We went in search of Fall; a local junket to Lilydale and Pickle Lake, parkland adjacent to the Mississippi in St. Paul.
Kathleen 
Category: Hiking
We decided it was time to take a break from all the insanity and Afton State Park Minnesota was a perfect respite. Fall is definitely in the air!
The park is gorgeous with plenty of places to hike and birdwatch- also spend a night or two in a cabin, tent or yurt.
If apple desserts or just plain good eating crosses your mind, a quick trip down the road will suffice. Whistling Well Farm Minnesota is a perfect place to pick apples or purchase them bagged.
The dessert pictured above is Apple Crumble Slab Pie from King Arthur Flour recipes.
We have had a wonderful week enjoying local sights and tastes! A true “staycation”, we explored places in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including hiking in Carpenter Nature Center and trying out a new breakfast spot in St. Paul: Hope Breakfast.
Carpenter Nature Center has two campuses: the 425-acre Minnesota Campus with more than 10 miles of hiking trails and, just across the St. Croix river- the restored prairie and wooded bluffs of a 300-acre Wisconsin Nature Preserve. (Thomas and Edna Carpenter moved to the St. Croix Valley in the 1940’s and left their spectacular property for future generations to enjoy.)
This morning we wandered into downtown St. Paul where the brand new Hope Breakfast spot just opened. Yum! Located inside St. Paul’s oldest firehouse, the restaurant is serving amazing food and will pledge 3% of its annual profits to neighbors in need.
