I am CuTRis

Here I am in late October 2007, in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge with the Minnesota River behind me. I'm wearing my volunteer ranger shirt and also wearing a blaze orange cap--which means it was during a deer hunt. Behind me, is a gigantic cottonwood tree. These giants are impressive in so many ways. Not a tree that you would want in your yard, they tend to hollow out inside; and can host a variety of life. Trees like this one inspired my historical novel, "Cottonwood."

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/minnesota/black-dog-lake-trail  

I was in the flooded Wilkie unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge today.

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/minnesota_valley/

 I hiked the bluff Trail around Long Meadow Lake and came back on the undeveloped Trail. It was at least 6 miles and took almost three hours and it was raining most of the time. I saw swans, four whitetail deer, a raccoon, and much more.

We visited the (new) Old Cedar Bridge yesterday. I remember the old bridge was how we got to my grandparents' houses when I was a kid. When it was closed, I still used it to access both sides of Long Meadow Lake when I hiked in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge . The improvements are amazing! It is a fantastic area for hiking, biking and birdwatching.

We enjoyed the celebration of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge's 40 th anniversary on Saturday. There were a lot of fun, free activities for the whole family! https://www.fws.gov/refuge/minnesota_valley/ My son got to drive the "Marsh Master."

We visited The Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland, Wisconsin late last week. It is a great place to explore. There are exhibits (including a simulated dynamite explosion in a copper mine), an observation deck, trails, movies and more! This place is free and very child friendly. My son liked it a lot and so did I. Visitor Center One of many murals View from observation deck My son sets off the dynamite in the mine... again... and again...

Me and my son stopped at the wildlife refuge visitor center Friday morning. He wanted to "go see animals!"

Before leaving Tomah, Wisconsin , we visited the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge . It is a good 20 minute drive from Tomah and while it was a beautiful place, the bitterly cold wind and temperature below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, kept us from spending too much time outside with our two-year-old son. Being it was Sunday, the visitor center was closed—though the building looked quite impressive from the outside.

Here is a sample of my brush crashing... -KJC

I had an amazing hike through West Wilkie yesterday... American Oil Beetle