Nature Illuminated...

 We started Christmas week with something new...we visited Nature Illuminated at the MN Zoo...it's a drive-thru look at animals around the world and in Minnesota...

The display breaks the world down to different biomes (things like the arctic, prairies, rainforest, temperate forests, etc.)...

First up was the arctic and antarctic...

As we drove through each section, there was an accompanying sound file that describe the animals and conservations efforts and needs for each region...

The oceans...

Lex's favorite is below...the tapir...the tapir at the zoo had a baby over the summer, but we never got to see it, very disappointing to Lex...

The bull snake of prairies...

Temperature forests, this is the red panda from Asia...

The brown bear...

The snow monkey...

The last section is a drive-thru representing Minnesota...starting with the Blanding turtle...

A very fun evening...

And a different take on the drive-thru events happening because of COVID and a different educational take on Christmas lights...

VCO and the Gunflint Trail...

 It's been awhile (teaching on the hybrid model and now the fully distant model takes up more time than most people know), but I'm still trying to catch up on posts from late summer and this fall...

Some posts from August outlined portions of a trip we took to NE Minnesota in mid-August.  Well, most of that trip (3-4 days) was spent at the end of the Gunflint Trail at Voyageurs Canoe Outfitters just on the outside of the Boundary Water's Canoe Area.  We spent our nights at one of their cabins and spent the days playing in and around the BWCA...

Within in moments of arriving, he was fishing off the dock...

Off the dock, he was catching some baby bass (and one large, pissed off painted turtle that he was toying with, then allowed it to bite), but out in the canoe we were getting into some good sized bass...

We've been visiting this beach at Seagull Lake for years...zoom in the picture, that's Lex way out there...I bet the water isn't even up to her waist...

Though they spent the most time this trip playing in the sand...

Evenings were spent canoeing in the small bay we were at and playing cards until bedtime...

During the day, we'd pack a day pack and head off in the canoe...

 

We'd get out when we could and do a little walking, or just resting...

But our day trips into the BWCA were meant as preparations for future, longer trips...

If campsites were open, we'd pull in and take a look...

Pretty sure this was the first time they saw a remote latrine.  Lex said "there's no walls!"  Lukie countered with "but there's a lot of trees."

This campsite could have easily been home base for 2-4 days...maybe it will...

Mornings were the best though...

We'll be back...the Gunflint is a special, special place...