Outdoor Adventures – Page 2

Exploring the St. Croix Valley: Adventures on & off the Water

By: angiehongmn July 1, 2024July 2, 2024

Outdoor Adventures, Uncategorizedcamping, canoeing, featured, forests, hiking, Minnesota, prairie, St. Croix River, WisconsinLeave a Comment

In February of 2022, I took a week off of work, loaded up the dog, a pair of snowshoes, and copious amounts of coffee, chocolate, and wine, then headed up north to Pine County, Minnesota. My goal was to see if I could maybe, sort-of write a book. Now, two years later, this little book of mine finally makes its grand debut to the rest of the world!

The official launch party is next week (YES! You are invited!) and I’ll also be doing speaking events in Marine on St. Croix (July 9) and Lake Elmo (July 13). I’d love to see you in real life!

Enjoying wilderness & solitude on the Namekagon River…with a hearty dose of rain

By: angiehongmn June 21, 2024June 21, 2024

Outdoor Adventurescamping, canoeing, featured, kayaking, Namekagon River, St. Croix RiverLeave a Comment

The Namekagon River is located in northwestern Wisconsin and flows 101 miles from the Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest to the St. Croix River, ending a few miles northeast of Danbury. It is the St. Croix’s longest tributary.

Rainy days and velvet moss

By: angiehongmn May 2, 2024May 1, 2024

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, hiking, rain, springLeave a Comment

Much like the Danish word hygge can be used to describe the cozy and comfortable feeling you get when sitting indoors beside a fire on a cold winter day, it turns out that there is also a word – pluviophile – to describe a person who enjoys rain and is fascinated with the sights, sounds, and smell of rain falling on the earth.

Way down south on the Mississippi River

By: angiehongmn April 4, 2024

Keeping water clean, Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, fishing, Louisiana, Mississippi River, New OrleansLeave a Comment

“Imagine that a crusty old curmudgeon of a guy agrees to let you tag along while he goes fishing in the Louisiana bayou. You get up at 4:45am and sip coffee while yawning on the drive down from New Orleans. When you arrive at the landing, he glances at you and your family, makes a noise that sounds sort of like “eh” and sort of like “well,” and then climbs onto a boat. You follow….”

In this week’s East Metro Water blog post, Angie Hong writes about a fishing adventure way down south on the Mississippi River and the connections our state shares with the people and water quality in the Mississippi River Delta.

Searching for treasure and coming up nettle

By: angiehongmn September 5, 2023September 5, 2023

Groundwater, Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, fossils, groundwater, rocks, St. Croix RiverLeave a Comment

In Chisago and Washington Counties, 100% of the water we drink comes from groundwater. This beautifully designed natural system provides us with a steady supply of pure, clean drinking water that is filtered by layers of gravel, sand and soil. Unfortunately, however, we’re beginning to see elevated levels of nitrate from fertilizer and chloride from road salt and water softener salt in the groundwater that people are drinking.

A few days north of Minnesota

By: angiehongmn August 11, 2023August 10, 2023

Outdoor Adventures, UncategorizedAlaska, camping, environment, featured, kayaking, oil spill4 Comments

Thirty-five years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the estuaries and bays surrounding Valdez are clear and clean again and the area has become a popular destination for fishing excursions, kayak trips, and other outdoor adventures.

St. Croix River – Wild and Scenic, Close to Home

By: angiehongmn August 4, 2023August 3, 2023

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, National Park, St. Croix River, SUP, Wild and Scenic RiversLeave a Comment

In theory, a person could hop into a kayak, canoe, or SUP and paddle from Marine to Stillwater in much less than seven hours, but what would be the point? Stopping to lounge in the shallow water and enjoy the beaches and wildlife in the St. Croix River is the best part of the journey.

Growth and change at William O’Brien State Park

By: angiehongmn February 16, 2023February 14, 2023

Outdoor Adventures, Partners and Updatesfeatured, Minnesota State Parks, William O'Brien State ParkLeave a Comment

By 1947, there were 30 state parks in Minnesota but none located close to the Twin Cities area. That’s when Alice O’Brien stepped up to donate 180 acres of land near Marine on St. Croix, which formed the seed for a new park to grow.