • Create a budget 
  • Tackle that to-do list 
  • Play board games 
  • Learn an instrument 
  • Learn a language 
  • Take a virtual exercise or dance class 
  • Go geocaching 
  • Plant a garden or start seedlings inside 
  • Play virtual charades with a friend on Skype/FaceTime
  • Go on a picnic
  • Create a vision board
  • Go through your clothes to donate 
  • Try a new craft
  • Have an at-home spa day 

Children & Toddlers

  • Build a fort out of boxes, blankets, pillows, couches
  • Visit a local trail for a walk (especially an interpretive trail that will have signs to look and learn)
  • Go on a nature walk to identify leaves, bugs, animals, trees
    •  For the older children who can be alone: send them on a scavenger hunt
  • Go on a bike ride 
  • Color or paint boxes (i.e. Amazon boxes)
  • Color by number and paint by number activities
  • Create with pipe cleaners and Cheerios 
  • Put pipe cleaners through holes of a colander 
  • Play with Play-doh or modeling clay 
  • Color in coloring books 
  • Play learning games 
  • Play with a sensory tub or sensory table
  • Read unread books that have been on the shelf 
  • Fingerpaint 
  • Create an at-home treasure hunt 
  • Learn a new word or topic 
  • Learn an instrument 
  • Learn a language 
  • Make a time capsule to open 5 years from now 
  • Craft a sock puppet family and put on a puppet show 
  • Go on a picnic
  • Make up a dance to your favorite song 
  • Play board games 
  • Put a puzzle together 

Thank you for reading! What ideas have you been doing to keep yourself or others entertained during this time? I'd love to learn more and add them to the list!

Itinerary, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

A Snowy Weekend in Crosby, Minnesota

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Earlier in January (1.17-19.2020), Eric treated me to a mystery weekend getaway. We do this from time to time, where one of us will book a mystery weekend getaway for the other–it’s so fun to see what we each come up with!

The only information given to me ahead of time was to “pack winter appropriate clothes.” Which, naturally, made me feel like we were going downhill skiing. Though he’s done a downhill skiing type of mystery weekend in the past–so what could it be instead? He wouldn’t repeat the same idea, would he? It’s fine if he does, but that would be out of character.

Eric is the type of trip planner who doesn’t like to plan. He usually has a general outline, with a flexible day to day. (I’m very opposite, but working on it.) He booked us at two different locations (I love it!) in the same area, so we could experience everything, but wouldn’t tell me what activities were planned or what type of lodging we had booked.

We heard a few days prior that the weather was about to be snow-pocolypse 2020, so we planned to leave early on Friday, around 12pmish. We are truly blessed to have full-time jobs that allow us to work from the road (or cabin, or hotel, or campsite, or wherever has WiFi). We couldn’t check-in to our first accommodation until 4pm, but we figured we would walk around the area (wherever that was) in the meantime.

Friday, January 17th, 2020

We set off and left our home in the Twin Cities around 12:30pm, and around 12:45pm it started snowing. Just ever so lightly. But as we kept driving northward, the snow got heavier and the fog and ice started making themselves known. Around 2ish hours into the drive, it was hard to see:

Lake-Covered-in-Snow

Eventually, after another hour or so of white-knuckle driving, we rolled into the cute little town of Crosby. We were greeted by this sign with a serpent, which I’m guessing was designated after their lake–Serpent Lake. Due to the weather and the requirement to drive slow (to, you know, stay alive), we arrived in Crosby at around 3:45pm, just 15 minutes before we could check-in!

Crosby-Sign

At this point, I still had no idea where we were staying. We usually stay at Minnesota State Parks, so my brain was swarming trying to figure out which park was near here. Mille Lacs? No, we passed that. Crow Wing? No, passed that too.

Then I saw the sign: Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area (with an arrow pointing in the direction to turn to go there). Then we drove past it. Whaaaat? I realized we weren’t staying at a State Park this time–so strange! So after only a few more minutes of driving, we arrived at our cabin for the night: True North Base Camp. Yay! I had read about True North Base Camp just recently, so I was excited to experience it in person! Easy access, not only easy to drive to, but easy to enter (they have keypads!). We stayed at the first cabin:

They. Are. So cool!

