Last Day of Summer

We celebrated the last day of summer by taking a couple hours off to hike to the Carver Rapids.  We started at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge near Carver, on the west bank of the Minnesota River.  Talking to people or reading stories, you get the idea that the Carver Rapids are typically seen once a decade or maybe more, but this is the third straight year they've been exposed.

Great day for a walk, no clouds and mid-60s for temperatures.  We left home around 4:00, so the shadows kept creeping, especially when we were in the Minnesota River Valley and the sun was closer to the top of the bluff.

There was a hint of changing leaves, but not much yet.  In a couple of weeks all the trees will be yellow, orange and red.  The lower rapids are a short (3/4 mile or 1 mile) hike, the upper rapids is a much longer hike.  The upper rapids can be accessed from the other side of the river.  With the kids in tow, we opted to head to the lower rapids.

With the shadows creeping in from the west, about half of the river (and the rapids) were covered in shadows.

Kieran and I were able to work our way down to the rock forming the rapids.  The rock is the Cambrian-aged Jordan sandstone, one of the most frequently used aquifers in central Minnesota.

With the slope down to river level being fairly steep, Sarah stayed with Luke/Lex while Kieran and I went down to the river.

Evidence of high water times is everywhere, especially with this large tree that is sitting about 25 feet above the current water level.

Historically, the Carver Rapids limited steamboat traffic up river during periods of low water.

After spending some time down by the rapids, it was time to head back to the car - another walk of about a mile.

If you ever get the chance to walk with the kids outside, you quickly realize it takes quite a while to get anywhere.  They tend to stop to check out everything!  The list yesterday included:  caterpillars, leopard frogs, American toads, baby American toads, grasshoppers, a snake, beetles, etc.

All in all, not a bad way to end summer.  Happy Fall everyone!