Running
Seems like they cleared out a lot of buckthorn and tall grass here in the center circle of the nature trail. Then the clearing stops, wonder what the game plan is here 🏃🏻♂️🤔
Nostalgic November 🚂
Prompted from an episode of Hemispheric Views where they brought up this subject of Nostalgic November where you would share a memory of anything from your past that brings a smile to your face. I hadn’t thought much of it since I listened to the episode but all of a sudden over the last couple of days I realized things I was doing, researching, or even talking about have been reminding me of something from my youth.
Trains… 🚂
That is right, trains. I have always had this interest / fascination with trains which at some point also lead me to model trains when I was younger. I am not sure when it ever first started but it could have been a visit to the Henry Ford Museum as a kid, or watching trains go by the train tracks at the end of the street, or maybe from my walks home from school or when my friend and I would go exploring train bridges and walk along the tracks near our houses, or it could just be they are huge machines and as a kid that is really cool! I am not sure when my interest in trains finally led me to model trains but when that happened I remember being interested all over again as it was something I could purchase, build, and tinker with all the extra electronics.
Over the years, I stopped getting more model train stuff and boxed everything up when I went to college. After college, there was a brief time when I lived with my brother and I got really into it again and started buying engines and other parts as a local store was going out of business. However, once I moved away to Chicago that obsession stopped again. Once I moved back to Minnesota and we had younger kids I set up the track and got all the trains out a couple of times but even then that has now passed. They are now sitting in a box high up in the closet of our basement craft room. Maybe someday I will bring them down and set them up again.
One thing is for sure, anytime I find myself running on an old Rail Trail, crossing train tracks to get somewhere, visiting places with old train Depots, or even thinking about how I used to walk home from school. All of those experiences trigger memories of when I was younger.
Todays running adventure in the light snow fall was finding a new trail. Or that is what I thought I had stumbled upon… Come to find out I was wrong. So after jumping through the tall grass for a while I gave up and turned around. 🌨🏃🏻♂️
Do you see a trail?🤦♂️
The Tale (or Trail) of 6 Tunnels
Decided to follow a trail with 6 tunnels yesterday along the 3.4 mile Bluff Creek Local Trail in Chanhassen 🏃🏻♂️
W 78th St Tunnel (the start of the trail)
Arboretum Blvd Tunnel (It is really two tunnels as you can see the space in the center but really only one road so I am counting it as one)
Coulter Blvd Tunnel
Twin Cities & Western Railroad Tunnel
Lyman Blvd Tunnel
Bluff Creek Road Tunnel
Then I actually found the end of the trail so I turned around and ran back to my car 😁. I had actually never run on this trail before so even though the map said it was going to end sometimes things aren’t updated that well and I was thinking it might have gone further. So it did surprise me when I came to the end and the path did not go further or connect up to anything else. I am guessing it is because if they wanted to keep extending it South they would have to figure out how to go over or under HWY-212.
Overall, it was really nice trail that was all asphalt so I might have to remember this one for next summer with the kids as the distance isn’t to crazy either.
Update: Since I didn’t post this yesterday as planned, I dug into some of the old Chanhassen park records and it seems like the Master Park / Trail plans from 2017 and 2018 assumed they would continue it further South. I wonder if once the construction of HWY-212 was completed they just abandoned the original plan or maybe didn’t leave a passage to get under it. I did notice that the HWY was on the original plans but based on what I know it wouldn’t have been completed at that time and was still a work in progress. Additionally, the details of their plan never really addressed how it was going to get past that HWY like other referenced markings on the plan to show an existing bridge or tunnel.
These bridges were slicker than I had anticipated today with the little bit of packed ice/snow on top. Not to mention the rest of the trails were pretty muddy too 🤷♂️
After a busy weekend, I went out for what Strava tagged as an “afternoon” run 😄🏃🏻♂️
Nice new crushed rock to run on today. I had some time this morning so went for a longer than normal mid week run before the snow falls tonight 🌨
Got to test out a new hat this evening from my friend Brendan Leonard Seemed very fitting with the moderate rain I encountered most of the time.
Found some time before dinner after a busy day to run on some trails North of my house. On the trail I scared up this big buck (if only I was quicker with my phone)🦌🏃🏻♂️
Decided to run while the dog was getting groomed. Found a new trail with an amazing view of Anderson Lake. It was a smaller than normal paved trail with no one on it around an office building. Probably shouldn’t have blown past those No Trespassing Private Property signs 😜
Early mornings (if not running or after a run) are just made for coffee… Today is one of those days as I am already working. More coffee please and keep it coming! ☕
Run, Vote, Run! Decided to make a quick stop halfway through my run today to vote 😄
📸 Photoblogging - Day 26: Bliss
I really do enjoy blazing my own trails sometimes as you never know where the trail might end 🏃🏻♂️
📸 Photoblogging - Day 22: Rest
Overall it was a relaxing kind of day today but I did find some time to do a little exploring. Not a bad view from this new trail at Willow River State Park 🏃🏻♂️
📸 Photoblogging - Day 19: Mirror
The water had a mirroring effect this morning from the glow of the sunrise.
📸 Photoblogging - Day 18: Finished
Some days you have to start extra early to find time to finish everything. It was quiet still at 6am as I was finishing up a run which I started closer to 5… 😳
📸 Photoblogging - Day 10: Bridges
Decided to take to the foot bridges today through the woods and prairie… 🏃🏻♂️