The cabins are heated, but not until you arrive and turn the heater on manually. With that, we turned the heaters on and opted to go back into town to grab some food. First stop: Iron Range Eatery. I had the best vegan tacos, and Eric had the “real tasty” Big Cuyuna Burger. For bevs, I went in for the beautiful and dark Third Street Sugar Shack Maple Stout, and Eric had the Big Axe Brewing Axe Kicker Double IPA. So good.

Iron-Range-Eatery

We then learned there was a brewery nearby. Knowing we would be stuck inside the rest of the night due to the snow, we headed over across the street to Cuyuna Brewing Company. To my surprise, their Flying Finn Russian Imperial Stout does not have lactose in it–win! I ordered that, and Eric ordered the Hazy Hopricot IPA. They were both delicious. Once we had our drinks, we grabbed a table and one of the many games on their game shelf! After playing an hour or so of Trivial Pursuit, we decided we were done losing at the game and wanted to head back to the cabin. Before heading out, we purchased a growler of Cuyuna Brewing’s Mosaic Blueberry Ale.

Back at the cabin, we continued to play some of our favorite two player games. We started with Welcome to Your Perfect Home, moved on to Ganz Schon Clever, and ended with Sagrada. We’ve been sort of binge-playing these games for the past few weeks. Knowing we had plans to be outside for a reservation of sort the next day, we played games until 10pm or so and went to bed.

Cabin-Game-Time

To be honest, we didn’t sleep well at all. The cabins are beautiful, but due to the heating unit (which was either ON or OFF), we woke up sweating at about 3am, but the floor was still freezing. We shut the heat off at 3am (again, because we could only use on or off), and woke up cold again around 7:30am. So we turned the heat back on. We finally warmed up a little and got out of bed at 8:30am. Due to the weird heat, and the flooring only being a concrete slab (there are two mats to stand on), unfortunately the floor had sweat due to the humidity and got everything that was on the floor wet. If we were to stay again in the winter, we would put things up off the ground at night.

True North Base Camp Cabin-Inside

Saturday, January 18th, 2020

Once we got out of bed, we had a quick breakfast, and Eric decided to bundle up and hit the cross-country ski trails. It had snowed for what seemed like two feet overnight, so there was a lot of fluffy stuff to slide around on. Knowing we wouldn’t be back before the 12pm cabin check-out, I stayed at the cabin and packed most of our belongings. The snow was a blessing and curse on this trip. Eric unfortunately wasn’t able to find the cross-country skiing trail and came back to the cabin after about 30-45 minutes. We were happy he was able to scoot around on the skis for a little bit at least though.

After he rested for a few minutes, we bundled back up, and were off! I still didn’t know what we were doing at this point. But we ended up at Cycle Path & Paddle (permanently closed as of 2021), where we rented fat tire bikes! We picked up the bikes and headed toward Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. I had only been dreaming of trying fat tire bikes for years, and now my chance is finally here! Thanks, Eric! The best husband.

We were so excited, we threw on our helmets and hopped on the bikes to ride! We hit the trail and almost immediately quit moving. What. I thought fat tire bikes were made for the snow? Oh, the snow needs to be groomed? Oh. Well then. A couple and their beautiful large dog greeted us a little while later and politely informed us that they had also just learned you can’t go on the trails until they are groomed, which is typically 24-36 hours after snowfall. Bummer. Our bikes were due back at Cycle Path & Paddle before we would get a chance to even take them on the trail!

Eric-Trying-to-Bike-On-Trail
Elissa-Thumbs-Up-far
Elissa-Thumbs-Up-close
Sunset-on-the-Trail-1
Sunset-on-the-trail-Eric-1
Snowy-Tree

To make the most of our rental time, we decided to head back into town and bike around there. We put a total of 5ish miles on the bikes, and were totally exhausted. Those are hard to ride! We followed one road from Crosby Memorial Park until we hit a dead end, then followed another road until we somehow found our way downtown. At this point in the day we were ready for lunch, so we stopped (don’t judge us) yet again at Iron Range Eatery. I just couldn’t say no to the tacos–they were calling! Eric tried something new, the carne asada rice bowl. Of course, I ordered the vegan tacos again. Except somehow, even though I ordered the same thing just the day before, they were completely different. Much spicier. Equally as yummy. We both had their amazing bloody Mary’s (or two) before setting off to bike around town some more.

