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| Kilen Woods State Park sign: almost actual size! Deer skull: normal size |
It was a short trail in a small park, but it was still enjoyable. There was a surprising amount of up-and-down on the trail, thanks to many little streamlets emptying into the river. The 2 mile Hiking Club Trail covers just about the entire park. There is a very nice view of the Des Moines River Valley, but we have no pictures of that. We got caught in a sudden downpour for about 15 minutes...totally unprepared, we wound up soaked.
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| Through the wood |
While we were on the hike, we ran into a woman who was looking for mushrooms with her three happy, boisterous dogs. She asked us if we'd seen any Morels. Unfortunately, we hadn't seen any...we are not mushroom fans. I hope that she and the dogs found a bit of shelter before the rain set in.
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| The Des Moines River, flowing towards Iowa |
If you live in the area - Windom is the closest city - this would be a great little park to have nearby. There were extensive ballfields and the park office had all sorts of sports equipment to rent. It's definitely a neighborhood park, one that I wouldn't mind having right in my neighborhood. We stopped at the River City Eatery in Windom on the way out. We don't give a lot of shout outs to restaurants on this blog, but we both thought it was pretty darn good. And they're not skimpy when it comes to ice cream cones!
Total miles hiked today (this park): 2
Total miles hiked in 2015: 8
Total ticks today: Joe - 0; Elly - 0
Total ticks in 2015: 8
Countdown to All Miles: 35.7 to go
I tried to hunt for morels this spring, but as the only thing I know about them is how to identify them, I didn't have any luck. They're supposed to be really good, and any excuse to go for a walk in a park or through the woods is a good excuse. One of these days I'll have to convince someone who knows what they're doing to take me along to give me pointers.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a mushroom fan so I've never looked for morels (or any other kind of mushroom). I have to admit that I like the IDEA of searching for and finding delicious food on the forest floor, but I'd have to get past the taste and texture first.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if people who know what they're doing are hesitant to share their secrets, because another mycology fan out there means less mushrooms for them? I know people who are secretive about their wildflower patch finds. I'm not going to pick the ladyslippers! You can tell me!
I understand morels are supposed to be pretty wonderful simply sauteed in butter. And it seems to me that not sharing mushroom spots is done for the exact reason you guessed. I was doing a little reading about morels this spring, and came across a story of someone being shown the ropes, but being blindfolded on the way to the hunting area.
DeleteI understand morels are supposed to be pretty wonderful simply sauteed in butter. And it seems to me that not sharing mushroom spots is done for the exact reason you guessed. I was doing a little reading about morels this spring, and came across a story of someone being shown the ropes, but being blindfolded on the way to the hunting area.
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