Belle Prairie County Park
My wife is in the National Guard and this weekend was one of those "one weekend per month and two weeks per year" weekends. I never know what to do with myself when she is away. I am proud that she has decided to serve and, from my time in the military, I know all about "needs of the command" and understand that commitment to duty that accompanies the oath of service.
Understanding does not make these weekends any easier and I miss her terribly when she is away.
Friday morning, I dropped her off at her command and settled in to wait.
I needed to find a way to kill some time so I decided to explore the area.
Signs indicating the presence of a nearby park drew my attention and after following them, I found myself at Belle Prairie County Park just outside of Little Falls, MN.
The road through the park, for the most part is single-lane asphalt and in good repair. There were exceedingly few potholes and almost no debris to impede travel. I followed the looping path around and soon found a large pavilion with nearly twenty picnic tables, a horseshoe pit, several small outdoor grills, and a large fireplace. These were all within a short walk to the shores of the Mississippi River.
There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground (most of the snow at home has melted except for the really deep drifts and the piles created by plows), giving mute testimony to the efficacy of the shade provided by the numerous trees which promise a cool respite from a hot summer sun or refuge for (not necessarily FROM) mosquitoes once the weather turns a bit more hospitable.
I tried to get some pictures of these white and black ducks (possibly loons) but the birds were uncooperative and fled whenever I drew within range to photograph them.
I did get a picture of an island out in the river though.
Not far from the pavilion, there was a small playground with several sets of swings, a merry-go-round, and a fort equipped with two slides and plenty of things to climb on. A pair of signs warned of poison ivy and the need to supervise playing children.
The fort was pretty awesome and I immediately began to clamber and climb all over it.
I made my way to the summit and rode the corkscrew slide to the bottom (despite being a little too broad across the shoulders to fit comfortably).
After a brief walk, I returned to our jeep and finished my drive through tour. There was a small cemetery of some apparent historical significance but I didn't feel like slogging though the mud left behind by the combination of last night's continuous misting precipitation and thawing snow to investigate.
The weather and the early hour meant that I had had the whole place to myself for the majority of my visit to explore at my leisure but I could easily picture this being an ideal location for an outdoor family reunion or other large gathering in the summer or early fall.
If you get a chance and are looking for a low-key, relaxing afternoon, there are definitely worse places you could go.
Understanding does not make these weekends any easier and I miss her terribly when she is away.
Friday morning, I dropped her off at her command and settled in to wait.
I needed to find a way to kill some time so I decided to explore the area.
Signs indicating the presence of a nearby park drew my attention and after following them, I found myself at Belle Prairie County Park just outside of Little Falls, MN.
The road through the park, for the most part is single-lane asphalt and in good repair. There were exceedingly few potholes and almost no debris to impede travel. I followed the looping path around and soon found a large pavilion with nearly twenty picnic tables, a horseshoe pit, several small outdoor grills, and a large fireplace. These were all within a short walk to the shores of the Mississippi River.
There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground (most of the snow at home has melted except for the really deep drifts and the piles created by plows), giving mute testimony to the efficacy of the shade provided by the numerous trees which promise a cool respite from a hot summer sun or refuge for (not necessarily FROM) mosquitoes once the weather turns a bit more hospitable.
I tried to get some pictures of these white and black ducks (possibly loons) but the birds were uncooperative and fled whenever I drew within range to photograph them.
I did get a picture of an island out in the river though.
Not far from the pavilion, there was a small playground with several sets of swings, a merry-go-round, and a fort equipped with two slides and plenty of things to climb on. A pair of signs warned of poison ivy and the need to supervise playing children.
The fort was pretty awesome and I immediately began to clamber and climb all over it.
I made my way to the summit and rode the corkscrew slide to the bottom (despite being a little too broad across the shoulders to fit comfortably).
After a brief walk, I returned to our jeep and finished my drive through tour. There was a small cemetery of some apparent historical significance but I didn't feel like slogging though the mud left behind by the combination of last night's continuous misting precipitation and thawing snow to investigate.
The weather and the early hour meant that I had had the whole place to myself for the majority of my visit to explore at my leisure but I could easily picture this being an ideal location for an outdoor family reunion or other large gathering in the summer or early fall.
If you get a chance and are looking for a low-key, relaxing afternoon, there are definitely worse places you could go.
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