Elissa-Biking-1

We found ourselves back in the area of Crosby Memorial Park, but instead were in the park next door, Franklin Park. Franklin Park is home to this amazing and massive Sea Serpent. The snow was so deep, but Eric just had to trudge out there for a photo op!

Serpent-Eric

We had been riding around for a few hours at this point, and decided it was time for a short break. Coffee, anyone? Our next stop was the Red Raven bicycle cafe. Eric got a really good looking americano, but I like just plain coffee. This was the perfect stop after an active day of riding. We warmed up with our hot beverages, and decided we were done riding for the day. But first, it was time to check into our next accommodation: the Alley Inn AirBnB. This was a cute studio AirBnB connected to a daycare. Red Raven is directly next door to this AirBnB, so our ride would not have been too far; except, we first needed to bike back to our truck over at Crosby Memorial Park! We detoured first for a little ride onto the lake. Serpent Lake appeared to be a great place for ice fishing, as it was peppered with ice fishing houses throughout. A path was cleared for a few hundred feet, so we biked on that and back before stopping back at the truck.

Eric-Up-Close
Eric-Biking-on-Lake
Eric-Biking-on-Lake-close-up
Biking-On-the-Lake
Bike-Shadows
Eric-Frosty

The Alley Inn was cute, and I can see it being really perfect in the summer. It was quaint to have in the winter as well, but we did run into some unfortunate issues. It was cold. There isn’t a thermostat, so you aren’t able to control the heat. Unfortunately we were there a weekend where temperatures dipped well below freezing, and we were so cold. They do provide two (small) and not super powerful space heaters, which did not warm us up. We each took a hot shower to try to warm up, but once you step out of the shower, it’s very cold again. Then we turned the electric fireplace and both space heaters on, which blew a fuse, so you cannot run all three heat sources at once. Since this was our only issue, I would recommend going to this AirBnB, but would not recommend going when it’s cold.

Alley-Inn Crosby MN

One we settled in, we decided we were in for the night. It was necessary as we were so tired from biking around all day. We have been wanting to try these “just add water” camping dinners for a while, so we decided tonight was that night! We had the vegetarian chilli, which was just enough for one bowl of chilli for each of us. I’m not sure about Eric, but I was falling asleep while eating dinner at this point. Yet somehow, we decided to turn on Netflix and watch a random series until we fell asleep.

Sunday, January 19th, 2020

The next morning, Eric wanted to get up early to get one last bike ride in before we had to return them to the rental shop. We bundled up and drove back to Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area in hopes the trails were groomed so we could spend about an hour on the bikes on their intended trails before returning them. Unfortunately, the trails were not yet done being groomed. Instead of leaving, we decided to switch gears and do some hiking! This means we at least got to spend some time on the Cuyuna trails, even if it wasn’t on a fat tire bike. Hikers are allowed to hike on ungroomed/snowmobile trails during the winter. We followed the snowmobile trail up the hill to overlook Huntington Mine Lake. So pretty with the snow! If it wasn’t so cold, we could have stared out for hours. But our hand warmers were cooling off, so we had to leave. Womp womp.

Huntington-Mine-Lake-View-1

As we were needing to be back in the Twin Cities earlier in the afternoon, we started heading back home around 11am. This time, it took us longer to get home than it took us to get to Crosby (which we also thought was long)! The roads were pure ice most of the way. We made it home late in the afternoon, but safely.

This was an amazing weekend. A much needed getaway after the holidays! We love getting to explore Minnesota! Our own backyard.

What are your favorite winter activities?
Have you been to the Crosby area?
Where are your favorite winter spots in Minnesota?

