The "Big Bog" measures 30 miles north-south, 70 miles east-west, and is considered "Minnesota's last true wilderness." We hiked a 1-mile boardwalk into the Big Bog, which was AMAZING.
Close-up of a tamarack, the only coniferous tree that loses its leaves in the fall:
the boardwalk, and the vastness of the bog:
In the 1800s, people tried to drain the bog and offer the land to pioneers -- unsuccessfully. You can still see the old "road" that they constructed, however!
Cottongrass:
Pitcher Plants:
Carnivorous plants are so cool! The plants live off of insects that crawl into their "mouthes," and then drown in the rainwater that collects in the bottom. The pitcher plants secrete enzymes into the rainwater that digest the insects. Weird and strange and crazy!
False Lily-of-the-Valley:
Maybe some low-bush cranberries?
We chilled at the end of the boardwalk for quite a while, before hiking back:
On our way back to the car, we saw this family of geese:
After wrapping up at the bog, we continued north, ending our drive for the day at Zippel Bay State Park, located on Lake of the Woods. We found our campsite, set up the tent, and drove over to the beach to relax, build a campfire, cook dinner, and enjoy the evening.
Dan likes big water:
Who needs a Viking grill and Silestone countertops, anyway?
Dan walked the beach and did some wading while I chopped veggies and tofu for our foil-packs-on-the-coals dinner:
As the sun was setting, we packed up our stuff and walked the beach towards Zippel Bay:
More Yellow Lady's Slipper:
The lighthouse!
And a gorgeous sunset:
No comments:
Post a Comment