Ben and Cameron decided to pursue their Junior Ranger badges, so after spending time in the visitor's center, and talking to the three people carving pipes, we headed out of the nature trail. Most of it is a prairie, like this.
There are a lot of beautiful flowers and plants, if you look closely.
There is also a beautiful stream that flows through the park.
Cameron and Daddy worked on this Junior Ranger book together.
If you look closely, you will also find a number of different kinds of animals. For instance, a ranger showed us these baby snapping turtles that were in hatching!
On top of this waterfall, there is a historic marker. It was carved by Joseph Nicollet in 1838. If you've ever visited us in Maple Grove, a LOT of stuff is named Nicollet.
The rest of the trail highlights rocky outcroppings of pipestone. A lot of the pipestone is under several feet of Sioux Quartzite, which you'll recall we saw a lot of earlier on the trip.
Very few rocky areas are complete without a natural formation that looks like something. We give you "The Oracle."
And finally, we made it to an active pipestone quarry. To mine the pipestone, you have to have a permit.
Side note: Both boys are Junior Rangers here, so go ahead and ask us your questions.
Love,
Ainsley, Ben and Cameron
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