Lists, MicroAdventures

Kick that Cabin Fever with these Winter Weekend Ideas

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I love winter. But about midway through, I begin to hate winter. And by “midway though,” I mean usually around the beginning of January. Assuming cabin fever is due to my lack of keeping busy with planning fun winter outings, I wanted to ensure we were prepped with some ideas for what to do on those snowy weekends where we just want to get outdoors. This post provides winter itinerary options for an activity-packed weekend in southern, central, and northern Minnesota, as well as within the Twin Cities. 

Let’s talk about these two scenarios: You just left work and are ready for the weekend to kick off… or HEY, you don’t work this weekend! What to do?! 

Though I’m writing about Minnesota specifically, a similar itinerary could be modified for anywhere with snow 🙂 Don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like help with planning a fun winter weekend in your area! 

Friday Night

What better time to stroll through some beautiful light displays than on a Friday night? We have so many great light displays in Minnesota, here are some that could be near you:

Southern Minnesota: Take a stroll through the Kiwanis Holiday Lights display in Mankato. Visit Santa & his reindeer, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and leisurely wander through the beautiful light display. If you’re not wanting to be outside and walk through the display, unique to the Kiwanis Holiday Light display is the ability to drive through it. Tune in to the designated radio station, take off your hat, and enjoy the views. 

Twin Cities: The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is one of the most beautiful Minnesota stops in the summer. Did you know, it’s just as beautiful in the winter? Winter Lights at the Arb runs as late as the first week in January, which allows ample time to visit before or after the holidays. This light display is walk-through only, so grab some hot cocoa, pull up your snow boots, and start to wander. Unique to this display, there is a night dedicated specifically to photographers, so if you’re a photography enthusiast, grab your tripod and head over to Winter Lights at the Arb to take some of the best light display photos you’ve ever taken! 

Central Minnesota: Take a leisurely drive and Celebrate the Light of the World in Willmar. With 900,000 (that’s almost one million!) lights, you’ll definitely drive away astonished. This display’s history is special: it started out in a family’s yard and has grown to be one of the area’s best must-see winter attractions. 

Northern Minnesota: Arguably the most well-known light display in Minnesota, and the largest light display in the US, is Bentleyville USA in Duluth. On the shores of Lake Superior, this light display will leave you in awe. Kids 10 and under who visit Santa can get a free Bentleyville knit cap, warm up by one of the 15 toasty fire pits, grab a snack or some candy, or look through the gift shop. Bentleyville is extra special as it is an official drop off location for Salvation Army donations. This year, they are offering a drive-through option due to COVID. 

Want to see more holiday light display options in Minnesota? Check them out here!

Saturday

Feeling energized from viewing some AMAZING light displays last night, you are ready to get out there and rock this Saturday with more outdoor activities! 

Southern Minnesota: Take a stroll through Rochester’s SocialICE festival. Dedicated to giving you the best ice bars Minnesota has to offer, feel free to wander about and try the various tasty signature drinks while looking at the ice sculptures and listening to the featured DJ. 

Central Minnesota: Frozen lake golfing! A winter carnival with golf? Whaaat? Bundle up and head to Brainerd for the Gull Lake Frozen Fore Winter Weekend for some ice golf, the pancake feed, a scavenger hunt, food, beverages, and so much more! Join the tent party on Saturday night and dance the night away. If ice golf and a snowmobile drag race isn’t cool enough (not sure how it couldn’t be), this festival also has live music each night and lots of warming areas!

Twin Cities: Cross-country skiing at one of multiple Three Rivers Park District parks. With 70+ miles of groomed trails, there are plenty of options to keep you busy all day (or enough trail for an additional weekend, too!)! With 11 of their parks having cross-country skiing options, you’re sure to find the trail that’s right for you. What’s great about cross-country skiing through Three Rivers is that you can rent your own equipment for $12 (adult rate) if you don’t have your own! Many of these parks even having a warming facility with hot cocoa if you need a break (our favorite is French Regional Park)!

Northern Minnesota: Fat biking on the Gunflint Lake Trails! You’ve seen those fat tire bikes around, and now is your time to try one! There are multiple fat bike trails throughout the state, but northern Minnesota has the most scenic. If you don’t have your own bike, you can rent one from one of the many outfitters in the area. I was able to try fat tire biking for the first time this year at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area! I mean, how cool will it be to ride a bike directly to a waterfall?! 

Sunday

Southern Minnesota: Snowshoeing through the woods. Albert Lea holds a special place in my heart as it’s my hometown, so I can’t write about the awesome winter activities in Minnesota and skip over the great opportunities for snowshoeing the town has. If you’re able to walk, you’re able to snowshoe. I don’t yet have my own shoes, but they are on my wish list because this recreation activity was so, so fun when Eric and I tried it last year. Through the Albert Lea Community Education Rock Gym, you can rent snowshoes for only $10 (or $5 if you get a punch pass), and there are miles of hiking spots around! Note their website doesn’t reflect snowshoeing as an option yet. 

Central Minnesota: Did you know that ice drag racing is a thing? I had no idea! Luckily Eric loves winter activities and suggested we go to one of these. The Central Minnesota Ice Racing (CMIR) group has multiple events happening throughout central Minnesota cities where you can grab a blanket and watch the races. Adding extra fun to the event, the drag races held the weekend of February 22nd, 2020 included a pajama party. How fun is that?!

Twin Cities: What better way to end a winter activity filled weekend than to cozy up for lunch in one of the Twin Cities’ dining igloos! Freehouse Minneapolis has igloo reservations available through the winter so you can dine in the negative degree temperatures and not even notice how cold it is! Please note that, due to COVID, this is not offered this year.

Northern Minnesota: Of course, you can’t spend a weekend in Minnesota without skiing or snowboarding! Where better to hit the slopes than northern Minnesota? Lutsen Mountains offers awesome runs plus a gondola ride for those who prefer not to ski or snowboard. If you want to come here the night before, Lutsen also offers great lodging with ski-in/ski-out options so you can wake up and head out right away.

Skiing

Minnesota has SO MANY wonderful winter activities to offer! Even though it’s hard for me to deal with the frigid temps and lack of sunshine, I’m vowing to opt outside this winter to kick that winter-time blues.

What do you plan to do this winter to reduce cabin fever and promote happiness? 
Let me know in the comments, I am always up for new outdoor ideas!

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

Glacial Lakes State Park

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Glacial Lakes Sign

Eric and I visited Glacial Lakes State Park from 2/17-2/19/2017. This time, Elissa’s sister, Emily, tagged along for her first camping trip ever! We enjoyed this smaller Minnesota State Park, especially for its ease of access and navigation. The trails were a great mix of level and steep, depending on which way you went (unfortunately a trail map wasn’t available at the time at the ranger station or online, so I do not know the names), and always had great views and areas to explore. According to the HikingMN.com blog, “the 2,500 acre park is a series of rolling prairie hills formed thousands of years ago by receding glaciers.” There are also signs around the park to give you its history, so our plan when we return to this park is to check out all of the glacier-formed kettle lakes and continue to learn about the history of this area.

Recreation

Winter activities include hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and ice fishing. As this park’s focus in its lake, summer activities include swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, horseback riding, biking, geocaching, and hiking.

Wildlife

The Minnesota DNR website states that “many species of prairie and woodland birds make their home at Glacial Lakes…” where “squirrels, deer, beaver, wood ducks, raccoons, pileated woodpeckers and occasionally coyotes can be seen.”

Glacial Lakes SP Cabin

Itinerary

Day 1: We arrived around 6pm after about two hours of driving. We set up camp in our cozy cabin, which included two bunk beds (the lower bunks were full-size) and a table with benches for chairs. Slowly settling in, we decided to step outside to make some dinner. After firing up our old Glowmaster twin burner camping stove, our chicken noodle soup from Bear Creek was ready in less than 30 minutes (including the time it took to boil the water).

After dinner, the three of us decided to play some games in the cabin. We kicked the games off with one of our favorites, Love Letter, which is also mentioned in our Afton State Park post. In addition to being to being what seems like the worlds easiest game to tote around (it’s so small and comes in its own bag!), you can make this game as quick or as long as you’d like, making this one of our favorite games to bring on camping (or any kind of) trips! Eric absolutely loves learning new board games, so he brought with a brand new one for all of us: Grand Austria Hotel. While less than ideal for tent camping due to its large box and set up, it was great for cabin camping. Including teaching us the game, which is maybe more intermediate leveled, we spent around an hour and a half to two hours total playing it.

Glacial Lakes SP Board Game in Cabin

Day 2: Since we played games until midnight (or maybe later?), we decided to not set an alarm and start our day when we naturally woke up, which ended up being around 10am–oh, how nice it was to sleep in! Knowing lunch was in the near future, we had a light lunch, which consisted of bananas and the delicious Pillsbury Mini Blueberry Muffins; if you haven’t had these, you’re missing out. I’ve purchased a case of them on multiple occasions! Still waking up from sleeping in, Eric made coffee in his commuter java press from GSI and we decided to start a game. This time, Hanabi: a challenging co-op card game for 2-5 players where you give and take clues to each other to reach a common goal.

We went outside to start exploring around 12pm. Leaving from our cabin, we walked past the picnic areas and set foot on Mardy’s Trail. This trail took us along the lake shore, past boat launch, fishing dock, and beach. The lake was frozen over, and ice fisherman could be seen in the distance.

Glacial Lakes SP Mardys Trail
Glacial Lakes SP Canoes

Turning on my MapMyRide iPhone app, we continued on the trail and decided to make our way around the entire 56-acre Signalness Lake. With the weather unexpectedly being in the mid-50’s, the trails were a slick combination of icy and muddy the entire way around (though the warm temps were definitely welcome!). Emily is an avid geocacher, so we would veer off the trails every so often in search of a cache.

Glacial Lakes SP Signalness Lake MapMyRide

The three of us spent the entire day hiking on the trails surrounding Signalness Lake. The trail terrain varied, and even had a wooden boardwalk around one portion of it. The views were so beautiful!

We returned to the cabin once it started to get dark out (sundown began at 5:45pm). Starting the campfire right away, we made some Annie’s Bernie O’s, opened up the s’mores kit, and sat and talked for a few hours before heading to bed.

Day 3: Having a two hour drive to the Twin Cities, and a four hour drive to Emily to get back home, we woke up early knowing we would need to leave shortly thereafter. The three of us walked around the cabin and picnic area in the morning to see the views of the lake one last time. We had some leftover firewood, so we started a fire to warm up before heading out (keep in mind that you always need to put a fire out, dead out, before you walk away).

Cost Breakdown

Daily Park Admission: $5 (we have an annual pass for $25)
Cabin (1 nights w/elec): $70
Food: $19.16 (total)

  • Annie’s Bernie-O’s: $2.19
  • Bear Creek soup kit: $2.99 (x2)
  • S’mores: $6 for all items
  • Pillsbury Mini Blueberry Muffins: $4.99/case of 6
  • Water: FREE (we use refillable water bottles)

Gear Brought

  • Ohuhu double sleeping bag & pillows (used as two single sleeping bags)
  • Glowmaster Twin Burner camp stove
  • Mess kit
  • Coleman battery-operated lantern
  • Slippers
  • Base layers
  • Wool socks
  • Winter coats
  • Columbia snow pants
  • Columbia hiking boots
  • More packing tips from the MN DNR

This Park is Good for those who: 
…want to stay in a cabin
…want to walk around a lake
…want to go on a quick weekend getaway
…want to see deer
…enjoy easier hiking trails

Misc. Info 
Year Established: 1963
Distance from Minneapolis: 134 miles
Temperature: High of 55* | low of 30*

Camping, MicroAdventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks

Afton State Park

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Eric and I visited Afton State Park January 16-17, 2015. Established in 1969 and surrounding the Afton Alps Golf & Ski Resort, this state park is about 45 minutes southeast from the Twin Cities area, near the Minnesota/Wisconsin border.

This was my and Eric’s first “winter camping” experience. We rented one of the beautiful cabins, named White Pine, sitting just off of the St. Croix River in the South Camp area. I would highly recommend giving a cabin a try at least once, even if you prefer the traditional tent camping method of visiting our parks. They are beautiful. And CLEAN! The first Minnesota State Park to offer this, another non-tent option for camping at Afton State Park, added just at the beginning of this year, includes the rental of a Yurt. This park also has 1 canoe site and a whopping 28 backpacking sites! Perfect for anyone who wants to experience a “woodsy” park near a big city.

Recreation

Afton State Park offers some of the best opportunities around the Twin Cities area for the outdoor adventurers all-year long, including geocaching, hiking (also has a 1.5 mile plowed walking trail in winter), biking, snowshoeing, horseback riding, cross country skiing, fishing, backpacking, camping, swimming, and sledding.

Afton Trail Map

Wildlife

Typical wildlife include birds (hawks, waterfowl, bluebirds, and meadowlark, to name a few), deer, fox, squirrels, badgers, and turkeys.

Itinerary

Day 1: We arrived not long after our check-in time of 4pm. Parking, potable water, and a vault toilet were no more than 500 feet from the cabin. We also had electricity, which was helpful at night, but also a distraction when the neighbors had their lights on.

After setting up our cabin and making ourselves at home, we immediately put on our winter gear (snow pants included) and headed outside to a nearby winter hiking trail. We hiked about 2 miles, and decided to head back to the cabin since it was getting dark. We had a “typical” camping meal, including hot dogs and baked beans over the fire and s’mores for dessert.

Eric and I at Afton

After dinner, we warmed up for a few minutes inside and played a couple board games. We played two of our favorite two-player games: The Rivals for Catan and Love Letter. When we warmed up, we went back outside and started a fire. The stars were beautiful. Eric downloaded an app on his iPhone called NightCap Pro, which allowed us to take fun night-time shots of the sky and our surroundings.

Afton NightCap Pro

Day 2: As this was our last day here, we had a quick meal of cereal for breakfast, and wanted to head outside again. Being only a one-night stay, we spent most of day two playing in the snow and on part of the 6 miles of winter hiking trails. The main trail we stayed on was Deer Valley Loop, which totals 3.5 miles for hiking and snowshoeing.

Afton Tree Pano
Afton Snowy Trail

Future Plans

Even though Eric and I only spent one night at Afton State Park, we fell in love with its landscape and beauty. One night was not enough, especially in the winter. Next time we visit this park in the winter, we will definitely be bringing snowshoes for the trails, and downhill skis to visit Afton Alps.

We are excited to visit Afton State Park again, and can’t wait to see its beauty in the summer months. Our plan is to visit again with hiking shoes on to get lost in the park’s 20+ miles of trails. Rather than stay in a cabin the second-time around, our plan is to stay in one of their many backpacking sites next time we’re here.

Until next time…

Cost Breakdown
Daily Park Admission: $5 (we have an annual pass for $25)
Cabin (1 night): $70
Food: $15.50 (total)

  • Hot dogs (Oscar Meyer): $3
  • Baked beans (Bush’s): $3
  • S’Mores: $6 for all items
  • Cereal: $2
  • Milk: $1.50
  • Water: FREE (we use refillable water bottles)

Gear Brought

  • 2 burner camping stove
  • Mess kit
  • Hot dog and marshmallow roasting sticks
  • Sleeping bags & pillows
  • Snow pants
  • Snow boots
  • Winter coat
  • Base layers
  • Sweatshirt
  • More packing tips from the MN DNR

Misc. Info
Year Established: 1969
Distance from Minneapolis: 31.3 miles
Nearest Large Airport: Minneapolis-St. Paul International, 25.2 miles
Nearest Grocery Store: Less than 10 miles
Avg. Temperature During Visit: High of 33* | low of 15*
Permits: Required both to enter park (with a vehicle) and stay overnight
GPS Address: 6959 Peller Ave S – Hastings, MN 55033
Fun Fact: This park currently doesn’t offer any drive-in or camper camping–only cabins, a yurt, group sites, canoe, and backpack sites! A great opportunity to experience a camping method you’ve never tried before! Okay, there are two fun facts: Afton State Park has so much to offer that they even have a newsletter!